Asturias is one of those places most Americans have never heard of, and we loved that about it. It’s in north-central Spain; it’s a popular vacation spot for the Spanish, and it’s getting more popular as other regions get busier (and hotter). We came for the eclipse, and because a friend of ours lives in Gijón. Here’s how the first few days went, including the parts that didn’t go smoothly.
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Getting to Gijón from Barcelona
You can drive or fly. There’s a train, but from Barcelona you have to connect in Madrid, which seemed silly. So we flew, and it took a little over an hour. The airport is labeled Oviedo (code OVD) but is actually in Avilés, and it’s called Asturias Airport.
- Flights get pricey during big events. Eclipse demand pushed fares up, and our bargain, ultra-early flight meant an hour-long drive to the Barcelona airport in the pitch-black.
- Get in line early for the airport bus. One public bus runs from the airport to Gijón or Oviedo. It’s cheap, and you can buy tickets online or pay when you board. We were glad we bought ours ahead and stayed near the front, because not everyone fit on our bus.
When we landed, it was about 67 degrees, incredibly green, and everything smelled fresh. After warm Barcelona, it felt great.
Where We Stayed: Hotel San Miguel
Honest review: the Hotel San Miguel is very basic. The room and bathroom were small, and there was no air conditioning. That’s common here, since it historically hasn’t been hot enough to need it. But it’s humid, and our first night was sticky and miserable.
Tip: Ask for a fan. We didn’t think to until the second day, and it made a big difference.
The location was great, about a block from Playa San Lorenzo and right near Plaza San Miguel’s restaurants and coffee shops. Gijón is a real beach town on the Bay of Biscay. It wasn’t warm enough for swimming, but thousands of people were on the beach anyway.
The Eclipse Hotel Math
We booked through Booking.com as far in advance as it would let us, and five nights cost less than $600. When we checked the same hotel and dates close to the trip, the price was over $2,000. If you’re planning any eclipse travel, book lodging as early as you possibly can.
Tierra Astur and Our First Sidrería
Our friend Mariela met us at Tierra Astur, our first sidrería.
Asturian cider isn’t what you’re picturing. It goes through malolactic fermentation, which is unusual for apples, it’s fully natural, and there’s no carbonation. To give it some life, the server holds the bottle high overhead and pours into a glass held low. The verb is escanciar, and it’s dramatic and fun.
We also had cachopo, a breaded, fried cutlet (beef, veal, or pork) stuffed with ham and cheese. Think chicken cordon bleu crossed with chicken fried steak. We’d first seen both the cider and the cachopo on José Andrés’s show José Andrés and Family in Spain, and we almost made it here in 2023, so it was great to finally try them.
Tierra Astur has several locations. Mariela said it’s a bit of a tourist chain, but locals like it too. They sell Asturian cheeses, sausages, and cider if you want to take some home.
Cimavilla and the Elogio del Horizonte
After lunch we walked Cimavilla, the old fishing quarter, in real heat. It was a rare sunny day for Asturias and felt hotter than our weather app claimed. There are little chapels and monuments scattered around, and the main event is climbing the Cerro de Santa Catalina (above) to Elogio del Horizonte, the modern art installation at the end of the peninsula. Stand between the sculpture’s arms and you can hear the sea.
Dinner Disaster: Eat Earlier Than You Think
Everyone jokes that Spain eats late. In Barcelona and Madrid that’s true, but Gijón has limits. We went out around 10 PM and struck out three times:
- A place off Plaza San Miguel brought us a small snack with our drinks and never gave us a food menu.
- A spot Chris checked out the night before had a closed kitchen, so we just had more wine.
- A place with great-looking tortilla española seated us, served us wine, then said it was too late for food. We finally got the tortilla to go, in a giant pizza box, and ate it in our hotel room.
It was delicious, but the experience was far more stressful than it needed to be.
Takeaway: In Gijón, head out for dinner at 8:30 or 9:00. At 10 PM, people are still out, but they’ve already eaten and are just drinking.
Mirador de la Providencia and a Very Spanish Lunch
On Wednesday we took a bus with Mariela to Parque de la Providencia. The mirador looks like the front of a ship, with a big staircase up to wide views of cliffs, ocean, and the city. We walked back, a couple of hours along beaches and clifftops (above), passing a campground with bars, restaurants, and tents already set up, so you can show up with no gear.
Then lunch at La Competencia, a pizzeria, the Spanish way: order a drink, and food comes with it. Chris had a caña (a small stemmed glass of beer), and Ashleigh had the sidra sangria. Pizza arrived with the drinks, and the whole thing was about three euros per person, on a Wednesday, with people heading back to work afterward.
We grabbed gelato near Plaza San Miguel and rested up before the main event. The eclipse itself is coming in our next post.
Thanks for stopping by! Check out our Go See Do Explore Podcast, available wherever you listen to podcasts. To read about some of our previous trips, visit my Trips Page. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page and follow me on Instagram! For my list of gadgets to make your travels easier, click here.