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Asturias Travel Guide
What to Do in Asturias, Spain

By , About.com Guide

Think you know Spain? Think it's all sangria, bullfighting and paella? Then you've not been to the North-West of Spain. Known as 'Green Spain', the regions of Asturias and Galicia are very, very different from the rest of Spain.

Cities and Towns in Asturias

Major cities and towns in Asturias, in order of 'importance' to the tourist:
  1. Oviedo
  2. Gijon
  3. Llanes (or any town in the Picos de Europa).

Asturias in a Week

Asturias is a small region so a week will easily suffice if you're motoring around all the sights, but you might find it not enough if you're distracted by the peaceful countryside (and debilitated by a vicious sidra hangover!

After a day or two in Oviedo, move on to Gijon on the coast for a day (longer if the weather's nice and you're drawn to the beach). Then spend the rest of your trip visiting the Picos de Europa mountain range. The town of Llanes is a good place to base yourself.

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Asturias Highlights

  • Enjoy the fabulous green countryside - it's everywhere. Have your ideas dispelled of what Spain looks like as you are surrounded by rolling hills and green pastures. Take a look at some photos of Asturias.
  • The local dish is fabada, made up of beans, sausage and pork.
  • Wash it down with Sidra (Spanish cider) in Oviedo (on the Boulevard of Cider
  • Visit the Romanesque Churches in the hills around Oviedo - it is said that the Reconquista (the Christians' reconquering of Spain from the Muslims Moors).
  • Visit the Picos de Europa mountain range.

Places to Visit in Asturias if You Have the Time

Gijon is a nice coastal city.

Arrival and Departure

The main international airport for north-west Spain is in Santiago de Compostela, though there are also airports in A Coruña and Oviedo too.
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