Where Ancient Footprints Meet Imperial History: A Day in Tazones
By Bree Delian, Asturias Vacations
The first time I walked across the tide pools of Tazones beach, I had no idea I was literally following in the footsteps of dinosaurs. It was a golden afternoon in late September, and I'd driven the winding coastal road from Villaviciosa simply because someone had mentioned "the best seafood lunch in Asturias" was waiting in this fishing village. What I discovered was far more extraordinary than exceptional arroz con bogavante - though that certainly delivered too.
As I picked my way across the wave-smoothed rocks, my local guide casually pointed to what looked like ordinary indentations in the stone. "Theropods," he said matter-of-factly, as if 150-million-year-old dinosaur tracks were just another Tuesday afternoon sight. In that moment, standing where giants once walked while the scent of grilled lubina drifted from nearby terraces, I understood that Tazones represents something uniquely Asturian: the ability to serve up both deep time and perfect seafood with equal measure of reverence and joy.
When Emperors Mistook Pirates for Welcome Committees
Long before anyone thought to preserve dinosaur footprints, Tazones earned its place in Spanish history through sheer accident. On September 19, 1517, a violent storm diverted the fleet carrying the teenage Charles I of Spain (later Holy Roman Emperor Charles V) from his intended landing at Santander. The future emperor's unexpected arrival in this tiny fishing village created immediate confusion - villagers initially mistook the royal entourage for pirates and prepared to defend their town.
Once the misunderstanding cleared, the villagers welcomed their unexpected guest warmly, though one can only imagine the scramble to provide suitable accommodation for a future emperor in a village that probably numbered fewer residents than his traveling party. This moment of imperial serendipity has defined Tazones ever since, celebrated annually during the San Roquín festivities on August 15-16 with historical reenactments featuring locals in period costume. The 2024 festival drew a record 5,000 visitors, testament to this small village's outsized historical significance. A 16th-century plaque in the San Miguel church quietly commemorates the event, reminding visitors that Tazones' brush with imperial history is more than tourist legend. There is a permanent display on the top floor of the Villaviciosa Tourist Information building including a replica of the ship.
The irony isn't lost on me that both Charles V and the dinosaurs arrived in Tazones quite by accident - the emperor diverted by storms, the prehistoric creatures leaving their marks during what scientists believe were seasonal migrations along the ancient Tethys Sea. Both left indelible impressions on this small stretch of Asturian coast, though admittedly the dinosaurs had a considerable head start.
The Coast Where Time Stands Still
Tazones sits at the heart of what scientists call the Costa de los Dinosaurios, a stretch of low cliffs from Tazones to Camangu where dinosaurs left their heavy mark during the Late Jurassic period, approximately 150 million years ago. This isn't some abstract geological concept, these are footprints you can touch, trace with your finger, and feel the incredible weight of deep time.
Starting from the information panel on Tazones beach, visitors can walk approximately 120 meters along the shore to find several three-toed bipedal footprints on a gray stratum of the Tereñes Formation, inclined at about 45 degrees. Some of these tracks form complete trackways, showing the animals' path of movement. About 480 meters further along, within the Vega Formation of fluvial origin, another three-toed dinosaur footprint forms a natural cast on a sandstone projection.
What makes these discoveries extraordinary isn't just their age, but their accessibility. Unlike museum displays behind glass, these prehistoric signatures remain exactly where they were made, weathered by the same tides that once lapped at dinosaur feet. The coastal environment preserved these traces because during the Upper Jurassic, Asturias had an extremely arid climate with low coasts and huge marshes, ideal conditions for capturing and preserving the footprints of the numerous organisms that survived in that environment.
The best time to visit the footprints is during low tide, when the rock platforms are fully exposed and the tracks most visible. Check tide-forecast.com for precise timing. The Museo del Jurásico de Asturias (MUJA), 25 kilometers away in Colunga, offers guided footprint tours (€7.50 for adults) that include Tazones sites, bookable 48 hours in advance. The museum's 2025 exhibit on theropod migration patterns adds fascinating context to what you'll see in the rocks.
A Living Village Embracing Its Past
Tazones isn't just a time capsule - it's a vibrant community that understands how to honor its heritage while embracing the present. The record attendance at 2024's San Roquín festival, where locals reenacted Charles V's landing with infectious enthusiasm, speaks to a community genuinely proud of its story rather than simply performing for tourists.
