Gijón travel guide

Gijón or Xixón is a city and municipality in northwestern Spain. It is the largest city and municipality by population in the autonomous community of Asturias.

Until the 18th century Gijón was a small harbour village on the neck of a peninsula. It expanded as maritime trade grew, on a grid devised by Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, but the big expansion was with the steel industry of the 19th century. The ports along the north coast of Spain became mirror-images of those of south Wales, exchanging Spanish iron ore for Welsh coal, so both adopted smoke-stack heavy industry. Steel and related manufacture collapsed in the late 20th century and Gijón perforce transitioned into service and public sector employment.

Getting in

Asturias Airport (OVD) is 30 km west of Gijón, near Avilés. It has flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Sevilla and other Spanish cities. International flights are by budget carriers and are sparse but include major European cities, London and Istanbul. An ALSA bus runs direct from the airport to Gijón hourly, taking 50 min. A taxi might take 20 min. You could also fly into Santander (SDR), but the choice of flights is similar. Madrid has a much greater range including intercontinental.

Getting around

Walking is the best way to explore Cimadevilla. You don't need a car in the old centre, and its streets are traffic-restricted, camera-enforced. Park in one of the nearby underground public parking lots. EMTUSA operate some 20 local bus routes. As of Dec 2025, a single ticket within town is €1.50. A Bono bus card gets you half fare and allows free transfers within 45 minutes. Buho night buses have six routes from Plaza del Humedal. They're hourly every night July-Aug, and Friday and Saturday nights plus festivals the rest of the year.

Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.