Asturias Local Attractions

Asturias has far too many attractions for us to list them all here, so to give you a flavour of each of the three major cities and the prehistoric history of the region we have put together a brief overview.

is the capital where you will find two of Europe's most beautiful pre-Romanesque churches and a flamboyant Gothic style Cathedral with chapel of San Miguel housing the Holy Chest, the Cross of los Ángeles and the Cross of la Victoria which were visited by the pilgrims heading for the Holy City of Santiago de Compostela. These symbols appear on the coats of arms of both Oviedo and the Principality of Asturias.

In the cathedral area you will also find the church of San Tirso, the Fine Arts Museum and the Archaeological Museum which are housed in the former Velarde Palace and the convent of San Vicente. In these museums you can discover the entire history of art in Asturias from the Bronze Age, as well as seeing prehistoric, Roman, Visigothic and Romanesque collections.

Gijon is a very cosmopolitan, cultural and popular city with two magnificent beaches, and which remains an important fishing port with its marina bearing witness to a history which is strongly linked to the sea.

The historic quarter of Gijón is by the hill of Santa Catalina and the fishing neighbourhood of Cimadevilla. From here you will get some of the best views of the Cantabrian Sea, the Costa Verde and Cimadevilla. The streets between San Lorenzo beach and the marina contain Roman remains, large mansions and the old fisherman’s houses.

The city has a large number of squares and parks including the Gardens of Náutico, Begoña and Reina, and make sure you visit the shops in Calle Corrida and the old cafés and cider bars of Paseo Begoña.

Avilés has a historic quarter where you will find some significant pieces civil and religious architecture. Some of the main attractions here are the pedestrian streets of Galiana and Rivero, Plaza de España with its City Hall, the thirteenth century church of Sabugo and the modern Santo Tomás de Canterbury. Avilés has the palaces of Valdecarzana and Camposagrado and the Palacio Valdés theatre.

A new fishing dock opened in the 1980’s with a market which auctions almost 70% of the fish caught in Asturias, placing Avilés at the head of the ports in Asturias.

The Prehistory Park in Teverga is set in stunning countryside in the central mountains of Asturias 40 kilometres from Oviedo.

The main attraction here is the "Cave of Caves" which recreates the climate of a Paleolithic cave. You can put yourself in the shoes of a real archaeologist, observing recreations of the Caverna de la Peña de Candamo, Tito Bustillo Caves and famous “black room" of Niaux.

You can experience the magic of the first symbols to be drawn by man with information panels providing an insight into the famous horses of the Chauvet cave, the bison on the roof of the Altamira Cave and the mysterious symbols of the Llonín Cave. Several video films, an exhibition of tools and a simulated burial give you the opportunity to find out how Stone Age man lived and expressed himself. It also has a number of educational workshops revealing how materials were prepared 30,000 years ago and the techniques used to apply them.

If you want to go back to the days when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, then head to the stretch of coastline running between the villages of Villaviciosa, Colunga and Ribadesella where Colunga is home to the Jurassic Museum (MUJA), and you can also take a look at the dinosaur prints on La Griega beach.

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.