It holds the title of the cleanest city in Spain and it is famous for hosting the prestigious Princess of Asturias Awards, for its magnificent pre-Romanesque architecture and for its cider: drinking a shot of that wonderful drink, served in very fine glass, straight from the iconic Asturian green bottle, is an experience that shouldn't be missed when visiting this city.
Planning on visiting Oviedo and want to know what not to miss? Read on!
Oviedo is a small, elegant, pedestrian city that incites walking and living well. A city that rings of opera from the Teatro Campoamor (theatre) and tastes like the almonds in the 'carballones' (almond puff pastries) and moscovitas (almond and chocolate biscuits) from the Rialto bakery.
A city where you can feel just like you're in the middle of a forest if you decide to walk under the sweet chestnut trees and ancient lime trees in the Campo de San Francisco and where you can contemplate works by the great masters of Spanish painting, from Zurbarán to Goya, in its wonderful Museo de Bellas Artes.
But most importantly in Oviedo, you cannot miss:
Continue your tour of the centre taking in the other four towers that make up the city's "regal headquarters": Santa María La Real de la Corte, the convent of Las Pelayas, the cathedral's Romanesque tower and the tower at the church of San Tirso el Real.
Oviedo maintains the 19th-century essence of the Vetusta where Ana Ozores lived in La Regenta. The fact is that the author of the novel Leopoldo Alas, also known Clarín, took inspiration from the capital city of Asturias when he was creating the settings for his most popular novel: the cathedral with its chapel, the baroque church of San Isidoro, the "shopping" street (also known as Calle de La Magdalena), Plaza de El Fontán with its market...
It is all still there, as if the world had stopped in time, and undoubtedly worth a visit. If you visit the cathedral, you will be surprised by its façade with a single tower, although we recommend going in to tour its pristine cloister and see the jewel in the crown: the famous Pañolón de Oviedo, a holy shroud zealously guarded in the Cámara Santa (Holy Chamber).
Another good way to get to know the city is to explore it looking for its sculptures and statues. You will be surprised by their number and diversity! From Botero's famed work La Maternidad to the statue of the American film maker Woody Allen, and including the controversial Culis Monumentalibus.
Oviedo is well known for its confectionery and you cannot leave the city without giving it a try. Although if there is anything you can't miss on your trip to Oviedo, it is a few glasses of cider on Calle Gascona. You won't regret it!
And if you can escape to the city in September, the festivities of San Mateo will reveal a totally different Oviedo, full of music, theatre and fireworks. By the way, in the framework of the festivities, you can't miss the Día de América (America Day) and its original parade and floats. You'll be surprised!
Did you know that the Camino de Santiago was actually founded in Oviedo? It was here that this religious and cultural journey was born, at the hand of King Alfonso II the Chaste, considered the first pilgrim. The monarch travelled to the Galician town in 834, informed by Bishop Teodomiro of the "discovery" of the apostle's tomb.
This Jacobean Jubilee year, make sure to visit Oviedo and marvel at its beautiful and well-preserved historic centre. And as the saying goes about Oviedo's cathedral, "Whoever goes to Santiago and not to the Saviour, visits the servant and not the Lord"
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More information in Oviedo, the start of the Camino de Santiago.
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