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Visit Aviles, Spain; a travel guide to the city of Aviles

Visit Aviles

Aviles is in the province of Asturias in the Asturias and Cantabria region of Spain. It is not far from Oviedo, the capital of Asturias.

Aviles has a charming and well preserved medieval centre that is well worth visiting. Take your time to wander through its streets admiring the often brightly coloured architecture and stopping regularly to sample some excellent tapas.

Explore Aviles

Aviles once had a grim reputation as a polluted highly industrialised city but its heavy industry gave way to high tech and now even outside of its historic centre it is a thriving commercial centre with good shops and restaurants.

However it is for the medieval historic centre that you will want to visit and you won't be disappointed. The old town is very colourful with pale sandstone buildings standing side by side with buildings rendered in pink, lemon, green, blue etc.

Its narrow streets regularly open out into large sunny squares surrounded by arcaded buildings many of which are bars and restaurants and offer lovely spots to stop and people-watch. The pedestrian streets of Galiano and Rivero are particularly lovely.

The medieval heart of Aviles is situated around the Plaza de Espana and the Plaza de Mercado. The Plaza de Espana is the main square and on one side is the splendid town hall and also on the square is the 18th century Palacio de Ferrara which was once a fine mansion and is now a stunning hotel - if you want to treat yourself stop here for your visit!. Surrounding the Plaza are lovely 14th and 15th century buildings.

The key religious buildings are the Iglesia de San Fransisco with its Renaissance cloister and its frescoes and the Romanesque Iglesia de San Nicolas de Bari that has a beautiful 14th century chapel. The old 13th century church of Sabugo is also charming.

Aviles has some beautiful palaces including the 17th century Baroque Palace de Camposagrado, which was fortified against English pirates! Aviles even has a Modernist palace, the Palacio de Balsera.

The Ferrera park has some lovely gardens including a lovely French-style garden. It is a lovely place to wander and enjoy the tranquility.

Aviles has been declared a Historic Artistic Site because of its interesting architecture. It is now adding to its architectural reputation with a beautiful new arts centre designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer.

The Centro Niemeyer has been built on a once run down part of Aviles and is part of a transformation into a Norman Foster designed "green city" on the other side of the estuary from the medieval centre. It is easy walking distance from the medieval centre and is a great addition to a trip to Aviles.

Places to visit nearby

The old town of Gijon known as Cimadevilla has charming fishermen's houses and cobbled streets.

The beautiful painted houses surrounging the bay at Cudillero make it one of the most beautiful villages in Spain and Oviedo is an attractive university town with a historic centre.

You can find more local travel ideas in the Asturias and Cantabria guide .

Map of Aviles and places to visit

Aviles places to visit.

Gijon is the largest city in the region and is surrounded by industry but once in the centre the city is pleasant and has good beaches and nightlife.

Cudillero has lots of colourful houses surround its port. It is one of Spain's most beautiful villages.

Oviedo is the cultural capital of Asturias and has a medieval centre and lots of examples of Pre-Romanesque architecture.

Luarca is a very attractive town surrounded by cliffs and with a really excellent harbour.

Cangas de Onis

Cangas de Onis has a lovely Roman bridge and fantastic mountain scenery. It is close to Covadonga said to be the starting place for the Reconquest.

Ribadesella

Ribadesella is a charming seaside resort with an old town, a sandy beach and Modernista villas.

...or see all our recommended places to visit in Asturias and Cantabria

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Plan Your Trip to Aviles: Best of Aviles Tourism

Essential Aviles

Aviles Is Great For

Eat & drink

• URH Hotel Zen Balagares
• Palacio de Avilés Affiliated by Meliá
• Hotel OCA Villa de Aviles
• Hotel Alda Palacio Valdes
• Ronda 14 Avilés
• Centro Niemeyer
• Church of Santo Tomas de Canterbury
• Parque de Ferrera
• Church of the Franciscan Fathers
• La Plaza. El Mercado de Aviles

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Principality of Asturias

It is situated on the central strip of the coastline of Asturias, to the west of the cape of Peñas. An old seafaring and farming town, it is now a modern city and a major iron and steel centre, a product of demographic growth and the industrial boom.

