Avilés is located on the central coastal strip of Asturias, west of Cabo de Peñas. Before it was an old fishing and peasant village, now it is a modern city and a first-rate steel center, the result of demographic growth and industrial takeoff.
Avilés is the third most important city in the Principality of Asturias. Its old town has been declared a Historical-Artistic-Monumental Site, as it has important jewels of civil and religious architecture.
Below, we detail everything you need to know if you want to travel to Asturias:
Climate in Avilés
The climate of Avilés is temperate oceanic, with mild and rainy winters, and cool and relatively rainy summers. The city is located on the coast of Asturias, in the north of Spain, where the climate is cooler and more humid than in the rest of the country. The average temperature of the coldest months (January and February) is 9.7°C, that of the warmest month (August) is 20°C.
How to get there
To get to Avilés, in addition to by car, as it is one of the three Asturian cities, it can be done by public transport without any problem. Being one of the main cities in Asturias, it is very well connected, so going by public transport is not utopian.
If you want to get to Avilés by public transport, the best option is by bus. Another option is to go by train: from Oviedo there is a direct line, although from Gijón you have to change trains. Although it has fewer schedules and destinations, it may be an option to consider depending on the starting point.
Both the Bus Station and the Avilés Train Station are located north of the Sabugo neighborhood, so you will be a few meters from the center.
What to see and visit in Avilés
When we talk about Avilés we talk about charming cobblestone streets, colorful facades, classic medieval porticos, living and perfectly preserved history, and culture and art. Therefore, we are going to recommend the notable places you should go to if you go to Avilés on a trip, among many others.
Niemeyer Center
The Niemeyer Center, located outside the historic center of Avilés, can be a good destination to start your visit to this great city.
This disruptive architectural work, created by Oscar Niemeyer, consists of four differentiated buildings but understood together as an ode to nature:
- The dome, which refers to a mountain, so typical in Asturias.
- The walkway, acting as a river that originates in the mountain.
- The auditorium, shaped like a wave, which represents the sea where the river flows.
- The viewing tower, symbolizing a tree that presides over the complex.
Used as a center for exhibitions, events and other artistic events, the Niemeyer Center is considered the cultural heart of Avilés and one of the most characteristic symbols of the city.
It has a free and paved parking lot in which to park. However, there is also a colorful bridge, the famous San Sebastián de Avilés Bridge, which crosses the estuary and will take you directly to it if you walk from the historic center area. So it is interesting to approach this bridge to glimpse its colorful shape.
Palacio Valdés Theater and Rivero Street
The Palacio Valdés Theater is one of the theaters with the best acoustics in Spain. The façade of this building, of exquisite architectural taste, perfectly reflects the wonderful works represented inside.
Therefore, the Palacio Valdés Theater is another of the main arteries of Avilés in terms of culture.
As if that were not enough, the street parallel to the Teatro Palacio Valdés, called Calle Rivero, is one of those streets that will take you to another era. Its orange cobblestones, combined with its traditional houses with wooden balconies, begin to warn you of what you will continue to see in Avilés.
Galiana Street and Plaza del Carbayedo
Once you are at the Avilés Conservatory (declared an Asset of Cultural Interest) and the Plaza de Domingo Álvarez Acebal, you will be a few moments away from catching a glimpse of the most famous and, possibly, spectacular street in all of Avilés: Galiana Street. This street serves as a meeting point for locals.
Its colorful houses that seem to give a special shine to the city, its wooden balconies straight out of another era and its cozy porches supported by stone pillars will make you not believe that a street like this can exist today.
As if that were not enough, in the middle of the street you will find the Casa de Arias de la Noceda, a spectacular house of Indians (emigrants to South America who returned with great fortunes and reflected foreign architecture in their palaces) with its typical palm trees in which, Today, it houses the Social and Environmental Services Headquarters of the Avilés City Council.
When you reach the end of the magnificent Galiana Street, you will find another surprise: the Plaza del Carbayedo, which owes its name to the fact that, in ancient times, this area was full of carbayos (nobles, in Asturian). This area has a great atmosphere and social activity. If there is one thing that attracts attention to this square, it is because of the large granary that is located in its center.
