Asturias Trip: GIJÓN, OVIEDO, Y COVADONGA

Would you like to join Happy Erasmus for an amazing trip to some of the most beautiful cities in the north of Spain, one trip full of incredible places, great food and amazing atmosphere?

We’ll take you to the cosmopolitan heart of Asturias, discovering its main urban centers, Gijón and Oviedo. They both preserve their traditions without surrendering to modernity. They offer each traveller unique architecture, museums, a varied cultural program and a vibrant night-life. With us you will be able to visit the most important sights of the cities that will take your breath away, have time to discover the cities by yourselves, go shopping or simply enjoy nature. Of course, don’t forget that we like to party in the best clubs of every city.

 

OVIEDO

 

The founding of Oviedo has all the legendary epic ingredients of all great cities.
The Asturian capital is hospitable and dynamic, a place where you can experience something different every day. It also boasts an intense cultural and commercial life. Human-sized, it is an easy city to stroll around, with every corner holding an unexpected sensation: the Fontán market, a Pre-Romanesque fountain called La Foncalada, a Cathedral with both a Gothic and Romanesque tower, an historic town that has been a source of inspiration for writers such as Clarín and Pérez de Ayala, contemporary civil architecture and an intense cultural agenda that includes the opera season and the Princess of Asturias Awards Ceremony, among other major events.

 

 

 

Old Town

The historical center of Oviedo still maintains the old taste of the 19th century, in comparison with the predominant modernism of the rest of the Spanish cities. Many restorations and reconstructions have been needed in the last decade to emphasize this historical character. The numerous pedestrian streets in the city center that do not permit cars or other kind of modern vehicle give us an idea of what life was like in those times. In many ways, Oviedo is stuck in the past and still resembles the city that Leopoldo Alas “Clarín” portrayed so well in his famous novel, “La Regenta”.

 

Cathedral of Oviedo

The Cathedral of San Salvador de Oviedo has thirteen centuries of history, since the first temple was erected in the 8th century, during the regin of the Asturian King Fruela I. This church was partially destroyed by a Muslim army during its attack on Oviedo in the year 794.

 

Los Reyes Garden

It is located on the north side of the Cathedral of Oviedo, on Calle del Águila, just in front of the Plaza de Alfonso II el Casto. Inside are represented the figures of the twelve Kings of Oviedo, from Pelayo to Alfonso III. The first three, named Pelayo, Favila and Alfonso I, are represented in a mural by Gerardo Zaragoza,who also sculpted the statues of Fruela I and Ramiro I and the busts of Aurelio, Silo, Mauregato, Bermudo I and Ordoño I.

 

Plaza de la Escandalera

Plaza de la Escandalera is a plaza in Oviedo, Asturias, Spain. Its location between the historic and commercial centres of the city makes it a popular area to walk through. The square is rectangular, bounded on its west side by the streets Paseo de los Alamos and Urea, which run parallel, and the Campo de San Francisco. On the east side departs the streets of San Francisco in the south corner, Argüelles and, tangentially, the Pelayo in the northern corner.

 

Estatua de Woody Allen​
The monument of Woody Allen, located on Milicias Nacionales in the city of Oviedo, Principality of Asturias, is one of the more than hundred urban sculptures that adorn the streets of the aforementioned Spanish city.

 

Campo de San Francisco

Campo de San Francisco is the main green lung of Oviedo. Located in the heart of the city, it is surrounded by the most important and commercial streets such as Uría street, which makes it a place to rest from the hustle and bustle of the city and a recreation space.

 

  

 

On the shores of the Cantabrian Sea, Gijón offers an attractive combination of maritime tradition, monumental heritage and modern urban planning right on the seashore. Its marina is the clearest expression of its maritime legacy that the city developed throughout history.

It was shortlisted in the European Commission's EDEN programme (European Destinations of Excellence), in recognition of its sustainable tourism proposal. 

Its various major buildings date from the city's past as a Roman settlement, passing for its development in the 16th century when the Catholic monarchs decided to install a port there, until the great economic and social development enjoyed by the area at the time of the Enlightenment, primarily thanks to Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos.

 

 

During the guided tour of the city we will visit:

 

Poniente Beach

Poniente Beach is an artificial beach created in the mid-90s which has become a center of attraction, especially in the summer months. Located in the marina area of ​​Gijón, it occupies an area formerly taken up by old shipyards. Its waters, permanently having a green flag, are ideal for watersports, especially for beginners, and for children to bathe in. It also has a children's playground right on the beach. It is usually crowded and boasts very good amenities.

 

Puerto deportivo de Gijón

The Marina de Gijón with its modern facilities, recognized with the concession of the blue flag uninterrupted since 1996, and its four docks, is a port of reference for some of the main international regattas. With an enviable location, in the heart of the city, next to the historic Cimadevilla neighborhood, it has a total of 780 berths.

 

 

Palacio de Revillagigedo

The emblematic building known as the Palace of the Count of Revillagigedo, was built from a medieval tower in the 18th century. In 1991, together with the annexed Collegiate Church of San Juan Bautista, it became an International Art Center. Its structure has been adapted to the needs of a dynamic center, focused on the exhibition of contemporary art, the meeting of artists, scholars and the public confrontation about the latest artistic trends.

 

 

Colegiata de San Juan Bautista

It is a chapel connected with the Palace of Revillagigedo, with collegiate status. It was concluded fifteen years later than the palace and is dedicated to San Juan Bautista. It shares the Baroque style of the Palace, following the same ornamentation and design. Financing was provided by the prior of the cathedral of Oviedo Luis Ramírez de Valdés, uncle of the Marquis. In the work, Menéndez Camina collaborated with the architect Pedro Muñiz Somonte, who designed the decks and the tower.

 

 

Elogio de Horizonte

The 1990 Elogio del Horizonte, a bold sea-facing concrete sculpture made by Basque artist Eduardo Chillida, has become a symbol of the city and stands in the grassy Parque del Cerro de Santa Catalina, at the top of Cimadevilla (the ancient core of Gijón).
What Chillida achieves with the Elogio is the amplification of the perception of reality through contemplation, with the combination between the static perception of oneself, the dynamic perception of space, and time, harmonized by the tranquility of recollection.

 

 

Santa Catalina Headland

The Cerro de Santa Catalina is a park on top of a peninsula. It covers 70,000 square meters and dominates the city. On one side there’s the San Lorenzo Beach and on the other the Port of El Musel. Next to it there’s Cimadevilla, the old neighborhood of fishermen. 

 

 

Beach of San Lorenzo

San Lorenzo Beach is probably the best known beach in Asturias. It comprises Gijón Bay, a jewel of northern Spain, bounded on the west by San Catalina Headland and on the east by the mouth of the River Piles. In total, the beach extends for 1,5 km and is highly frequented by bathers, who take advantage of the excellent facilities of all sorts, including two beach volleyball courts and a beach soccer field.

 

 

Church of San Pedro

The church of San Pedro is a Catholic temple located in the city of Gijón and is one of its most representative buildings. It is located in Campo Valdés, at one end of the San Lorenzo beach and at the foot of the Cimadevilla neighborhood.

 

 

Church of San Jose

The church of San José is a Catholic temple built during the 20th century in the street Álvarez Garaya of the city of Gijón. The current building replaced the original one, that which was destroyed during the Civil War. The church is inspired to the Colonial Baroque, responding to the Francoist autarkic tendency of religious buildings to be inspired by historical styles.  It has a three-nave floor plan, to the sides of which is a spacious tribune.