Lighthouses of Spain: Asturias

The Kingdom of Spain occupies nearly 85% of the Iberian Peninsula in southeastern Europe with coastlines facing south and southeast on the Mediterranean Sea and southwest and northwest on the Atlantic Ocean. Spain also includes the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands in the Atlantic, and the cities of Ceuta and Melilla on the north coast of Morocco.

Spain is divided into 17 regions called autonomous communities (comunidades autónomas). This page describes lighthouses of the autonomous community of Asturias (officially the Principality of Asturias) on Spain's northern coast. This is a beautiful coastline where mountains drop steeply into the sea and occasional water gaps create small sheltered harbors.

In general autonomous communities are divided into provinces, but Asturias is itself a province. It is subdivided into districts called comarcas.

The word for a lighthouse is faro in Spanish and faru in Asturian, but its use is generally restricted to the larger coastal light stations. In Spanish, smaller lighthouses are called balizas (beacons) or farolas. In Spanish isla is an island, cabo is a cape, punta is a promontory or point of land, péñon is a rock, arrecife is a reef, bahía is a bay, ría is an estuary or inlet, estrecho is a strait, río is a river, and puerto is a port or harbor.

The navigational lights in Spain are the responsibility of the national port authority, Puertos del Estado, but many of them are operated and maintained by regional port authorities. The Comisión de Faros, founded in 1842 to build and maintain Spanish lighthouses, is now an advisory panel.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. ES numbers are from the Spanish national list of lights, Libro de Faros. Admiralty numbers are from volume D of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 113.


Punta Roballera Light, Cudillero, May 2021
Google Maps photo by JAL

General Sources
Libro de Faros y Señales de Niebla
Online edition of the official Spanish light list.
Faros de España
Articles in the Spanish language edition of Wikipediaa.
Online List of Lights - Spain - Bay of Biscay
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas. Many photos from this area are by Eckhard Meyer, José da Palma, or Arno Siering.
Lighthouses in Spain
Excellent aerial photos posted by Marinas.com.
Faros del Mundo
Photos and accounts by Carlos Olmo Bosco.
Lighthouses in Spain
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
World of Lighthouses - Spain
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Phares d'Europe
This French-language site by Alain Guyomard and Robert Carceller has pages for many of the lighthouses of northern Spain.
Leuchttürme Spaniens auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse.
GPSNauticalCharts
Navigational chart information for northern Spain.
Google Maps
Satellite view of Asturias.
 

Cabo San Agustín Light, Navia, April 2024
Instagram photo by Marcus Diemer
 
Lighthouses in Asturias west of Cabo Peñas are operated by the Autoridad Portuaria de Avilés.

Eo-Navia District Lighthouses
* Punta de la Cruz
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); four red flashes every 11 s. 7 m (23 ft) post attached to a small 1-story equipment concrete equipment room. Lighthouse painted white. David Cantos has a 2022 photo, Trabas has a 2006 photo, Francisco Javier Martínez Riveiro has a 2017 photo, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located on a rocky promontory on the east side of the entrance to Ribadeo, across from the Isla Pancha lighthouses (see Northern Galicia). Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS SPA-092; ES-02720; Admiralty D1661; NGA 2341.
Isla de Tapia
1859. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); three white flashes, in a 2+1 pattern, every 19 s. 10 m (33 ft) square cylindrical stone tower with lantern and double gallery, attached to the front of a 1-story keeper's house. Buildings painted white; lantern silvery metallic. A 2019 photo is at right, Trabas has a 2006 photo, Olmo has a good 2007 photo, Wikimedia has a photo by Cayetano Delgado, Higinio Hevia Rodriguez has a distant street view, and Google has a closeup street view and a satellite view. The light tower was rebuilt in 1962. Located on a small island just off the harbor of Tapia de Casariego near the western border of Asturias. The island is connected to the mainland by a jetty, which is closed to the public. Site and tower closed, but there are good views from nearby. . ARLHS SPA-160; ES-02700; Admiralty D1658; NGA 2328.
* Cabo San Agustín (Ría de Navia) (1)
1945. Inactive since 1975. 5.5 m (18 ft) round stone tower with gallery, unpainted. Marcus Diemer's 2024 photo is above right, Aturo Murias Bouza has a closeup photo, and this light is seen to the right of the present lighthouse in Meyer's photo.
* Cabo San Agustín (Ría de Navia) (2)
1975 (station established 1945). Active; focal plane 70 m (230 ft); white light occulting twice every 12 s. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical tower with lantern and double gallery, painted with black and white horizontal bands. Marcus Diemer's 2024 photo is above right, Aturo Murias Bouza has a closeup photo, Trabas has Eckhard Meyer's closeup 2021 photo, Wikimedia has a photo by Ramón Noriega (also seen at right), Luis Antonio San Millán has a fine street view, and Google has a satellite view. This appears to be one of the modern towers built under the Plan de Señales Marítimas. Located on a headland at the western entrance to the Ría de Navia, about 3 km (2 mi) northwest of the town of Navia. Accessible by road; streetside parking is available. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS SPA-044; ES-02640; Admiralty D1657; NGA 2316.

