Grandas de Salime is a village in the hills of Asturias in northern Spain. It was briefly busy from 1946 to 1953 as a service base for constructing the Salime dam. It's now a quiet place with a population of 386 in 2024, a stopover on Camino Primitivo pilgrimage trail to Santiago.
Get in
[edit]
From the south follow A-6 to Ponte de Neira then branch onto the winding mountain road.
From Oviedo follow A-63 west to La Espina, then the valley road through Tineo and Pola de Allende.
From the coast and Asturias Airport take A-8 to Navia then wind inland.
One Alsa bus per day leaves early morning and takes 1 hr 45 min to Tineo, for buses to Oviedo. The return leaves Tineo around 16:30.
The bus from Navia on the coast has been axed.
Get around
[edit]The village is small, but you need wheels to explore the mountains around.
See
[edit]
- 1 Plaza de la Constitución is village centre, a crossroads rather than a square, with Town Hall south side and San Salvador west. This is the only part that feels historic, the rest of the village is modern low-rise.
- San Salvador, Av de la Costa 10 (west side of plaza), ☏ +34 644 880347. Daily 11:00-19:00. The parish church is first documented in 1186, but was extensively modified in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Its distinctive feature is the surrounding portico.
- Capilla del Carmen is an 18th century chapel 100 m west of the church. It's seldom open.
- Ethnographic Museum, Av Ferreiro 17 (100 m east of plaza), ☏ +34 985 627243. Tu-Sa 11:00-14:00, 16:00-18:30, Su 11:00-15:00. Fascinating display of traditional life in the former church rectory. Adult €1.50, child €0.30.
Do
[edit]- Casa Municipal de Cultura is an events venue north of the church at El Salvador 8A.
- Fiesta of Nuestra Señora del Carmen is on 2 / 3 July.
- Camino Primitivo is the oldest documented version of El Camino, the plexus of pilgrimage trails converging on Santiago de Compostella. It starts in Oviedo and plods west via Grado, Salas, Tineo, Pola de Allande and La Mesa into Grandas. From here it crosses Acebo Pass at 1023 m into Galicia, thence to A Fonsagrada, Lugo and eventually Santiago.
Buy
[edit]
- Alimentación Martínez is east side of the plaza at Av Ferreiro 1, open M-F 09:00-14:00, 16:00-19:00, Sa 09:30-14:00.
- Caja Rural de Asturias 100 m north of the plaza has an ATM.
- Otero y Otero is north side of town at Av de la Costa 11, open M-Sa 09:30-13:00. Cash only, and the owner screeches at pilgrims to leave their backpacks outside.
Eat
[edit]- Café de Jaime is inexpensive filling food just south of the plaza at Pedro de Pedre 1, open Tu-Su 09:00-23:00.
- Restaurante A Reigada is within that hotel, see below. It's open daily 06:30-23:00.
Drink
[edit]- Asturias produces some wine, but the main drink is cider.
- Bar La Esquina is west side of the plaza at Méndez Valledor 12, open W-M 07:30-22:00.
Sleep
[edit]- 1 Albergue Porta de Grandas, Av Los Tilos 3, ☏ +34 608 782603. Good hostel at the east entrance to town.
- Albergue Casa Sánchez, El Salvador (block west of plaza), ☏ +34 626 665118. Peaceful central hostel. Single bed €17.
- A Reigada, Pedro de Pedre 9 (100 m south of plaza), ☏ +34 606 112218. Clean comfy hotel with self check-in and restaurant. Double (room only) €50.
- 2 Hotel Las Grandas, Vistalegre, ☏ +34 985 627230. Comfy hotel 5 km northwest of town, good value for the price, some rooms with lake view. Pets welcome.
Connect
[edit]As of Jan 2026, Grandas and its approach roads have a patchy 4G signal from MasMovil and Orange, but nothing from Movistar or Vodafone. 5G has not reached this area.
Go next
[edit]- A Fonsagrada west across the mountains is next stop on El Camino towards Santiago.
- Ribadeo is the nearest coast resort.