Avilés is the third major city in the Principality of Asturias. Its historic quarter has been declared a Historic-Artistic Site , since it houses significant gems of civil and religious architecture. Some of the main attractions are the pedestrian streets of Galiana and Rivero, Plaza de España with its City Hall, the old church of Sabugo, from the 13th century, and the modern Santo Tomás de Canterbury. In terms of civil architecture, Avilés can boast the palaces of Valdecarzana and Camposagrado and the Palacio Valdés theatre. In 1980 came the opening of the new fishing dock and fishermen's guild of Virgen de las Mareas, whose market auctions almost 70% of the fish caught in Asturias, which has placed Avilés, despite a limited fishing fleet, at the head of the ports in Asturias in this sector.

What to visit

Select from the list or hover over the map to find out about points of interest.

Caños de San Francisco Fountain

Church of Sabugo

Ferrera Palace

Niemeyer Centre

Travel plans for inspiring you

Examples of contemporary architecture in Green Spain

Avilés, transformative architecture

Postcard destinations in Asturias

Choose between thousands of activities to live your best life on holiday.

Welcome to Avilés

The first impression that the visitor gets when he arrives to our town is the industrial belt that he will see around… but… inside he will discover a great surprise, a millenary town that in its time was one of the most important ports of the Cantabrian Sea, a pedestrianized old town where you can stroll quietly and where you will discover its cobbled streets with arcades, its squares full of joy, its historical monuments, its palaces, its gastronomy, its people…

Take a walk through its history

Walk through streets with more than a thousand years of history, enjoy lively squares or relax while strolling through magical corners.

Discover the atmosphere of its squares

Stroll through its medieval streets

Find amazing places

Enjoy avilés, buildings to stop at.

Admire its palaces from different periods, its religious buildings or the modern architecture of the Niemeyer Center.

Admire its historic palaces

Visit its millenary churches

The legacy of a great architect

If you are visiting avilés.

We offer you the best places to sleep in the city and leisure activities you can do in and around the city.

Discover the city’s hotel offer

Activities you can do during your visit to Avilés

So you don’t miss a thing.

In the following map you have marked all the places of interest that you can visit if you come to visit Avilés. You can visualize it in your Google Maps application, if it is easier for you, by clicking on the icon [ ] on the right that indicates Enlarge the map.

• 1.1 Climate
• 2.1 By plane
• 2.3 By train
• 3 Get around
• 4.1 Architecture
• 4.2 Museums and arts centres
• 4.3 Sculptures
• 4.4 Feasts and traditions

Aviles [dead link] (Spanish: Avilés , pronounced AHH-b-ee-l-EH-s) is a port and industrial city of 79,000 people (2018) in the province of Asturias in northwest Spain . It is close to popular beaches such as Salinas. It is home to the Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Centre, and has important churches like St. Thomas of Canterbury.

Understand [ edit ]

Climate [ edit ].

The area experiences warm summers with both overcast and sunny days. In winter the weather is moderate, with significant rains and wind, although sometimes the cold climate of Asturias results in snowfall at sea level. The temperature is rarely below zero or over 30 °C (86 °F). Summer highs are exceptionally low by Spanish standards due its heavy maritime features and northerly position in the country.

Get in [ edit ]

By plane [ edit ], by bus [ edit ].

The main bus company, Alsa , connects the city to all the provinces and most important cities in the country. There are buses every 30 minutes from downtown to Oviedo and Gijón.

By train [ edit ]

There are two railway systems. RENFE is the standard gauge mainline to Oviedo , with trains south to Leon, Valladolid, Segovia and Madrid. FEVE is the narrow gauge railway (now managed by Renfe) that winds along the coast, west to Ribadeo and Ferrol, east to Oviedo, Gijón, Santander, Bilbao, San Sebastian, and the French border at Irun / Hendaye. Disruptions and replacement buses are common along this line.

• 43.561312 -5.922837 2 Avilés railway station . Serves both systems; it's on Avenida Telares near the river.  

Get around [ edit ]

See [ edit ]

Architecture [ edit ].

• St. Thomas of Canterbury church (dating from the 13th century)
• Church of Saint Nicholas of Bari (12th-13th century), in Romanesque style
• Palacio de Valdecarzana, the sole example of civil medieval architecture in the town
• Palacio de Llano Ponte (1700–1706)
• Baroque Palacio de Camposagrado, fortified in its north façade against the English pirates
• Capilla de los Alas, a 14th-century funerary monument in Romanesque-Gothic transition style
• Old church of Sabugo (13th century)
• Palacio de Balsera, in Modernist style
• Palacio Valdés Theatre, in Neobaroque style.