The village's fishing fleet still operates from the small harbor, and new initiatives like the monthly coastal cleanup organized by Asociación Tazones Limpio (first Sunday at 10:00 AM) welcome visitors to connect with locals preserving this remarkable coastline. Artisans have emerged too - Quesería La Tazona now crafts Cabrales-style cheese sold at Villaviciosa's Saturday market, while Cerámica Tazones creates Jurassic-themed pottery sold at the summer weekend market in Plaza del Riveru.
A new 5-kilometer coastal trail, opened in 2025 by Villaviciosa council, now links Tazones' dinosaur sites to those at Oles, complete with interpretive signage and dramatic clifftop views. Near the lighthouse, the Mirador de San Roque viewpoint, opened in 2023, offers benches and fossil information panels for those wanting to contemplate the intersection of geological and human time.
Getting There
Tazones sits beautifully positioned just 12 kilometers northeast of Villaviciosa, connected by the scenic coastal VV-5 road that offers spectacular views reminiscent of those we described in our blog of Rodiles Beach, another of our favourite Asturian coastal experiences. From Oviedo, take the A-64 highway east toward Villaviciosa (approximately 32 kilometers), then follow signs for Tazones via the local coastal road, the entire journey takes about 35 minutes through quintessentially Asturian landscape of green hills rolling toward the sea.
Parking requires planning, as the main lot at the village entrance accommodates only 30-40 vehicles and typically fills by noon during summer. A secondary lot 500 meters uphill offers 20 additional spaces but requires a steep walk to the village. Arrive before 11:00 AM to secure a convenient spot, especially during July and August.
The dinosaur footprint sites are accessible on foot from the village center, though sturdy, non-slip footwear is essential for navigating the rocky coastal terrain safely.
The Art of Serious Seafood
While dinosaur tracks provide the intellectual fascination, it's the restaurants clustered around Tazones' colorful harbor that deliver the visceral pleasure. This village of fewer than 300 residents supports an extraordinary concentration of seafood restaurants, each seemingly trying to outdo the others in both quality and authenticity.
Have you tried Percebes?
Restaurante El Puerto, situated prominently in the harbor, exemplifies the village's boat-to-table philosophy. Fresh Cantabrian Sea catches arrive directly from the fleet, prepared with minimal intervention to showcase their quality. Open daily from 12:00 PM to 11:00 PM (closed Mondays from October through March), El Puerto serves arroz con bogavante for approximately €50 for two - a 45-minute masterpiece worth every moment of anticipation.
Restaurante La Playa, with its terrace offering commanding Cantabrian Sea views, serves exceptional lubina a la sidra (approximately €22) alongside the village's renowned arroz con bogavante. Operating daily from 12:30 PM to 10:30 PM (closed Wednesdays from November through April), La Playa embodies the village's approach to dining: serious food in a spectacular setting without pretension.
The key to understanding Tazones' culinary culture lies in recognizing that this isn't tourism driven restaurant proliferation - it's the continuation of a fishing economy that has sustained the village for centuries. The menus showcase what the boats bring: centollos (spider crab), langosta (lobster), bogavante (European lobster), andaricas (velvet crabs), percebes (gooseneck barnacles), llámpares (limpets), navajas (razor clams), rodaballo (turbot), lubina (sea bass), chopa (sea bream), and pixín (monkfish).
Reservations are absolutely essential - call El Puerto at +34 985 897 030 or La Playa at +34 985 897 162, booking 1-2 days ahead during summer to avoid disappointment.
For those interested in exploring Asturias' famous cider culture, which we detailed in our guide to traditional cider traditions, the new Sidrería La Espicha in Villaviciosa (10 kilometers away) specializes in cider-paired seafood, offering tastings and dishes ranging from €15-25 per plate.
Local Connections
Beyond the famous restaurants, Tazones preserves its character through details that matter. The Casa de las Conchas, a house entirely decorated with seashells in Plaza del Riveru, represents the kind of individual expression that makes small communities distinctive. The parish church of San Miguel provides architectural grounding, while the network of narrow, stone-paved streets connecting the San Miguel and San Roque neighborhoods designated as a Historic-Artistic Ensemble since 1991 - creates an intimate scale that invites wandering.
The village's working fishing fleet continues to operate from the small harbor, and watching the daily routines of boat maintenance and net repair provides glimpses into the economic reality underlying the tourist appeal. Local fishermen still bring their catches directly to the restaurants, maintaining supply chains measured in meters rather than kilometers.
