How to Get to Oviedo and What to Do There

Oviedo is an unknown but fantastic city off the northern coast of Spain, in the Asturias region.

It is famous for its cider, cheese, feijoada fabada, pre-Romanesque churches and for being a good starting point to reach the Picos de Europa.

We hope you enjoy watching this video about Oviedo, The Cleanest City in Spain

Source: Spain Speaks

How to get there

Not so far from the popular destinations of San Sebastián and Madrid like Galicia, Asturias offers a great taste of 'Green Spain' without having to travel too far.

The closest airport to Oviedo is Asturias Airport, which is served mainly by domestic flights, although there are flights to Lisbon and London.

Santander is the next closest airport, which has some international flights offered by Ryanair.

The bus from Madrid to Oviedo takes about five and a half hours. There are a few trains a day, but they are not much faster and cost three times as much.

Suggested Itineraries

There is a lot to see on the way from Madrid to Oviedo, the most obvious cities are Salamanca, famous for its beautiful Plaza Mayor, and León, one of the main tapas destinations in Spain.

Note that there is no direct train from Salamanca, so consider going through Segovia if you haven't already taken a day trip from Madrid.

From Leon

The fastest and cheapest way to travel from León to Oviedo is by bus.

There are ALSA buses that run all day. The trip takes about an hour and a half.

There are some trains every day from León to Oviedo.

The trip takes just over two hours. Book train tickets on Rail Europe.

The 125 km journey from León to Oviedo takes about an hour and a quarter by car. Follow the AP-66 and A-66 roads.

Please note that some of these roads are toll roads. You can rent a car to get there.

From Bilbao

RENFE's main rail network does not cover this route. You can take the scenic route using the local FEVE train service, but this takes a maximum of 7:30 am (and still requires a change in Santander).

The bus from Bilbao to Oviedo takes between 3:30 am and 5 hours, depending on the time of day you travel.

The 300 km from Bilbao to Oviedo can be covered in about three hours, circulating mainly on the A-8 roads. Consider a stop in Santander to interrupt your trip.

From Santiago de Compostela

Buses from Santiago to Oviedo take four hours. There are no direct trains.

An interesting scenic route is to take a bus to Ferrol and then take the narrow-gauge railway to Oviedo, perhaps stopping along the way at Playa de las Catedrales, often described as the most beautiful beach in Spain.

From Salamanca

The bus is the only good public transport option. If you are happy driving in Spain, this would be your fastest option. They take five hours.

There are no direct trains between Salamanca and Oviedo. A good recommendation would be to visit Segovia and then take the train.

The Best Time to Visit

Oviedo's main festival is San Mateo, in the third week of September, the two most important days being America's Day on the 19th and San Mateo's Day on the 21st.

Number of days to spend (excluding day trips)

One day is enough, although cider can cause a hangover that requires a second day to recover! Mas Oviedo is an ideal base for day trips to the beautiful surroundings.

Things to Do

The pre-Romanesque churches of San Miguel de Lillo and Santa María del Naranco.

Built into the hillside, you can walk, but you may prefer to take a bus near the train station (No. 10) or take a taxi.

Eat, drink and be happy. Asturias is the country of cider (cider), a fact that is forced to go down the ravine of c/Gascona - which has the Boulevard de Sidra (Boulevard de la sidra) at the traffic light on the street.

To accompany it, try the chorizo a la cider or the bean stew.

The pedestrian center of the city with a very nice cathedral.

Days of travel

The twin delights of the towns of Covadonga and Cangas de Ovis are the most popular ways to get good views of the Picos de Europa mountain range, but pick any eastern town and you won't be disappointed.

Also, the fastest way to reach the impressive coastline is to go to Gijón, although a little exploration is a great reward.

Where does it go next?

Go east along the coast to Bilbao (perhaps via Santander), west to Galicia, or south to Madrid via León and Salamanca.

Distance to Oviedo

From Barcelona 900km - 9:20 by car, 12h by train, 13h by bus, 1:20 by flight
From Seville 775km - 10h by car, without a direct train, 12h30 by bus, 1h30 by flight
From Madrid, 450km - 5h by car, 6:30 by train, 5h by bus, 1h by flight moving

The bus and train stations are practically next to each other.

If you are coming by train, go straight ahead and walk down the main street of Oviedo, c / Uria.

If you are coming by bus, turn right out of the station, walk to the train station and enter c / Uria from there.

After walking through the main commercial area of Oviedo, end the c/Uria - take the street in front of you (c/Jesús) that takes you to the Church of San Isidro in the Plaza de la Constitución.

Walk through the Plaza and continue to Plaza del Sol, turn left, and head towards the Cathedral.

Once you see it, keep walking and you will reach C/Gascona, which is the namesake “Bulevar de la Sidra”.

If you plan to visit the monuments of Mount Naranco, you will need to return to the train station. Near the station in c/Uria, there is a bus stop - number 10 takes you directly to the monuments and leaves once an hour.

If you get lost, you can walk, but it would be easier to take a taxi to get on and off.

Before heading out, don't forget to visit the square at the top of the train station, an interesting mix of multi-colored old and modern buildings inspired by Tetris.

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