Asturias Area Guide

Asturias is in northern Spain where Europe’s few remaining brown bears roam in ancient territory dotted with the Jurassic footprints left by dinosaurs over 150 million years ago.

Sandwiched between the Bay of Biscay and the Cantabrian Mountains, Asturias is a wonderful place to explore with the Picos de Europa attracting ramblers and hikers from all over the world. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty which still remains quite untouched by tourism.

The mountains, gorges, valleys, fertile plains and coastline of Asturias are home to a wide variety of flora and fauna including wolves, chamois, fallow deer, golden eagles and Asturcon Celtic mountain ponies.

Strong evidence of prehistoric man’s existence has been uncovered in a number of cave paintings and burial chambers throughout the region. The caves of Tito Bustillo near the picturesque fishing port of Ribadesella are a popular visitor attraction with their early illustrations of deer and horses.

There are some beautiful and unspoilt beaches along this stretch of coastline, and Ribadesella also has some excellent cider bars which are so popular in Asturias.

The coastline between Ribadesella and Gijon has some of the most important Jurassic dinosaur fossils and footprints in the world, and fascinating Jurassic Museum is built in the shape of a dinosaur footprint can be found on La Griega beach.

Asturias is only 100 km wide and is known as the Costa Verde or Green Coast, sandwiched between the sea and the Cantabrian Mountains. Although small in area, it has three major cities and we have provided information out about the many fascinating attractions they offer.

 

The main problem with the beaches of Asturias is how to select which ones to spend time on, and with over 200 to choose from this can be a real problem. We have provided details of some of the beaches in the central eastern sector of Asturias which are among the best in the area

 

Asturias is a region where you can play golf in beautiful natural surrounding on courses designed for all different levels of players which are just a few kilometres apart. We have written on a guide on the most popular courses in Asturias.

 

The gastronomy in this region is excellent with Cabrales blue cheese, Fabada bean and chorizo stew and cider all local specialities. To find some of the best places to try out regional fare, visit our restaurant guide to Asturias.

 

For information on the large shopping malls on the outskirts of Oviedo, visit our shopping guide to Asturias

 

 

If you are planning to explore the area outside of the city centre and play some golf or go to some of the more out of the way beaches then you might consider hiring a car. There are a number of car hire firms based at Asturias Airport who will be pleased to have a vehicle awaiting your arrival. This also cuts down on transfer costs for you and your family.

We also provide information on other sporting and leisure amenities in Asturias including an Asturias Area Guide which includes the best Asturias Shopping Areas, Asturias Golf Courses, the different types of beaches in Asturias, recommended Asturias Restaurants and Asturias Local Attractions.