Navia

How long to stay?

An afternoon is enough. Navia is not a place for a rest day, but it is a good stage town. After 20.4 kilometres from Luarca you arrive in the early afternoon. That leaves time for a walk through the streets of the Indianos, the church of Nuestra Señora de La Barca and the promenade along the ría to the beach. Tomorrow you continue along the coast to Tapia de Casariego.

Navia in Ninja numbers

• 232.3 kilometres are still left from here to Santiago on the Camino del Norte.
• 20.4 kilometres lie between Luarca and Navia, with 445 metres of ascent. The highest point of the day is at 184 metres.
• About 4 kilometres of the Navia ría are navigable, according to the tourism site asturias.com.
• Since 1958 the people of Navia have raced each other swimming down the ría every year.
• 1922 is the year returning emigrants from the Americas built the casino in the town centre.

Arriving: down to the ría

After Luarca the route crosses a rolling coastal plain of meadows and small villages: Outur, Villapedre, Piñera, La Colorada. Then it drops down to the ría. The San Roque albergue is right at the edge of town, directly on the Camino. The town itself lies flat at the river mouth, with its harbour and promenade along the ría.

In brief: gold, pirates and the Americas

The name of the river is older than the Romans: it goes back to a water deity. The Navia once marked the border between two pre-Roman peoples, and because the river carried gold, the Romans settled here for good. In the 16th century a wall protected the town against pirate raids; it was torn down in the mid-19th century, and you can still see remains of it in Calle Mariano Luiña.

Today's Navia was shaped above all by the Indianos, emigrants who made their fortune in the Americas and came home. In the 19th century they paid for schools and roads, and in the early 20th century for the planned expansion of the town. Their casino from 1922 still stands in the centre.

Between harbour and ría: what to see

Everything is close together, an hour on foot is enough.

• Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de La Barca: The neo-Gothic parish church was built at the end of the 19th century. Its name, Our Lady of the Boat, speaks of life on the river. In mid-August Navia celebrates her feast. We did not find opening hours.
• The casino and the Indiano houses: The casino of 1922, the area of the "Jardinillos" and the Palacio Arias show what the returning emigrants built. For pilgrims it is the story of people who went away and came back.
• Houses from the 17th century: The Casa de los Marqueses de Santa Cruz and the Casa de Coaña are the oldest noble houses in town.
• Paseo marítimo: The promenade runs along the ría to the beach of Navia, with a pine wood behind it. The best way to stretch your legs in the evening.

Honestly

• No public albergue. Navia has only one private pilgrim albergue, and it closes in winter.
• A tricky exit. Pilgrims report that the waymarking is sparse as you leave town. Look at the route on the map the evening before.
• Not a postcard town. Navia is a small harbour town where everyday life happens along the ría and in the cider bars by the harbour. There are no major sights.

Where pilgrims sleep

The town's pilgrim albergue is the private Albergue San Roque at the edge of town, right on the Camino. It has 24 places, costs €15 and is open from March to mid-November (as of October 2026); you can book directly with the albergue. There is a kitchen with microwave and fridge, a washing machine and a bike room. You will find a public albergue 5.8 kilometres before Navia in Piñera and 10.2 kilometres after it in La Caridad. Navia also has guesthouses and hotels.

Ninja tips

• Shop on Saturday if you arrive on Sunday. Pilgrims report that the shops in Navia are closed on Sundays.
• Check the way out in advance. From Calle la Peña keep left, turn right at the T-junction and left at the fork by the recycling bins. After that the arrows are clear again.

Practical tips for pilgrims

• Supplies: Cash machine, post office, pharmacy, grocery shops and a health centre are all in town.
• Connections: Navia has a bus station and a station on the coastal railway, in case you need to skip a day.

Onward: along the coast to Tapia

Tomorrow the route leads via Jarrio and Cartavio to La Caridad, where the public albergue stands after 10.2 kilometres. Then it continues via Valdepares and El Franco to the sea at Tapia de Casariego: 24.9 kilometres in total with 518 metres of ascent. The highest point, at 119 metres, comes shortly after Jarrio. There is a fair amount of road, but the route mostly avoids the national road on minor roads.

Deep dive: The river named after a goddess

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

A name from before the Romans

Navia is an old name. It belonged to the river first and goes back to a deity of water worshipped here long before the Romans came. In those days the river separated two peoples. Then came the gold. The Navia carried it in its water, and the Romans stayed to win it. Close by, at Coaña, a fortified Iron Age village still stands today, a castro.

Leaving and coming back

In the nineteenth century many young people from Navia left the country and went to the Americas. Some came back rich. They built schools and roads, had the town expanded to a plan and in 1922 put up their casino. When you walk through Navia today, you walk past the houses of people who made a long journey and came back with something they wanted to share. Perhaps that is not a bad thought for a pilgrim's evening.