Isla de Tapia Light, Tapia de Casariego, June 2019
Instagram photo by Hotel Puente de los Santos
* Luarca Dique de Canouco
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); three red flashes every 9 s. 14 m (43 ft) unpainted round cylindrical concrete tower. A fragment of a wall suggests that a building was formerly attached to the tower. Trabas has Meyer's 2021 closeup, Carlos Andrés Pérez has a closeup 2017 street view, a more distant view shows the Faro de Luarca in the background, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located at the end of the outer breakwater in Luarca; accessible by walking the breakwater. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SPA-283; ES-02570; Admiralty D1647; NGA 2292.
* Luarca (Punta Atalaya) (2)
1862 (station established 1850). Active; focal plane 63 m (207 ft); white light occulting three times every 15 s. 9 m (30 ft) square cylindrical stone tower with lantern and gallery. Tower painted white with unpainted stone trim; lantern silvery metallic. Fog siren (Morse code "L": one short, one long, two shorts, every 30 s). A 2023 photo is at right, Trabas has a 2006 photo, Wikimedia has several photos, another closeup photo is available, and Google has a 2023 street view and a satellite view. This lighthouse is within the walls of the Atalaya (Watchtower), a historic walled complex of buildings, some dating to the 14th century. Monks of the monastery here displayed lights for returning sailors in the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1850 a lantern was placed on one of the towers of the complex; this was replaced in 1862 when the current tower was constructed on the wall on the seaward side. Located on the promontory at the eastern entrance to the Ría de Luarca, the open embayment that includes the harbor of Luarca. Accessible by road, but there's no parking close to the tower. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS SPA-193; ES-02550; Admiralty D1646; NGA 2288.
* Cabo Busto (2)
1858 (light tower rebuilt 1962). Active; focal plane 84 m (276 ft); four white flashes every 20 s. 9 m (30 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery rising from the front of a 1-story keeper's house; 3rd order Fresnel lens. Buildings painted white; house has a red tile roof; lantern is all glass including the dome. Trabas has a 2006 photo, Manuel Angel Garcia Villafañe has a 2017 photo, Karlos Chillon has a photo, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Cabo Busto is a prominent cape that projects about 3 km (2 mi) into the Atlantic roughly 6 km (4 mi) east of Valdés. Located on the point of the cape. Accessible by road; parking provided. The light station is fenced, but the tiwer can be seen from nearby. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS SPA-008; ES-02530; Admiralty D1642; NGA 2284.

Luarca Light, Luarca, October 2023
Instagram photo
by inloveinfoto

Avilés District Lighthouses
* Cabo Vidío
1950. Active; focal plane 101 m (331 ft); white flash every 5 s. 9 m (30 ft) cylindrical stone tower with U-shaped cross-section, lantern and gallery, attached to the front of a 1-story stucco-clad keeper's house. The buildings are unpainted; lantern and gallery painted white; the lantern roof is yellow. Fog horn (Morse code "V": three shorts followed by one long, every 60 s). A 2021 photo by Gonzalo Gonzalez is at right, Trabas has Meyer's 2021 closeup, Wikimedia has photos, Saúl Granda has another closeup, Claudia Dal Ceredo has a distant view, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Cabo Vidío is a prominent cape that projects about 3 km (2 mi) into the Atlantic roughly 8 km (5 mi) west of Cudillero. Located on the point of the cape. Accessible by road, parking available. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS SPA-055; ES-02510; Admiralty D1641; NGA 2280.
* Punta Roballera (Cudillero)
1858. Active; focal plane 44 m (144 ft); white light occulting four time every 16 s. 10 m (33 ft) octagonal masonry tower with lantern and double gallery, attached to the front of a 1-story keeper's house. Tower painted white. Fog horn (Morse code "D": one long, two shorts, every 30 s). A 2021 photo is at the top of this page, Trabas has Da Palma's 2017 photo, a fine 2007 photo is available, Wikimedia has a view by Ramón Noriega, and Google has a satellite view and a distant street view. This lighthouse has a spectacular site, even by the standards of this coast: it seems almost suspended above the sea. It earns its nickname as El Guardián del Vértigo. Bonfires have been lit at this spot for centuries to aid sailors. The lighthouse was expanded in 1921 and again in the 1980s as part of the Plan de Señales Marítimas; at that time the tower was heightened with a new lantern and the second gallery. Located atop a vertical headland about 1.5 km (1 mi) north of Cudillero. Accessible by a steep walk up from the Calle Ribera pier. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS SPA-255; ES-02470; Admiralty D1640; NGA 2276.
 