Museums and arts centres [ edit ]

• Museum of Avilés Urban History
• Black Pottery Museum
• Alfercam Museum, where visitors can find a combination of world musical instrumentas and vintage cars.
• "Casa de Cultura", including the Bances Candamo public library, art gallery, reading and study areas.
• CMAE - Centro municipal de arte y exposiciones - arts and exhibition centre in El Arbolón area, not far from the town centre.

Sculptures [ edit ]

Throughout the town there are sculptures in various styles: the set of sculptures in El Muelle park, especially the Pedro Menendez sculpture and La foca (the seal); the Ruta del acero set of sculptures along the Avilés estuary; Avilés sculpture, and different ones such as: Marta y María, El hombre que escucha la piedra (the man who listens to the stone), El eslabón, and Entre bambalines.

Feasts and traditions [ edit ]

• Feast of the Amagüestu (autumn).
• The Antroxu (Carnival in Asturian language) which includes the Galiana's Street Internarional and Fluvial Descent (Descenso Internacional y Fluvial de la calle de Galiana) (winter).
• The Feast of the Bollo (Fiesta del bollo) (the bollo is a traditional cake) (Bollo de Pascua de Avilés) (spring).
• The LGBTIQ+ Asturian Cinema Festival (Festival de Cine LGBTIQ+ de Asturias) (spring).
• The Interceltic Festival of Avilés, which takes place in summer, with people coming from all Celtic nations (Brittany, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Galicia, Asturias) (summer).
• Feast of Saint Augustine (Avilés' patron saint) (summer).
• "La Mar de Ruido" rock festival (summer).
• Avilés International Cinema and Architecture Festival.

Do [ edit ]

Buy [ edit ], eat [ edit ].

• 43.55552 -5.920426 1 Café Lord Byron , Calle Palacio Valdés, 1 . ( updated Dec 2018 )

Drink [ edit ]

Sleep [ edit ].

• 43.558399 -5.929286 1 Hotel Oca Villa de Avilés , Calle del Prado, 3 , ☏ +34 985 52 61 16 . ( updated Dec 2018 )
• 43.555151 -5.922443 2 Hotel NH Collection Palacio de Avilés , Plaza de España, 9 , ☏ +34 98 5129080 . Located in the heart of Avilés, in Plaza de España next to the Town Hall, the hotel occupies a landmark a 17th-century building. ( updated Dec 2018 )

Go next [ edit ]

• Oviedo is another old town with various UNESCO-listed monuments.
• Gijón is a lively coastal town with a Roman archeological site.

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A great white hope in Avilés, Asturias

I f first impressions were everything, you might not bother with Avilés. The A66 motorway takes you along the bank of a river that eventually opens into the Cantabrian Sea, but there's no water to be seen through a mephitic landscape of factories and warehouses. As you approach the city centre through the industrial grime, however, two things catch your eye: on one side of the estuary, a harmonious jumble of old town roofs; on the other side, a collection of grand buildings in curvaceous white forms.

Avilés is a revelation wrapped up in a surprise. The northern Spanish region of Asturias, under the radar for far too long, is finally taking its rightful place in British hearts thanks to its unspoiled beaches, its mountain landscapes, its gastronomy and idiosyncratic local culture. Oviedo is posh and pulchritudinous, Gijón a rough-and-tumble harbour town. Until quite recently, Avilés had seemed the post-industrial Cinderella of the three. Yet, thanks in large measure to a futuristic new cultural centre designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer , things are picking up.

On an evening in late May I walked up to the Plaza de España, the city's front room, where one side is formed by the imposing Town Hall, and a few steps away lies the Palacio de Ferrera (Plaza de España 9, +34 985 129080, nh-hotels.com , doubles from €70), an urban stately home transformed into the best hotel in Avilés. From the square, cobbled and flagstoned streets radiate out into the best-preserved medieval city in Asturias.

It was getting on to 11 o'clock, but I needn't have worried about finding a decent dinner. The Casa Alvarín (Calle de Los Alas 2, +34 985 540 113, casaalvarin.com ), a cider house with sawdust on the floors and Joselito hams hanging from the ceiling, was still serving up plates of octopus and slabs of Cabrales cheese.

