Gijón

Summer is the best season, with mild days and the best chance of sun, and the sea is warm enough for swimming in July and August. Spring and autumn are green but rainy. Winter is cool and wet.

The Semana Negra literary festival takes place in July, and the film festival is in November.

• Playa de San Lorenzo is the main city beach, with a long promenade and a big tidal range.
• Cimavilla is the old fishermen's quarter on a headland. It has narrow streets, the Roman baths of Campo Valdés and the hill of Santa Catalina.
• Elogio del Horizonte is a large concrete sculpture by Eduardo Chillida on top of the Santa Catalina hill, facing the sea.
• Universidad Laboral is a huge mid-20th-century complex outside the center, with a tall tower and a large courtyard.
• Museo del Ferrocarril de Asturias is in a former railway station and shows historic trains.
• Villa romana de Veranes is a Roman country villa with mosaics, about 7 km west of the center.
• The Atlantic Botanical Garden is a large park with plants from the Atlantic coast.

• Watch a escanciador pour cider from a great height in a cider house (sidrería). The glass is tilted and the cider is poured from above to add air.
• Walk up the Santa Catalina hill at sunset to see Elogio del Horizonte and the bay.

• Oviedo (about 30 km, 30 minutes by train or car): the regional capital, with early medieval churches.
• Ribadesella (about 65 km, 1 hour by car): a coastal town at the mouth of the Sella river.
• Cangues d'Onís (about 75 km, 1 hour by car): the gateway to the Picos de Europa.
• Picos de Europa (about 1.5 hours by car): a high mountain range with hiking trails.

Other places in Asturias:

• City: Oviedo is the nearest large city.
• Coast and mountains: Ribadesella, Cangues d'Onís and Somiedo are good for nature.

• By air: Asturias airport (OVD) is about 40 km west of the city and has flights from Madrid, Barcelona and several European cities. Buses link the airport with Gijón.
• By train: Trains from Madrid arrive in Gijón. Regional trains also run to Oviedo. Book on Renfe.
• By bus: Coaches link Gijón with Oviedo, Madrid and the coast.

• On foot: The center, Cimavilla and the beach are close together and mostly flat.
• Cycling: A seafront path runs along the beach and is good for cycling.

• Is a car worth it?: Not for the center. A car helps for the coast and the mountains.
• Parking: Parking near the beach is hard on summer weekends, so use a car park.
• Restrictions: Cimavilla has narrow streets with limited access.

Asturian food is hearty. Try fabada (a stew of white beans and pork), cachopo (a breaded veal or pork cutlet filled with ham and cheese) and the strong local blue cheeses. Seafood from the Bay of Biscay is excellent. Arroz con leche is the classic dessert.

Cider is the local drink. It is poured fresh in sidrerías, and people share a bottle.

Gijón is a safe city. Take care at the beach, because tides and currents can be strong, so swim only where there are lifeguards. Bring a rain jacket in any season.

Gijón was a Roman port, and the baths in Cimavilla date from that time. The city later grew around its harbor and became an industrial center in the 19th century.

The Universidad Laboral was built in the mid-20th century as a school for the children of workers. Today it houses cultural centers and a university campus.

Quick practical facts for Spain at a glance: