Gijón Guide

Gijón Attractions

• Plaza Mayor / Main Square
• Cimadevilla / Cimadevilla district
• Elogio del Horizonte / Praise to the Horizon (sculpture)
• Museo Casa Natal de Jovellanos / Museum - House of Jovellanos
• Termas Romanas / Roman Baths
• Palacio de Revillagigedo / Revillagigedo Palace
• Playa San Lorenzo / San Lorenzo Beach
• Parque Arqueológico-Natural de la Campa Torres / Campa Torres Archaeological - Natural Park
• Museo de la Gaita / Bagpipe Museum
• Torre del Reloj / Clocktower
• Acuario / Aquarium
• Museo del Ferrocarril de Asturias / Asturias Train Museum
• Museo del Pueblo de Asturias / Museum of Asturias
• Jardín Botánico Atlántico / Atlantic Botanical Garden

Top Festivals

Semana negra / Black Week
This massive arts festival is held each year in early July and is themed around the detective fiction literary genre. The annual program includes all sorts of cultural activities: concerts, markets, attractions, literatue, photography

Día de Asturias / Asturias Day
Celebrated on the first Sunday of August, this festival - declared a Festival of National Interest - includes parades, traditional music performances and much more.

Fiesta de la Sidra Natural / Natural Cider Festival
A festival dedicated to the Asturian beverage of choice, held each year on the last weekend of August.

Semana grande / Big Week
Weeklong festival in August complete with ample partying, concerts, cultural activities and plenty of food and drink.

Food & Drink

Thanks to its vast geographical diversity, Asturias has what is considered to be a rural, peasant cuisine that truly incorporates it all: fresh seafood from the ocean, meats and cheeses from the mountains and fresh produce yielded from the fertile farmlands.

The most atmospheric place to dine and drink is without a doubt the Cimadevilla neighborhood, where all sorts of sidewalk cafés, bars, restaurants and sidrerías, rowdy bars specializing in cider, line the streets of Gijón's oldest neighborhood.

A few local specialties to try while visiting Gijón include:

• SidraFermented cider
• FabadaBean stew with meat
• Queso cabralesCheese
• CallosTripe
• Garbanzos con bacalao y espinacasChickpeas with cod and spinach
• Chorizo a la sidraSausage prepared in cider
• Carne governadaStew with veal, onion, garlic and white wine sauce
• Pote d'AntroxuStew made with sausage, potatoes, beans & vegetables
• FrixuelosRegional variation of crepes
• CarbayonesAlmond-based pastry

Weather

Gijón has a humid, oceanic climate with high humidity year-round and temperatures moderated by the city's proximity to the ocean. Summers are comfortably warm, a welcome refuge from the boiling temperatures of central and southern Spain, while winters are decidedly cool and much rainier.

Getting There

By plane
The closest airport to Gijón is the Aeropuerto de Asturias, located approximately 40 kilometers away in the town of Santiago del Monte. To get from the airport to the city there are taxis as well as buses run by the bus company ALSA. If you're interested in renting a car to get around, you can do so right in the airport through a handful of different car rental companies. Several Spanish and European airlines, including a few low cost companies, have routes to the Aeropuerto de Asturias.

By train
The rail companies RENFE (address: Avda. Juan Carlos I), which covers the entire country, and FEVE (address: C/ Pedro Duro), which covers Spain's northern coastline, connect Gijón with destinations throughout both Asturias and Spain.

By bus
Several bus companies arrive to and depart from Gijón's bus station (address: C/ Magnus Blikstad, 1) and link the city to major Spanish cities as well as destinations throughout Asturias.

Getting Around

While the preferred mode of getting around and seeing the sights is on foot, Gijón does have an urban bus system - run by the company EMTUSA - that covers the city as well as its surroundings. Additionally, there's a hop-on-hop-off tourist bus that hits all the major stops and sights and isn't a bad option if you're pressed for time.

Fast Facts

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