1. Travel
About.com
Spain Travel

Discuss in my forum

Oviedo City Guide - What to Do in Oviedo, Asturias

By , About.com Guide

See More About:

Overview:

The things that make Oviedo interesting are what make Asturias unique compared to the rest of Spain - the extremely green landscape, cider, fabada bean stew, more cider and chorizo... cooked in cider.

There is an airport in Oviedo but there are more flights to Santiago de Compostela.
Compare Prices on Flights to Spain (book direct)

Best Time to Visit:

Oviedo's main festival is San Mateo in the third week of September, with the two most important days being Dia de America on the 19th and the Dia de San Mateo on the 21st. Read more on Festivals in Oviedo.

Number of Days to Spend in Oviedo (excluding day trips) :

One, though the cider may give you a hangover that requires a second day to recover! But Oviedo is an ideal base for day trips to the stunningly beautiful surrounding area.

Hotels in Oviedo:

For hotels in Oviedo , check out the following links:

Three Things to Do in Oviedo:

  • The monuments of San Miguel de Lillo and Santa Maria del Naranco. Built up on the hillside, it is walkable, but you can take a bus from near the train station (no 10) or get a taxi.
  • Eat, drink and be merry. Asturias is sidra (cider) country, a fact that is forced down your throat on c/Gascona - which has Bulevar de Sidra (Cider Boulevar) in lights above the street. To go with it, try chorizo a la sidra or Fabada bean stew.
  • The pedestrianized city center with a pleasant enough cathedral.

Day Trips from Oviedo:

The twin delights of the villages of Covadonga and Cangas de Ovis are the most popular ways to get good views of the Picos de Europa mountain range, though pick any village to the east and you won't be disappointed. Similarly, the quickest way to the stunning coastline is to go to Gijón, though a little exploration will reward you greatly.

Where to Next?:

East along the coast to Bilbao (perhaps via Santander), west to Galicia or south to Madrid via Leon and Salamanca.

Distance to Oviedo:

From Barcelona 900km - 9h20 by car, 12h by train, 13hrs by bus, 1h20 flight. Read more on Barcelona

From Seville 775km - 10h by car, no direct train, 12h30 by bus, 1h30 flight Read more on Seville

From Madrid 450km - 5h by car, 6h30 by train, 5h by bus, 1h flight. Read more on Madrid

Car Hire in Oviedo:

Compare prices on car rental on Travelocity or Kayak.

First Impressions:

The bus and train stations are virtually side by side - if you arriving by train, head straight out the door and walk down Oviedo's main street, c/Uria, if arriving by bus, turn right out of the station, walk to the train station and join c/Uria from there.

After walking through the main shopping area of Oviedo, c/Uria ends - take the road in front of you (c/Jesus) which takes you to the Iglesia de San Isidro in Plaza de la Constitución. Walk through the Plaza and continue down to Plaza del Sol - turn left and head up to the Cathedral. Once you've seen that, keep walking and you will arrive at c/Gascona, which is the self-titled "Bulevar de la Sidra" (Cider Boulevard).

If you plan on visiting the monuments up on Monte Naranco, you'll need to return to the train station. Near the station on c/Uria is a bus stop - the no.10 takes you right to the monuments and leaves once an hour. If you miss it, you could walk it, but it would be easier to take a taxi up (cost: 5€) and then walk down.

Before you leave, don't forget to check out the plaza on top of the train station - an interesting mix of multicolored old buildings and tetris-inspired modern ones.

©2012 About.com. All rights reserved.

A part of The New York Times Company.