Colombres

How long to stay?

An afternoon is enough. Colombres is small, and what you want to see lies close together in the centre: the emigration museum in the Quinta Guadalupe with its garden, the church and the villas of the returning emigrants. After 16.9 kilometres from San Vicente de la Barquera you arrive early enough to see everything at your leisure.

Colombres in Ninja numbers

• 474.3 kilometres are still ahead of you to Santiago.
• 2.0 kilometres beyond the border river Deva lies the town. In Unquera you left Cantabria behind.
• 1906 is when the Quinta Guadalupe was built, the blue house of an emigrant who came home a rich man.
• 9 beds are in the small donation-based pilgrim hostel that has existed since 2023.

Arriving: over the Deva into Asturias

From San Vicente de la Barquera the route crosses hills and villages to Pesués and down to Unquera on the Deva. With the bridge over the river you enter Asturias. Then the path climbs briefly, and after two kilometres you are in Colombres, the main town of the municipality of Ribadedeva. Even on the edge of town the first large, colourful houses catch your eye.

In brief: the village of the Indianos

In the 19th and early 20th centuries many young men left this part of Asturias for the Americas. Some came back rich, and they were called "Indianos". They built grand villas and paid for schools, roads and churches in their home villages. Colombres is the best-known example: the village has been a protected heritage site since 2013, and in 2015 it was named an exemplary village of Asturias.

Around the Quinta Guadalupe: what to see

A walk through the centre shows you what the returning emigrants left behind.

• Quinta Guadalupe: Íñigo Noriega, born in Colombres in 1853, had this blue-painted mansion built in 1906. Today it houses the Fundación Archivo de Indianos with the Museo de la Emigración: photos, letters and objects tell the story of emigration to the Americas, and some rooms are furnished in the style of the period. For pilgrims it fits well: these people, too, set out without knowing what awaited them. You can enter the historic garden freely; we have not found the museum's opening hours.
• Iglesia de Santa María de la Asunción: The church was renovated in neo-Baroque style at the end of the 19th century, paid for with the money of the Indianos.
• The villas of the Indianos: A signposted route leads past the houses of the returning emigrants. Look out for the colours of the façades.

Honestly

• Beds are thin on the ground. The small donation-based hostel has only nine beds and is closed in August and on Saturdays. The large hostel is mainly for groups.
• There is no municipal hostel, and according to a pilgrim website none is in sight.
• You need luck with the museum's hours. We have not found reliable opening times.

Where pilgrims sleep

Since 2023 there has been the private Casa de Peregrinos Colombres, for pilgrims only, with nine beds in two dormitories on a donation basis, including breakfast and a shared dinner. According to a hostel website it is open from late March to the end of October, but not in August and not on Saturdays; you can book at most two days ahead (as of October 2026). The hosts have a small child in the house. At the entrance to the village is the large private Albergue Turístico El Cantu, which mainly takes groups and summer camps and pilgrims when there is room, for €15 to €18 (as of October 2026). There is also a hotel, holiday flats and a campsite.

Ninja tips

• Call the Casa de Peregrinos in advance if you arrive on a Friday. It is closed on Saturdays, and with only nine beds it fills up quickly.
• Give yourself ten minutes for the garden of the Quinta Guadalupe, even if the museum is closed. The garden is freely accessible.
• Choose the coastal path tomorrow after Pendueles instead of the main road. A pilgrim website recommends it as by far the more beautiful route.

Practical tips for pilgrims

• Shopping: It is best to stock up here for the next day.
• Border: From Unquera on you are in Asturias; the Deva is the border with Cantabria.

Onward: to the coast of Llanes

From Colombres it is 25.2 kilometres to Llanes, with 585 metres of ascent. The route goes via La Franca, Buelna and Pendueles. After that you can leave the road and take the coastal path, along beaches and cliffs via Vidiago, Andrín and Cué. The highest point, at 149 metres, lies just before Llanes.

What awaits you tomorrow

Tomorrow you walk along a rocky coast where in a storm the sea shoots upwards through holes in the rock. In the evening you reach Llanes with its colourful concrete cubes at the harbour.

Deep dive: The returning emigrants

A short read, in case you want to learn more about Colombres. About two minutes' reading.

Setting out

In the nineteenth century life on this coast was meagre. Many young men boarded ships for Cuba, Mexico or Argentina. Most stayed poor or never came back. But some made a fortune in the Americas, and they came home to show it.

Coming back

They were called Indianos. They built villas in bold colours and gave money for schools, fountains and the church. One of them was Íñigo Noriega, born in Colombres in 1853, who became rich in the Americas. In 1906 he had the Quinta Guadalupe built, a blue house that still shapes the image of the village today.

What Colombres gives you

Today this house holds an archive of emigration, with letters, photos and memories of people who left. As a pilgrim, you too are someone who has set out. You will not come back rich, but probably with something just as hard to explain.