Gijón: Asturias Tourist Capital
When you get to Asturias, the first feeling you have is to breathe fresh air. The trip to Gijon gives a whole host of green hills and meadows that invite tourists to forget everything and enjoy nature.
Gijón, the region’s tourist capital, is a pearl of the Cantabrian Sea and the green coast of Spain. Its beautiful beaches and its marina during the summer become a landmark for lovers of sailing and water sports, especially from the interior of Spain, head for the city to find a little peace.
Gijón seafront
Its inhabitants, careful and respectful of nature, are proud of the surrounding landscape of vivid colors ranging from green valleys to the blue of its sea. The gijonenses have managed to preserve and safeguard the purity and beauty of this generous land.
San Lorenzo beach and the marina
For sea lovers, the best way to start a tour of Gijón is from the coast along the San Lorenzo beach that stretches about three miles. During the summer, when the sun warms its fine golden sand, it becomes a swarm of people, but spring is a peaceful place to stroll and hear the comings and goings of the waves, watching the gulls fly, enjoy the moist air and the smell of salt to bring us clean waters.
Playa de San Lorenzo
When the sea permits can surf or windsurf or take a boat trip to see from a new perspective on the city, the coast and discover its monuments.
The old quarter Cimadevilla
To determine the true soul of Gijón and its people is essential to embark on the old quarter of Cimadevilla, better known today under the name of Cimavilla. Located on the highest part of the city from San Lorenzo beach and the marina, Cimavilla is a fishing village that still retains its narrow streets between the traces of its past.
The Roman Baths Museum contains the remains of public baths I and II century built in the style of Pompeian baths and the remains of walls belonging to the third century. A Roman ruins, scattered throughout the city, add the Palacio Valdés, Baroque, the birthplace of Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos illustrated and Pilgrim Hospital, where walkers were staying while en route to Santiago de Compostela.
We continued our route towards the square Gijón Arturo Arias, better known as Lavaderu Square, so named because it was the place where long ago women did their laundry. Also known as Campo de las Monjas because here is located in a former convent which was subsequently snuff factory in the city, which provided work for many women called Cimavilla cigarette. Today, especially during spring and summer, the plaza was full of terraces where you can enjoy a real cider and chat with their open and hospitable people with their personal stories of cigarette, artisans and fishermen, are witnessing a past still alive and, paradoxically, very present.
Cider, Asturias culinary heritage
You can not travel to Asturias without knowing the tradition of cider as part of countless generations of Asturias. This ancient elixir, known internationally, is extracted from the apples that fill the green fields of this region from the juice which is fermented in barrels of chestnut.
Snapshot of the Guinness record people pouring cider met last year to more than 7,000 people. Author: Joaquín Bilbao
A few miles from Gijón, Lavandera, in a privileged environment of apples, the cider house Trabanco, located between sea and mountain, invites you to discover in the history of the winery tasting drink and non-industrial production, from fruit cultivation to marketing and tasting the product, which is protected today with the distinction of Denomination of Origin. Visit a winery is an experience worth living not only for appreciating the taste of cider but to understand more deeply the meaning of this collective ritual, where several people get together to share good atmosphere, joy, friendship, stories personal and, of course, a glass of cider.
When pouring your tasting cider is crucial by dropping a string of liquid from the bottle into the glass from a certain height, so hitting the glass molecules to break up the cider and oxygenate, giving the properties of a carbonated beverage. The cider is served in a glass wide and thin in a very small amount is called culín whose contents should be taken quickly, leaving at the end of the grounds that it is customary to take where you have drunk to leave the drinker below the glass clean. In Celtic culture, which has left an important mark in Asturias, this action represented an act of gratitude to nature for the fruits which she gave.
Dessert made with cider, cider and caramel parfait
Cider, Asturias culinary heritage, Combines with traditional dishes of this land, like the famous stew, pot or tasty cheese. It is also used in the preparation of many dishes and desserts, from the chorizo ??with cider up parfaits, among others.
The best way to complete the route in Gijón is to visit its most famous building, Education City of Culture, the new name that in March 2007 opened the monumental work of architect Luis Moya Blanco. Conceived in the forties of the twentieth century as an orphanage mining was transformed over time in University Education who welcomed students from all over Spain came here to acquire the highest intellectual knowledge.
City of Gijon
Saved from deterioration due to a strategic recovery plan has now become a multidisciplinary art space, industrial development and communication and training, arts and university. Rehabilitated to accommodate 130,000 m2 of new organizations such as the headquarters of Radio Television of the Principality of Asturias, the Integrated Training Center, Faculty of Commerce, Tourism and Social Sciences, the Conservatory of Music of Gijón and the School of Dramatic Art among others.
Enter through the Patio Corinth, inspired by the ideas of the Roman architect Vitruvius, is a jaw-dropping experience to anyone thanks to its majestic dome of glass and granite columns. From here you can access the Plaza Mayor considered the heart of Education City which transmits the visitor a scenic sensation mainly by the presence of the three most important parts of the complex architecture: the church, which has the largest elliptical dome Europe, theater, and the tower, from which you can enjoy some of the most beautiful views of the city.
Botanical Garden of Gijón
A few yards away, the Botanic Garden houses over 30,000 plants and up to 2,000 different plant species originating from both sides of the ocean. It is a perfect place to discover the main Atlantic landscapes, from the northernmost part of America to the tropical Caribbean and from northern Europe to the Mediterranean.
Visiting Gijón, lost in their history, culture and tradition, savor an authentic cider and enjoy the greenery of the valleys are experiences that are worth living to regenerate body and mind, and go home richer and wiser than before.
Asturias Airport is 40 km from Gijón (35 minutes), connected by motorway (A-8). Visitors arriving by air have three options to navigate to the city: taxi, bus or rental car.
Where to stay?
Located near downtown, a few meters from the beach of San Lorenzo, is the Tryp Rey Pelayo hotel has 132 rooms and suites with living room, equipped with all amenities necessary to live a weekend or holiday.
It also has a restaurant where you can taste the most delicious dishes of haute cuisine from Asturias Gijon and succulent crab ravioli in sauce, a sea bass with sticky rice and cockle sauce, to the semi-cold cider and more.