Cabo Vidio Light, Avilés, September 2021
Google Maps photo by Gonzalo Gonzalez
 
* Dique de San Esteban (3?)
1997 (station established 1945). Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); two white flashes every 12 s. 8 m (26 ft) post rising from a corner of a 1-story concrete equipment room. Tower painted with black and white horizontal bands, equipment room painted white. Fog siren (Morse code "N": one long, one short, every 30 s). Trabas has Andreas Köhler's 2023 photo, Wikimedia has Ramón Noriega's photo, a 2019 closeup is available, José Manuel Garcia Gonzalez has a closeup street view, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the breakwater on the west side of the entrance to the Río Nalón at San Esteban de Pravia. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SPA-318; Admiralty ES-02380; Admiralty D1634.2; NGA 2248.
* Avilés (Faro de San Juan)
1863. Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); white or red light, depending on direction, 3.5 s on, 1.5 s off. 14 m (46 ft) square cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, attached to the front of a 1-story keeper's house; drum style Fresnel lens. Tower is unpainted brick and stone; lantern silvery metallic. A second, 2-story keeper's house is adjacent. Fog siren (Morse code "A": one short, one long, every 30 s) located 190 m (200 yd) northwest. A 2024 photo is at right, Carlos Olmo has a good photo, Trabas has Meyer's 2021 closeup, Joshuar Alberto Pérez Alvarez has a 2022 photo, Capt. Peter Mosselberger contributed a 2012 photo, and Google has a 2025 street view and a satellite view. The present lantern was installed in 1957. Located at the end of the AS-329 highway, on the north side of the entrance to the harbor of Avilés. Accessible by road, parking provided. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS SPA-128; ES-02100; Admiralty D1630; NGA 2240.
[Avilés Muelle Levante]
2010. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); white, red or green light depending on direction, 2 s on, 4 s off. 10 m (33 ft) round barbell-shaped white fiberglass tower. Trabas has Meyer's photo and Google has a 2025 street view and a satellite view. This is a leading light for vessels entering the harbor. Located on the quay at the Centro Niemeyer, the city's cultural center. Site and tower closed (restricted area). ES-02355; Admiralty D1633.35.

Avilés Light, Avilés, May 2024
Instagram photo by jrayavil

Gijón District Lighthouses
Lighthouses in the Gijón and Oriente Districts are operated by the Autoridad Portuaria de Gijón.

***
Cabo Peñas (2)
1929 (station established 1852). Active; focal plane 117 m (384 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 18 m (59 ft) octagonal stone tower with lantern and gallery, attached to the front of a 2-story keeper's house; clamshell 1st order Barbier, Bénard and Turenne Fresnel lens transferred from the original lighthouse. Tower is unpainted gray stone; lantern silvery metallic; house painted white with gray trim. Fog horn (Morse code "P": short-long-long-short every 60 s). A 2021 photo is at right, Trabas has Meyer's 2021 photo, Wikipedia has a photo by Ramón Noriega, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Cabo Peñas, the northernmost point of Asturias, projects across the coastal shipping lanes, making this one of the most important light stations on the northern coast of Spain. The cape is designated a Biological Reserve and also a Protected Landscape (Paisaje Protegido). The lighthouse now houses a maritime museum, the Centro de Interpretación Medio Marino de Peñas. Located on the heights above the cape, at the end of the AS-328 highway, about 8 km (5 mi) northwest of Gozón. Accessible by road, parking provided. Site open, museum open daily year round, tower status unknown. Site manager: City of Gozón. . ARLHS SPA-037; ES-02080; Admiralty D1628; NGA 2236.
* Punta del Cuerno Range Rear
Date unknown. Inactive since 2013. 1-story stucco-clad farm house with the light displayed through a window in the gable at the seaward end. House painted white. Trabas has a good photo and Google has a satellite view. Located above the headland of Punta del Cuerno about 1.2 km (3/4 mi) north of the Carreño waterfront. Site open, tower closed. ex-ES-02031; ex-Admiralty D1616.1; ex-NGA 2216.
* [Punta del Cuerno (ex-Range Front)]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); flash every 4 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 4 m (13 ft) square column. Trabas has Meyer's photo and Google has a satellite view. Located on the slope below the Candás lighthouse. Site status unknown. ES-02030; Admiralty D1616; NGA 2212.

