Oviedo

June to September is the best time, with mild, drier days. Spring and autumn are green but rainy. Winter is cool and wet.

The San Mateo festival is held in September. The Princess of Asturias Awards ceremony is in October.

• Catedral de San Salvador de Oviedo has a Gothic tower and a rich interior. It stands on the main square of the old town.
• Cámara Santa is a chapel inside the cathedral that holds medieval treasures, including the Cross of the Angels.
• Santa María del Naranco is a 9th-century palace hall on Mount Naranco, above the city. It is part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing, together with San Miguel de Lillo nearby.
• San Julián de los Prados is a 9th-century church with rare wall paintings, on the edge of the center.
• Museum of Fine Arts of Asturias has Spanish and Asturian art in a group of old palaces.
• Iglesia de San Isidoro El Real and Capilla de La Balesquida are small historic churches in the old town.
• Calle Gascona is known as the cider boulevard, with a row of sidrerías.

• Try a cider evening on Calle Gascona, where waiters pour cider from a height.
• Take a bus or taxi up Mount Naranco for views of the city and the 9th-century buildings.

• Gijón (about 30 km, 30 minutes by train or car): a coastal city with a long beach.
• Cangues d'Onís (about 75 km, 1 hour by car): the gateway to the Picos de Europa and the shrine of Covadonga.
• Ribadesella (about 80 km, 1 hour by car): a coastal town at the mouth of the Sella river.
• Somiedo (about 70 km, 1.5 hours by car): a natural park with mountain villages.

Other places in Asturias:

• Coast: Gijón and Ribadesella.
• Mountains: Picos de Europa and Somiedo are the best areas for hiking.

• By air: Asturias airport (OVD) is about 45 km from the city, with buses to Oviedo.
• By train: Trains from Madrid and León arrive at the central station. Regional trains also run to Gijón. Book on Renfe.
• By bus: Coaches link Oviedo with Madrid, Gijón and the rest of Asturias.

• On foot: The old town is compact and pedestrian. Most sights are within a short walk.
• Cycling: Cycling is possible, but the city has some hills.

• Is a car worth it?: Not for the center. A car helps for the mountains and the coast.
• Parking: Use an underground car park near the old town.
• Restrictions: The old town is mostly closed to normal traffic.

Oviedo is a good place for Asturian classics. Try fabada (a stew of white beans and pork), cachopo (a breaded cutlet filled with ham and cheese) and blue cheeses such as Cabrales. Carbayones are a local almond pastry.

Cider is the local drink, served in the sidrerías of Calle Gascona.

Oviedo is a very safe city. Rain can come at any time of year, so carry a light waterproof jacket.

Oviedo was founded in the 8th century. In the early 9th century King Alfonso II made it the capital of the Kingdom of Asturias, which resisted Muslim rule in Spain.

The buildings on Mount Naranco were built in the 9th century under King Ramiro I, and they show a unique pre-Romanesque style. Catedral de San Salvador de Oviedo is mainly Gothic and was built over several centuries.

Quick practical facts for Spain at a glance: