Oviedo - is this really Spain? Travel to Oviedo in Asturias in Northern Spain.
Have you heard of Oviedo in Asturias in Northern Spain? Well keep reading because this city and area is like no other in Spain.
Our trip to Oviedo started in Haro. Our friend, Jose, from Taxi Haro took us to Bilbao, via the Guggenheim Museum.
We caught a bus from the very modern bus station in Bilbao. The bus trip took just under 4 hours.
This bus trip was one of the most scenic that you can see in Spain. There is the ocean all along one side and on the other side are the Picos de Europa. (The peaks of Europe). The highest peak is 1930m.
Oviedo is the capital of Asturias. We chose Oviedo because it is completely different to any other area in Spain. It is mountainous, lush and green.
We arrived a took a taxi to our apartment. The apartment was perfect for our week’s stay. It was in a fabulous location right near the old town, and had everything (including a washing machine) that we needed. The landlord was so helpful and had provided us with lots of brochures and information that we needed.
Oviedo is in North western Spain between the Cantabrian Mountains and the Bay of Biscay. It is the capital of Asturias and it is known for its old town, Sidrerias, and 9th Century churches. It was founded in the year 718. It is the only region in Spain that wasn’t conquered by the Moors and the locals are so proud of that fact and their heritage. Asturias is also one of the seven Celtic regions in the world. You can quite often see marching bands including bagpipes marching through the old town.
Oviedo city isn’t big and it is very easy to walk around. There is the old town full of stunning architecture. The new part of the city and one of my favourite places was the San Francisco park which used to be the apple orchard of a convent. The park is so lush and green and is full of fun statues.
Right next to the park is the shopping area with more statues. The streets are pedestrian only through the shopping area and they are full of very stylish shops.
Day trip to Cangas de Onis, Picos de Europa and Covadonga Lakes
We booked the daytrip through Airbnb experiences.
Ivan, our driver, picked us up and we headed out on our trip. First stop was the Roman Bridge.
Ivan pulled the car up in front of a bridge next to a building and told us we could jump out and have a good look at the bridge. We were like, “ok, the bridge looks pretty ordinary, but let’s get out anyway”. We walked down the side of the building to the bridge and that’s when we saw the actual Roman Bridge about 50 metres upstream. It was a wow moment.
The bridge was built in the 13th century and has three pointed arches and the victory cross hangs from the middle one. It spans the river and the reflections on the water are amazing. On one side you have the lush green country and on the other the mountain range.
We were able to walk across the cobblestone bridge and we had some amazing views up the river and to the mountains. This was absolutely stunning.
We lifted our jaws up of the ground and continued on our day trip. We drove through the small village and just were amazed at how cute this place was.
Next on our day trip was the Covadonga Lakes in the Picos de Europa National Park.
It was the most narrow, windy, steep road and the drive for Leanne was very stressful. Luckily all the drivers seem to know what they are doing, but it was still a bit daunting. On top of the road conditions, there are mountain goats and cows to avoid as well.
We finally made it to the top and all the anxiety immediately left as we saw the lakes in the distance.
It was a beautiful sunny day and the snow-capped mountains in the distance were easily visible. There were green rolling hills that surrounded the lakes and you could hear cow bells ringing in the distance.
Lake Enol and Lake Ercina are glacial lakes in the Picos de Europa national park and are 1134m above sea level.
We had seen these lakes on a travel show, but it did not prepare us for just how stunningly beautiful this national park was.
There is a café near the lakes and it was a perfect spot for a coffee over looking the view.
Our trip down mountain road was much better and seemed to be much quicker as well.
The last stop on our day trip was the township of Covadonga. Once again, we had no idea what we were about to see.
There are so many bottle green mountains in the distance surrounding the tiny village. Then, like magic, a majestic, soft rose coloured massive basilica appears on the edge of the escarpment.
It is hard to imagine how the basilica was built in that precarious spot.
Once you have spent time walking all around the basilica, it’s then time to walk through a cave tunnel to see the Sanctuary of Covadonga. The sanctuary is a pilgrimage site built into the side of a mountain. It overlooks a small lake and water fountain that is said to have healing properties. Pelayo (the first king of Asturias) and Alfonso II are buried there.
Day trip to Gijon
Oviedo is in a great area for daytrips. It is only 30 minutes to the coastal town of Gijon. Our first impressions of Gijon were a little underwhelming. However, once we found the beach promenade and Plaza Mayor we thought it was really lovely.
There is cliff top walk with fabulous views which is an easy walk from the main area of town.
There are two distinct beach areas. The Playa de San Lorenzo is closer to the port area. The Playa de Poniente was a flat, wide, beautiful beach and this is where all the water activities happen.
There are some lovely restaurants in the marina area as well, and of course we had a vino before heading back to the bus station.
Walking around Oviedo
There are so many old buildings in Oviedo. Some of them date back to the 8th century, and because Oviedo was never conquered these 8th century buildings are in great condition today.
Every day we saw a music band of some sort. There was a marching band, a heavy metal band, a pop band and rock band. Oviedo is a university city and this adds to the hip atmosphere.
Food and Drink in Oviedo
The Asturian people are very proud of their region and that shows in their restaurants. All the restaurants and Sidrerias have produce from Asturia, including meat, cheese, wine and sidra (cider).
Sidra is very popular in Oviedo. There is a street called Gascona Street which is full of Sidrerias.
Sidra is made from apples and is thought of as Asturian “wine”. It is poured from a height into a glass to give as many bubbles as possible. You then drink it down in one or two gulps. It is definitely an acquired taste, which we unfortunately didn’t acquire. It was a lot of fun to watch all the waiters pouring the sidra.
There is an amazing restaurant called Tierra Astur Gascona. It (as you can see) was a spectacle to visit. We ate there and had a whole platter of different meats from Asturias. They decorate these restaurants with sidra bottles and water features and the dark timber of the region.
A fun last day
We decided to walk up to see the 8th century Romanesque buildings of Iglesia Santa Maria del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo.
We walked the 5km, all up hill, but the effort was worth it. Besides the amazing buildings, the views back over Oviedo were fabulous. We explored around the area and then headed back down the hill.
To congratulate ourselves for our hill climb we decided to find somewhere to have a cerveza when we reached the bottom.
We could hear some music, so we head that way and saw a La Tuna band playing around a table at a restaurant/bar, so we decided that was as good a place as any to have a drink.
La Tuna bands began in the 8th century in Spain by poor university students. They would wear their university uniforms and sing and play music in groups to earn money to buy food. Today La Tuna bands still wear traditional uniforms while they play their music.
Well one drink turned into 3 or 4, because the band were so entertaining and kept playing and we loved every bit of it. A bonus was that with each cerveza, we received a free tapas!
The band were great, they were funny and talented, so we decided they deserved a koala award, which they were thrilled to receive. One of the band members had a koala tattoo on his leg.
It was a fabulous way to finish our week in Oviedo.