Cabo Peñas Light, Gozón, September 2021
Google Maps photo by Maria José
* Candás (Cabo de San Antonio, Carreño) (3)
1917 (station established 1897). Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); white light occulting twice every 10 s. 12 m (39 ft) octagonal stone tower with lantern and gallery, attached to the front of a 2-story keeper's house. Tower is unpainted red-brown stone; lantern silvery metallic; house painted white with gray trim. Fog horn (Morse code "C": long-short-long-short every 60 s). Trabas has a 2006 photo, Wikimedia has several photos, José Manuel Fernandez Rancaño also has a closeup, Xuaco Suárez Piñera has a 2022 photo, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. This light marks the entrance to the fishing port of Carreño, which is protected naturally by the steep ridge of the Cabo de San Antonio; a street view from the harbor shows this well. A temporary light in 1897 was replaced with a more permanent light in 1904, but both proved unsatisfactory. Note: downhill to the northeast of this lighthouse is the front light of the former Punta del Cuerno range (previous entry); it was displayed from a lantern-like structure atop an interesting concrete column. Located on a sharp promontory about 1 km (0.6 mi) northeast of the Carreño waterfront. Accessible by road, parking available. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS SPA-366; ES-02020; Admiralty D1614; NGA 2208.
* Cabo de Torres (Gijón) (2)
1924 (station established 1865). Active; focal plane 82 m (269 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 12 m (39 ft) octagonal masonry tower with lantern and gallery, attached to the front of a large 2-story keeper's complex. Entire building painted white; lantern dome painted red. Raúl Ramos Solar's 2024 photo is at right, Trabas has Da Palma's 2017 photo, a 2022 photo is available, Wikimedia has several photos, Ramón Noriega has a 2006 photo, Alfredo Garcia has a closeup street view, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse replaced a 9 m (30 ft) masonry tower. Located on a sharp headland marking the western entrance to the harbor of Gijón. Accessible by road but visitors must obtain a permit at the archeological museum to drive the access road. Otherwise accessible by hiking the road about 1.2 km (3/4 mi) to the lighthouse; parking is provided at the start of the hike. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS SPA-023; ES-01750; Admiralty D1596; NGA 2204.
El Musel Dique Norte Ángulo Exterior
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); quick flashing white light. 6 m (20 ft) round barbell-shaped tower; upper half painted black and lower half yellow. Trabas has Da Palma's photo and Google has a satellite view. Located on the northwest angle of the outer breakwater protecting the El Musel harbor of Gijón. Site status unknown, perhaps open. ES-01772; Admiralty D1596.4.
El Musel Dique Norte Extremo
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 32 m (105 ft); green flash every 4 s. 8 m (26 ft) round barbell-shaped tower painted green. Trabas has Da Palma's photo and Bing has a satellite view. Located at the projecting north angle of the outer breakwater protecting the El Musel harbor of Gijón. Site status unknown, perhaps open. ES-01775; Admiralty D1596.6.

Cabo de Torres Light, Gijón, July 2024
Google Maps photo by Raúl Ramos Solar
El Musel Dique Príncipe de Asturias
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); three quick green flashes, in a 2+1 pattern, every 10 s. Approx. 8 m (26 ft) round barbell-shaped tower, painted green with a red horizontal band and mounted on a circular concrete platform supported by piles at the end of the pier. Trabas has Da Palma's photo and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the main breakwater in the El Musel harbor of Gijón. Site status unknown, probably closed. ES-01780; Admiralty D1597; NGA 2196.
* Tazones (Punta del Olivo)
1864 (light tower rebuilt in 1945). Active; focal plane 127 m (417 ft); white flash every 7.5 s. 11 m (36 ft) octagonal cylindrical stone tower with lantern and gallery, attached to the seaward side of a 2-story masonry keeper's house. Tower is unpainted stone; lantern dome is silvery metallic; house painted white with unpainted stone trim and a red tile roof. A 2022 photo is at right, Trabas has a 2006 photo, Manuel Hernández Lafuente has a 2017 photo, Maribel Rodriguez Gonzalez has a 2023 photo, Ramón Noriega has a photo, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Fog horn (three short blasts followed by one long blast every 30 s). The original light had a focal plane of 67 m (220 ft). In 2007 the lighthouse was transferred to a local group with plans to establish a cultural center and natural history museum in the building. Nothing has come of these plans. Located on a headland about 9 km (5.5 mi) northeast of Villaviciosa and 28 km (18 mi) east of Gijón. Accessible by road but parking is limited. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS SPA-137; ES-01720; Admiralty D1592; NGA 2132.