Ferrera Park
It is the most beautiful and largest park in Avilés and is located right in front of Galiana Street. The Ferrera Park, which formerly belonged to the Marquises of Ferrera and was the rest area of the Ferrera Palace, is made up of two parts: the English garden, with larger meadows, and the French garden, more ornate with pergolas and fountains. .
Relaxing under the shade of its trees, resting on the grass of the extensive meadows and walking around breathing in the purest tranquility, are one of the activities that locals do regularly and that you cannot miss on your trip to Avilés.
The Avilés Market and the Church of Saint Thomas of Canterbury (or New Church of Sabugo)
From here you will begin to enter the famous Sabugo neighborhood of Avilés, which is currently attached to the historic center, but was once the sailors’ neighborhood of the city.
The Avilés Market, located in the Market Square or the Orbón Brothers Square, is precisely the one that served as a link between the historic center and the Sabugo neighborhood.
With symmetrical architecture, for more than 500 years, the typical market is held in this place every Monday morning, which gives it a great atmosphere. If you leave the Avilés Market and look up, at the top, you will be able to glimpse a huge building that carefully monitors the commercial activity of the locals. This impressive work of architecture is the Church of St. Thomas of Canterbury (or New Church of Sabugo).
This church was created as a solution to the large number of faithful who literally could not fit into the Old Church of Sabugo. Its sensational façade and the size of its construction make it an essential destination to see in Avilés.
Bances Cándamo Street, La Estación Street and La Monstrua
In the heart of the Sabugo neighborhood of Avilés we find two of its most characteristic streets: Bances Cándamo Street and La Estación Street (where the arcades once again stand out) and they will take you back to another era in history.
A short distance from Bances Cándamo Street, you cannot miss the famous statue of Eugenia Martínez Vallejo, known as “La Monstrua” due to its exaggerated proportions. It is the most photographed monument in Avilés and to understand the culture you must know the unknown story of the girl it refers to.
Eugenia Martinez Vallejo was born with malformations and, at only 1 year old, she weighed 25 kilos. This fact was what condemned her and caused her to be taken to the palace so that, as was customary at the time, she was used as a jester, being nicknamed “The Monster.”
La Carriona Cemetery
Finally, on the outskirts of the city, the Carriona Cemetery appears on the scene, a must-see destination in Avilés. Despite how gloomy your visit might seem at first, this cemetery (which can be considered a museum) is a true ostentation of art.
Its numerous statues of impressive carving, its undeniable realism and its layout that, more than a cemetery, seems like a city designed for the perfect rest of what they left, make it a visual experience.
Fests and festivities in Avilés
Numerous festive activities take place throughout the year, including:
- In February, the carnival (or Antroxu), declared of Regional Tourist Interest and considered the best carnival in northern Spain. It has two outstanding days, on Tuesday, with a splendid parade, and the previous Saturday, with the celebration of the Galiana International River Descent.
- Holy Week is the most important processionally.
- El Bollo, a festival declared of National Tourist Interest, takes place on Easter Sunday and highlights its colorful parade of floats and, above all, on Monday, with the massive street food in which more than twelve thousand people participate.
- San Agustín, summer festival of the city, is celebrated massively and in fact makes it the festive capital of Asturias in the second half of August.
- It is a good idea not to miss the popular prima dances, very traditional and participatory, which are celebrated on the days of San Juan, San Pedro, la Virgen del Carmen, Santa Ana y San Agustín.
In addition, throughout the summer there are continuous festive activities on the street.
Gastronomy in Avilés
Avilés has a wide variety of restaurants, where excellent stews with all types of fish and seafood stand out (the city’s fishing port is the first in Asturias and one of the most important in Spain in terms of catch volume). Avilesina-style hake is the most significant local contribution to the excellent regional seafood gastronomy.
But we cannot forget that here you can also taste regional cuisine dishes: Asturian pot and, above all, fabada.
On the other hand, the typical sweets of Avilés are the Easter bun and the local marañuelas.