The village's working fishing fleet continues to operate from the small harbor, and watching the daily routines of boat maintenance and net repair provides glimpses into the economic reality underlying the tourist appeal. Local fishermen still bring their catches directly to the restaurants, maintaining supply chains measured in meters rather than kilometers.
The Tazones Lighthouse, built in 1864 on Punta del Olivo, offers panoramic views and serves as a landmark for both navigation and tourism. From the village center, you can walk up to the lighthouse and continue along the new coastal trail that connects to additional dinosaur footprint sites near Oles.
Asturias Vacations Insider Tips
"Arrive in Tazones by 11:00 AM to secure parking and make restaurant reservations before the lunch rush. Dinosaur footprints are most visible during low tide- check tide-forecast.com for precise timing (October 2025: approximately 8:00 AM and 8:30 PM). Pack sturdy, non-slip shoes for exploring the rocky coastline, and bring a camera with macro capability to capture footprint details. Local secret: order arroz con bogavante at El Puerto, but expect a 45-minute wait for perfection - it's worth every minute. For an authentic cider experience, visit La Espicha in Villaviciosa to understand the broader cultural context of Asturian dining."
Why This Matters
Tazones isn't just a pretty fishing village with good restaurants, it's a place where multiple timelines converge in ways that illuminate the deeper currents of Asturian identity. The dinosaur footprints represent the longest view possible, connecting this small stretch of coast to the vast sweep of geological time and evolutionary history. The accidental imperial landing speaks to Asturias' strategic position at the intersection of Atlantic and European influences, where significant events happened whether planned or not.
But perhaps most importantly, Tazones embodies the Asturian genius for adaptation without abandonment- the same quality we observed in Valdesoto's Sidros festival, where ancient traditions evolve to address contemporary concerns while maintaining their essential spirit. The village has successfully transformed from a working fishing port to a culinary destination while maintaining its essential character. The restaurants serve visitors, but they also serve the community. The dinosaur footprints attract paleontology enthusiasts, but they remain part of the daily landscape for residents.
This balance between preservation and evolution, between welcoming visitors and maintaining authenticity, represents something essential about Asturian culture. It's the same instinct that led villagers to welcome an unexpected emperor while maintaining their own way of life, the same practical wisdom that recognizes tourism as economic opportunity without sacrificing community identity.
For visitors, Tazones offers something increasingly rare: a destination that delivers both intellectual stimulation and sensory pleasure without feeling manufactured for tourist consumption. The dinosaur tracks are genuinely significant paleontological sites documented by the University of Oviedo's paleontology department. The seafood is genuinely exceptional. The setting is genuinely beautiful. Nothing here exists primarily for visitor gratification, yet everything combines to create an experience that justifies the journey.
Standing on Tazones beach as afternoon light angles across the water, watching fishing boats prepare for evening trips while families explore tide pools containing 150-million-year-old footprints, I'm reminded that the best travel experiences happen when multiple stories intersect in a single place. Tazones tells stories of deep time and recent history, of imperial accidents and daily persistences, of evolutionary change and cultural continuity.
The dinosaurs that walked here during the Jurassic period were following seasonal migration routes, drawn by resources and favorable conditions. Charles V arrived by accident, driven by storms beyond his control. Contemporary visitors come deliberately, drawn by reputation and recommendation. Yet all shared the same experience of discovering this particular stretch of Asturian coast to be exactly what they needed, even if they didn't know they needed it.
In a world increasingly defined by digital experiences and virtual connections, Tazones offers something fundamentally analog: the satisfaction of standing where others stood, of tasting food caught from visible waters, of touching stones that hold tangible evidence of unimaginable spans of time. It's a reminder that the most profound experiences often happen when we pay attention to the specific places where we find ourselves, rather than searching for something else somewhere else.
About Bree: With over 30 years of writing and marketing experience as a freelance journalist and publicist, Bree brings her storytelling expertise to Asturias Vacations as our travel writer and content strategist. Her avid exploration of destinations across continents gives her a keen eye for authentic details that make locations and properties special. She develops compelling narratives that help travellers discover Asturias beyond the obvious while helping property owners transform their homes into stories that attract the right guests -uncovering local connections, cultural stories, and distinctive features that create unforgettable experiences and lasting bookings.
