Spanish mountain range tops Time Out’s most beautiful places

A Spanish mountain range has just taken the top spot on Time Out’s list of the world’s most beautiful places, ahead of tropical islands and dramatic national parks in Asia and South America.

It’s not in the Pyrenees, and it’s not Sierra Nevada. Instead, it sits in the wild, rain-washed corner of the mountains of northern Spain.

Where is the world’s most beautiful places? 

The mountain range chosen by TimeOut in question is the Picos de Europa, one of the most striking landscapes and impressive national parks in Spain. It stretches across three regions: Asturias, Cantabria and Castilla y León.

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Geographically, it forms part of the Cantabrian Mountains, just 20–30 kilometres inland from the Bay of Biscay. 

• Cangas de Onís (Asturias), near the famous Lagos de Covadonga
• Potes (Cantabria), a handsome market town with a proper mountain feel
• Riaño (León province), rebuilt in the 1980s beside a vast reservoir

What makes Picos de Europa National Park so unique?

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There are bigger mountain systems in Europe. There are higher ones too. What sets Picos de Europa National Park apart and makes it one of Spain's natural wonders is the intensity of the landscape. You’ll see three distinct limestone massifs packed into a relatively compact area. That tight concentration of jagged peaks is part of what makes it so visually dramatic.

You get sheer limestone walls that look almost Alpine, deep gorges carved by glacial rivers, bright green pastures influenced by the Atlantic climate, and snow-dusted peaks well into spring.

Wildlife and protected status

Picos de Europa was declared a national park in 1918, making it one of Spain’s oldest protected areas. It also forms part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Wildlife here includes Cantabrian brown bears, Iberian wolves, chamois (mountain goats) and golden eagles. The mix of Atlantic and Alpine ecosystems is unusual in mainland Spain.

Rock formations and climbing heritage

One of the most recognisable peaks is Naranjo de Bulnes, also called Picu Urriellu in Asturian. It’s a near-vertical limestone monolith that has become legendary in European climbing circles.

Picos de Europa hiking: trails, viewpoints and outdoor activities

The terrain is varied and, in places, surprisingly demanding for hiking. Paths can be rocky, exposed and steep, so decent boots are essential.

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Best-known hiking routes

• Ruta del Cares: around 21 kilometres return, carved into a gorge between Caín and Poncebos.
• Lagos de Covadonga: a circular walk around glacial lakes high in the Asturian massif, accessible by seasonal shuttle buses.
• Fuente Dé cable car area: a lift whisks you up to over 1,800 metres in Cantabria, where high-altitude trails open out across dramatic ridgelines.

Beyond hiking

There’s more here than long-distance walking:

• Rock climbing on limestone walls
• Canyoning in fast-flowing rivers
• Wildlife watching in quieter valleys
• Winter snowshoeing when higher paths are dusted white

Living near Picos de Europa: what it costs and where to look

If this part of the mountains of northern Spain has you thinking longer term, it’s worth knowing that property prices remain lower than in Spain’s big cities.

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Areas to look at include:

• Eastern Asturias around Cangas de Onís
• Liébana valley near Potes in Cantabria
• Parts of León province close to Riaño

Explore holiday rentals in the Picos de Europa National Park or property for sale around Picos de Europa.