Must-see attractions in Asturias

  • San Salvador Cathedral, on Plaza de Alfonso el Casto, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain, Europe

    Catedral de San Salvador

    Oviedo

    Oviedo's stunning cathedral complex was built mainly in Gothic and baroque styles between the 13th and 18th centuries. But its origins and greatest…

  • Santa Maria del Naranco.

    Palacio de Santa María del Naranco

    Oviedo

    On the slopes of Monte Naranco, 3.5km northwest of central Oviedo, this tall, narrow palace – built by Ramiro I (842–50), Alfonso II’s successor…

  • Cueva de Tito Bustillo

    Asturias

    Some of Spain’s finest cave art, including superb horse paintings probably done around 15,000 to 10,000 BCE, is within this World Heritage–listed cave,…

  • Museo Arqueológico de Asturias

    Oviedo

    Partly within a restored 16th-century monastery, Asturias’ archaeology museum makes the most of the region’s archaeological riches through video and…

  • Playa de Torimbia

    Asturias

    A beautiful, gold-blonde crescent bounded by rocky headlands and a bowl of green hills, 9km west of Llanes, Torimbia is truly spectacular. Turn off the…

  • Silencio beach

    Playa del Silencio

    Cudillero

    Silencio is one of Spain’s most beautiful beaches: a long, silver-sandy cove backed by a natural rock amphitheatre. It isn’t particularly good for…

  • Cercados Oseros

    Asturias

    About 5km south of Tuñón (or a 1km walk south from the Área Recreativa Buyera, where cars can park), the Senda del Oso reaches the Cercados Oseros, two…

  • Museo de la Emigración

    Asturias

    The small town of Colombres, 21km east of Llanes, has a particularly fine collection of indiano architecture –florid buildings of eclectic styles…

  • Playa de Toranda

    Asturias

    About 8km west of Llanes, the 250m-long sands of Playa de Toranda are backed by green fields and a forested headland. Snorkellers should see a good…

  • Playa de Barayo

    Asturias

    Part of a nat­ure reserve, Playa de Barayo is a good sandy beach in a pretty bay with a river winding through wetlands and dunes, and caves at its east…

  • Puerto de Vega

    Asturias

    The pretty fishing village of Puerto de Vega, 15km west of Luarca, is well worth a visit, with a colourful little harbour and scenic walks along the Senda…

  • Iglesia de San Miguel de Lillo

    Oviedo

    A gem of Asturian pre-Romanesque architecture, this noble remnant of a 9th-century church perches peacefully on the slopes of Monte Naranco, 3.5km…

  • Playa de Vega

    Asturias

    The broad, 1.5km-long sands of Playa de Vega, 8km west of Ribadesella, are among the least known of northern Spain's finest beaches. There are three or…

  • Cueva del Pindal

    Asturias

    The World Heritage–listed Cueva del Pindal contains 31 Palaeolithic paintings and engravings of animals, mostly in ochre, including bison, horses and rare…

  • Quinta de Selgas

    Cudillero

    This gorgeous 1880s mansion opens to visitors for about three months in some summers (recently, every one or two years). If you're here at the right time,…

  • Museo de Bellas Artes de Asturias

    Oviedo

    Oviedo’s Fine Arts Museum, housed in two of the city’s finest palaces, spans the centuries with its large and rewarding collection, featuring work by…

  • Cabo Busto

    Asturias

    Wind-lashed Cabo Busto, 13km east of Luarca, is a fine example of the Asturian coast’s wildness, with waves crashing on to its rocky cliffs below a 19th…

  • Monumento al Sagrado Corazón

    Oviedo

    This 30m-high, 1981 stone sculpture of Christ, adorned with a large copy of Asturias’ Cruz de la Victoria (Cross of Victory), crowns Oviedo’s Monte…

  • Iglesia de San Salvador de Valdediós

    Asturias

    Don’t miss this beautifully preserved, triple-naved, pre-Romanesque church, built in 893 CE as part of a palace complex for Asturian King Alfonso III. It…

  • Parque de la Prehistoria

    Asturias

    This park-museum 4km south of Entrago gives an excellent introduction to Spanish and European cave art. It includes replicas of Asturias’ World Heritage…

  • Ermita de la Regalina

    Asturias

    Spectacularly positioned on a grassy headland fringed by jagged cliffs, sandy beaches and crashing seas, this delicate little blue-and-white chapel 16km…

  • Museo del Ferrocarril de Asturias

    Gijón

    Trains have played a big part in Asturias' story and Gijón’s excellent railway museum, housed in a 19th-century former station, has a fascinating…

  • Bufones de Arenillas

    Asturias

    The Bufones de Arenillas are a dozen geyser-style jets of seawater, pumped up through rock cavities by the pressure of the tides – with heavy seas, some…

  • Centro de Arte Rupestre Tito Bustillo

    Asturias

    Some of Spain’s best cave art, including superb horse paintings probably done around 15,000 to 10,000 BCE, lie inside the World Heritage–listed Cueva de…

  • El Gaitero

    Asturias

    You can immerse yourself in the world of cider at several bodegas around Villaviciosa. El Gaitero, 2km northeast, is one of the biggest and offers the…

  • Iglesia de San Julián de los Prados

    Oviedo

    This early pre-Romanesque masterpiece was constructed during the reign of Alfonso II (AD 791–842). Beyond its portico and graceful pair of porches, you'll…

  • Castro de Coaña

    Asturias

    One of Spain’s best-preserved castros (pre-Roman fortified villages, often considered to be Celtic), dating back to the 4th century BCE, lies 2km south of…

  • Playa Ballota

    Asturias

    A particularly attractive 350m-long beach 4.5km east of Llanes, hemmed in by green cliffs and with a rocky islet out front. It's signposted down a dirt…

  • Playa de Frejulfe

    Asturias

    The sands of beautiful Playa de Frejulfe stretch 750m along the ocean shore in front of thick eucalyptus woodlands, 17km west of Luarca and just a 2.5km…

  • Playa de Gulpiyuri

    Asturias

    This 50m-long strand framed by cliffs and greenery is 100m away from the sea! You can hear waves sloshing through tunnels to reach its gold-toned sands…

  • Elogio del Horizonte

    Gijón

    The 1990 Elogio del Horizonte ('In Praise of the Horizon') is a bold, sea-facing concrete sculpture by Basque artist Eduardo Chillida that has become a…

  • Playa de Rodiles

    Asturias

    The beautiful, broad golden sands of 1km-long Playa de Rodiles, backed by eucalyptus trees, front the sea at the mouth of the Ría de Villaviciosa, 10km…

  • Atalaya

    Asturias

    Find your way up to Luarca’s Atalaya viewpoint, with its lighthouse, chapel, elaborate cemetery and dramatic coastal vistas, above the port’s northern end.

  • Plaza de la Constitución

    Oviedo

    Flanked by stately 16th- and 17th-century architecture and a few cafes, this lovely plaza sits near the heart of Oviedo's historic centre.

  • Plaza de Alfonso II

    Oviedo

    One of Oviedo's most attractive public spaces is this expansive plaza fronting the cathedral, with historic mansions along its sides.

  • Laboral Ciudad de la Cultura

    Gijón

    Constructed as a Jesuit-run universidad laboral (vocational training centre), the austerely grand 1940s-vintage ‘Laboral,’ 5km southeast of the centre, is…

  • Plaza de Jovellanos

    Gijón

    An enticing web of narrow lanes and small squares wraps itself around the landward side of Cimadevilla, though the area was significantly damaged during…

  • Museo del Jurásico de Asturias

    Asturias

    Dotted with Jurassic-era fossils, the Asturian coastline between Gijón and Ribadesella is known as La costa de la los dinosaurios (the Dinosaur Coast)…

  • Jardín Botánico Atlántico

    Gijón

    This verdant botanical garden – featuring 2000 different species – offers a lovely break from the chaotic city centre and is an excellent introduction to…

  • Casa y Cercado del Lobo

    Asturias

    Belmonte de Miranda’s Casa del Lobo has excellent Spanish-language displays on the endangered lobo ibérico (Iberian wolf), covering everything from diet…

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