You can see Cudillero in a day, but you will see it badly if you arrive at noon, park wherever you can and rush up for the photograph. The village is built vertically on a ravine running down to the sea, and that is exactly the point: you have to walk up and down slowly.
This is the route we describe to guests who only have one day.
Morning: the harbour and the fish auction
Start at the bottom, in the Plaza de la Marina. It is the floor of the amphitheatre, with the coloured houses climbing both slopes, and at that hour it is still quiet. The harbour is a few metres away.
If you can, look in at the rula, the auction house where the fish the boats have just landed is sold. It is not a museum or an attraction: it is where it is decided, every day, what will be on the village's menus that night. Our boat, La Felisina, lands there, and much of what we serve comes from it.
Late morning: climbing the lanes
Narrow lanes and stairways run up from the square between the houses. There is no marked route and none is needed: any of them goes up, and each gives a different view of the same picture. This is the part most people skip by driving straight to the viewpoint, and it is the best part.
Lunch: eat fish, not just anything
Cudillero is a fishing harbour, so the sensible thing is to eat what came in that morning. Grilled catch of the day, shellfish by weight, a rice dish or a stew if there are several of you. Our menu lists the dishes with their prices, and you will see that some say «market price»: that means they are sold by weight, as at the auction, because it depends on the piece.
One practical note: in summer and at weekends you should book. Not for show, but because the village gets far more visitors than it has tables.
Afternoon: the viewpoints and the lighthouse
With lunch behind you, it is time to climb. The village viewpoints give the photograph everyone knows, with the whole amphitheatre and the sea behind. The Cudillero lighthouse is about 3 km away and worth the walk, especially in afternoon light.
If you have hours to spare and a car, Playa del Silencio is 12 km away and the Selgas Palace 8 km.
Where to leave the car
This is the part that causes most trouble, which is why it has its own article: how to get to Cudillero and where to park. In short: driving down to the harbour in high season is a bad idea.
If you stay the night
A day is enough to see the village. Two are enough to see it without rushing and to get to know the coast around it, which is where the best of it is. We are a boutique hotel in Cudillero with our own restaurant and car park, up in Tolombredo, a kilometre from the harbour: you sleep away from the noise below and have dinner without getting back in the car.