Has anyone used buses in Asturias to go from city to city? I will be taking the train from Madrid to Oviedo and then Gijon. From Gijon I would like to travel to Ribadesella and Cangas de Onis, then onwards to Santander. I know that in December the FEVE trains won't be running. Any advice?
Thanks

There is no way of checking the bus schedule in Asturias online. The company that does most bus transportation in Asturias is Alsa ( www.alsa.es ) but in their website they only post the out of the province schedule. They have a number 902422242 where they give you all info about schedules. Don't worry though because for provincial buses there is no need to book in advance, actually it is not allowed, and they are generally only very busy fridays and sundays in the evening, but if you arrive early there is always tickets, they just add more buses. Also, in general bus service is much better than train, at least more frequent and it is safe, nothing to do with Greyhound! Hope it helps!

Booklady writes: Have you checked( http://www.FEVE.es )FEVE's web site? For many small villages, FEVE is the only contact they have with the 'outside world' when the mountain passes are closed in the winter. Granted. ALSA/Enatcar is the major 'trunk line' bus company, but there are lots of smaller ones like la Palomera that operates Santander-Unquera-Potes-Fuente Dé service except there is no service to Fuente Dé in the winter time (until May). There are probably some that specialize in taking skiers to ski resorts but I suspect that they run from Oviedo rather than Gijon.

What I would do is check out the yellow pages for Oviedo & Gijon and maybe make a few phone calls. I'm sure you'll find something going up toward Covadonga (Cangas de Onis) but from Cangas de Onis to Santander you will surely have to backtrack up to the coastal road. It gets kinda 'rough' up there in Picos de Europa in the winter months. If all else fails, you can rent a 4-by-4 and drive. The owner/operator of Hostal Picos de Europa in Potes (Liebana) rents out stuff like that, mainly for skiers headed toward Fuente Dé.

Thank you both for the information. I guess that I can forget about going to the Picos de Europa in December. But I can take the Alsa bus from Gijon to Ribadesella. I think I am going to have to change my travel plans a bit. Eddie, I don't think I would dare to rent an SUV because I have not had a lot of experience driving in the mountains in Winter. I drove through West Virginia in August in a truck and that scared the pants off of me! And I imagine that Wooly Wonderful West Virginia is a lot like Asturias.

Saludos,

Booklady writes: Not! I think you really have to experience the mountains of Asturias; then make up your mind. The road down the gorge of the rio Deva, straddles the Asturias-Cantabria border. It is absolutely terrifying to drive that route! If there are no daytrip tour buses running, you should consider taking the la Palomera scheduled bus to Potes, capital of Liebana. Fortify yourself with Cocido Lebaniega & Orujo de Liebana for the return trip.
BTW
Cocido Lebaniega is like Fabada Asturiana except that it is made with Garbanzos rather than Fava beans.

Eddie, I will take your advice and eat Cocido and drink Orujo, and make sure I have an extra set of Depends on!

Saludos,