Tazones Light, Villaviciosa, May 2022
Instagram photo by fotosperdayuri

Oriente District Lighthouses
* Cabo Lastres
1993. Active; focal plane 118 m (387 ft); five white flashes, separated by 3.2 s, every 30 s. 18 m (59 ft) cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, rising from the center of a 1-story masonry equipment building. Lighthouse painted white with black trim; lantern dome painted green. A 2022 photo is at right, Olmo has a good photo, Trabas has a 2006 photo, Wikimedia has Ramón Noriega's photo, Juan José Pérez Calderón has a 2022 photo, another photo is available, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. This light was added to the Plan de Señales Marítimas 1985-89 after the fishing trawler El Bello 1 was lost in the area. Located atop a steep headland about 6 km (4 mi) north of Colunga and 40 km (25 mi) east of Gijón. Accessible by back roads (follow signs), parking provided. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS SPA-053; ES-01680; Admiralty D1591; NGA 2130.
Ribadesella (Punta de Somos)
1861. Active; focal plane 115 m (377 ft); three white flashes, in a 1+2 pattern, every 12 s. 8 m (26 ft) square masonry tower with lantern and gallery, attached to the front of a 1-story masonry keeper's house. Building painted white with unpainted stone trim; lantern dome is silvery metallic. Trabas has a photo, Wikimedia has Ramón Noriega's photo, Pablo Martinez del Riego has a 2021 photo, and Google has a satellite view and a 2024 street view from an unpaved road below the lighthouse. When Andreas Köhler visited in 2023 he found the property gated with no access allowed. Located on a headland about 1 km (0.6 mi) west of the Ría de Ribadesella. Accessible by road, but the entrance is gated. Site and tower closed. . ARLHS SPA-275; ES-01660; Admiralty D1586; NGA 2120.
* Dique de Ribadesella (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); two red flashes every 6 s. 8 m (26 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with a small gallery. The tower is unpainted white concrete with red trim and a red band at the top. Trabas has Andreas Köhler's 2023 photo, Wikimedia has a closeup photo, another closeup is available, Miguel Ángel has a street view from above, and Google has a satellite view. Huelse has a historic postcard view of the original lighthouse, an octagonal tower. Located at the end of the seawall on the east side of the entrance to the Ría de Ribadesella. Accesssible by walking the waterfront (about 500 m (3/8 mi) from waterfront parking). Site open, tower closed. ES-01670; Admiralty D1587; NGA 2124.

Cabo Lastres Light, Colunga, May 2022
Instagram photo by 2mrs
* Llanes (Faro de San Antón) (3)
1961 (station established 1860). Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); white light occulting four times every 15 s. 8 m (26 ft) octagonal cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, attached to the front of a 2-story masonry keeper's house. Building painted white with a dark green tile roof; lantern dome is silvery metallic. Trabas has Siering's 2011 photo, Yoli Carbajales has a 2023 photo, Wikimedia has Ramón Noriega's view from the sea, another view from the sea is available, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a closeup 2023 street view and a satellite view. The original lighthouse, heavily damaged by fire in 1946, was replaced by a temporary tower in 1950. Located directly on the waterfront in Llanes, a small fishing port about halfway between Santander and Gijón. Streetside parking is limited. Site open, tower closed. . ARLHS SPA-319; ES-01640; Admiralty D1582; NGA 2116.
Punta San Emeterio
1864. Active; focal plane 68 m (223 ft); white flash every 5 s. 9 m (30 ft) cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery, attached to the front of a 1-story masonry keeper's house. Building painted white with a red tile roof; lantern dome is silvery metallic. 4th order Fresnel lens in use. Wikimedia has Ramón Noriega's photo, Trabas has Siering's 2011 photo, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. Located atop a spectacular 60 m (200 ft) vertical cliff about 7 km (4.5 mi) north of Ribadedeva in easternmost Asturias. Accessible by a challenging road through the mountains. Site and tower closed (gated entrance) but Winter reports the lighthouse can be seen from a popular lookout, the Mirador Pimiango. ARLHS SPA-218; ES-01620; Admiralty D1580; NGA 2112.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: East: Cantabria | West: Northern Galicia

Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key

Posted November 18, 2005. Checked and revised October 17, 2025. Lighthouses: 25. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.