First time in Gijón? In this itinerary we will give you all the best places to visit in Gijón and why you should visit them.
First of all, Gijón is the largest city in the Principality of Asturias, located in Northern Spain. This means that it has a plethora of museum, cultural centres, bars, restaurants and more that definitely require a visit. Here’s our list of the best places to visit in Gijón:
Plaza Mayor and Cimavilla old town:
The neighbourhood of Cimavilla is the oldest part of the city. However, due to wars and development, it isn’t as old as other old towns in the region. However, this old fishermen’s neighbourhood still has quite a few interesting things to visit:
- Plaza Mayor: The main square of the city, built in 1865, it follows the standard architectural designs for the era. Nowadays, the city hall is located here as well as a few restaurants, sidrerias (cider places) and souvenir shops. There are also numerous events held in this square year-round. By the city hall you can also find the old fish market.
- The church of San Pedro (Saint Peter) and the Roman baths from the I century A.D. Visiting the Roman baths is free of charge, as is the church, and you have a beautiful view of the beach of San Lorenzo (the main beach of the city) from here.
- Jovellanos’ birth home and museum: The birth home of one of Gijón’s most famous sons, the enlightened Jovellanos, this XV century palace currently houses a museum dedicated to the man as well as the city of Gijón and local artists. Entry is free, as happens with all municipally-run museums. Nearby you can also find a reconstruction of the old Roman wall, as well the chapel of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, the chapel where Jovellanos is interred. Also, there is a sidreria in front that is a very popular place to have cider in the old town.
- Lavaderu (Plaza Arturo Arias): Named after the public fountain where people would come to wash their clothes. There are many restaurants and sidrerias here, some statues to famous people from the city and the old tobacco factory. It’s a very popular place to have cider.
- Cerro de Santa Catalina: The highest part of Gijón, in this beautiful park sat upon a XX century gun battery, you will be able to enjoy some of the best views of the city and the sea, and discover one of the most iconic symbols of the city the Eulogy of the Horizon by Chillida.
- Cuesta del Cholo: This street is one of the best-known streets of the old town by locals, not so much because of its history, but because of its cider. On sunny afternoons after work, this street comes alive with people drinking cider that they have bought in the sidrerias on the street. The whole area is very lively and a great place to try cider just like the locals.
- Plaza del Marqués: This square, named after the Marquis who used to live in the Revillagigedo palace located on the square, is the last point of interest in Cimavilla. From here you can easily find the aforementioned palace that is currently used as an exhibition centre, the tourism office in Casa Paquet, the fountain of King Pelagius (Pelayo), the La Barquera well where elected officials used to swear their oaths of office, the old port, the Cider Tree, and the Letronas (the red letters spelling out the name of the city).
Calle Corrida:
On this street and the streets next to it you can find all of the main shops of the city centre of Gijón. You can find all the most famous retails shops and brands here as well as being by one of the oldest markets in Gijón, el mercado del sur.
Paseo Begoña:
the Begoña street is one of the most important for locals. Located in the heart of the city, we can find numerous coffee places and local shops around it, as well as the main theatre o the city (Teatro Jovellanos). There is also quite a special café here too, café Dindurra. Dindurra is known for its spectacular art deco interior design created by a famous art deco and modernist local architect Manuel del Busto.
San Lorenzo beach: The most important beach in Gijón, San Lorenzo is a lovely beach that is about a mile long. It has 16 stairs that give people access to the beach itself from the seafront and it also has a number of interesting buildings. These included, among others, the Jove Hevia tour-house from the XVII century, its chapel called the chapel of San Lorenzo, as well as the lovely modernist building designed by Manuel del Busto colloquially referred to as Varsovia nowadays due to the popular cocktail bar that is housed in its ground floor, among others.
The Molinón area:
The Molinón is the stadium that is used by the local football team, Sporting the Gijón, which was built to hold the group matches of the group II of the 1982 world cup. However, in this area we also have a bunch of things, such as the Isabel la Católica park next to it (a beautiful park with a lake, squirrels and lots of birds), the Museum of the Asturian People, the bullring El Bibio, and on Sundays you can even find a flea market on the other side of the river near the aforementioned museum.
La Laboral:
We are definitely not near the city centre anymore, having gone all the way to the University City of La Laboral. This location houses an impressive structure, the university city of La Laboral is the largest building by surface area in Spain. Originally used to house the orphans of miners, this impressive structure currently houses a modern arts museum, a tourism information desk, part of the university of Oviedo, vocational training schools, the local TV station, part of the regional tourism department, private offices, cafeteria, etc. You can visit its main patio and garden for free and can pay to go up its tower. Nearby, you also have the wonderful Atlantic Botanical Gardens that house a variety of plants from the North of Spain. It is a definite must-see in my opinion if you are visiting La Laboral.
Other points of interest:
- Ciudadela Celestino Solar: A bit of a hidden gem, these were the houses of working men that were built in the XIX century and were used until the end of the XX. Here you can learn more about Asturias’ industrial past, as well as go into a reconstructed house that shows us exactly what it was like to live as a working man or woman at the peak of Asturias’ industry. As it is a municipal museum, entry is free.
- Railway museum: The railway museum (museo del ferrocarril) is one of my personal faves. You can discover the history of the railways in Asturias and visit some interesting exhibits from the time. They also have a good and varied collection of historic trains, from steam engines up to much more modern trains. On occasion, they also have special events, including days when you can board an actual steam engine. Do consult them for details. As it is a municipal museum, entry is free.
- Bioparc Aquarium: Discover what lies beneath the Cantabrian Sea. One of the largest aquariums in the North of Spain. Discover the secrets of the sea.
These are just some of the best places to visit in Gijón. Are you up for a visit? If you want to discover more of the city, its history and some of its most important personalities, why not go on our walking tour of the city.
You can check out our “free tour” of the city here or send us an email via our contact page here.