Historic and cultivated, with one of the best harbours on the Cantabrian coast, for centuries the city did well out of fishing and trade. In the early 1950s the rot set in. Avilés was earmarked for an industrial future by Franco's government. The wetlands of the ría (estuary) were partially drained, the course of the river altered, and the giant factory complex of Spain's premier steel works, Ensidesa, installed within a few hundred yards of Avilés' charming old town. Smoke from factories painted the stones of the old town a shade of charcoal grey and the estuary became a dead zone.

In recent years, however, the spiral changed direction. The 1960s-built airport, 15km out of town, was extended in 1994 and again in 2000 (EasyJet flies there from Stansted). And now the city has just lucked out big-time. Niemeyer, the architect responsible for the building of Brasilia and masterpieces such as the contemporary art museum in Niterói, over the bay from Rio de Janeiro, had won the Prince of Asturias prize for architecture in 1989. In 2005 the Prince of Asturias Foundation contacted past winners as part of the prize's 25th anniversary. Niemeyer's contribution to the celebrations was a design for a cultural centre, to be sited wherever the government of Asturias might see fit; it would be his first building in Spain. As it happened, Avilés was just considering how best to engineer a socioeconomic change in the city by means of contemporary culture, earmarking parts of its decaying ría for a project that might have the same transforming effect that the Guggenheim had on Bilbao. The Centro Niemeyer ( centroniemeyer.org ) has just opened, and is intended to be the beginning of what will eventually become the Isla de la Innovación, a Norman Foster-designed "green city" entirely transforming the ría.

The Centro is a composition of simple forms arranged over a wide open space, described by its creator, with all the youthful idealism of his 103 years, as "a square open to the sea for all the men and women of the world, a place for cohabitation, education, culture and peace".

What strikes you first is the sudden glare of whiteness in this grey-green temperate zone. The auditorium, which seats 961, is housed in a wave-shaped building, the stage opening on to the square for open-air concerts. A long, low, curving form known informally as "the banana" has a cinema, meeting rooms and a cafeteria. The cupola, made by spraying white concrete on to an inflatable dome, is the centre's main exhibition space.

Shows lined up for the rest of 2011 include a Julian Schnabel Polaroid exhibition, a concert by Brazilian singer and guitarist Gilberto Gil (29 July), and the Bridge Project, with Sam Mendes directing Kevin Spacey in Richard III in September. The Niemeyer has just four permanent staff, but a roster of advisers that most arts centres would give their eyeteeth for, among them Spacey (theatre), Brad Pitt (architecture), Stephen Hawking (science), Woody Allen (cinema, and the occasional appearance on trad jazz clarinet).

The Centro is now the city's main attraction, and is just a short walk from the heart of old Avilés, where most tourists will spend the rest of their time, exploring the medieval centre's network of pretty streets, such as Calle de la Ferrería and Calle de Galiana. Avilés has few major monuments, though you wouldn't want to miss the church of San Francisco, its Romanesque facade eaten away by centuries of salt spray, or the barrio of Sabugo, formerly the fishing quarter, where you can see the stone table beside the church where mariners met to finalise their travel plans.

What the city has most of, however, are bars and taverns, restaurants and tapas joints. Avilés is rich in old-fashioned grocers' stores with high ceilings and flagstone floors, selling everything from tinned cabbage to maize flour and jars of tuna in olive oil. There are two Michelin-starred restaurants – Koldo Miranda (La Cruz de Illas 20, +34 985 511446, restaurantekoldomiranda.com ) and Real Balneario (Avenida de Juan Sitges, +34 985 518613, realbalneario.com ), above the beach at nearby Salinas, with its beautifully presented "new Asturian" food and sea views to die for. There are also gastrobars such as Sal de Vinos (Calle de la Muralla 36, +34 984 832053) and La Dársena de Fernando (Calle de Llano Ponte 7, +34 984 832900, ladarsenadefernando.com ). In the pastry shops, the range of traditional sweetmeats has been joined by a new invention: dome-shaped little cakes variously known as Niemerinos , Niemeyitas and Avimeyers .

A "Niemeyer effect", smaller in scale but analogous to the "Guggenheim effect", is already at work in the city.

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Para viajar desde Avilés o hasta Avilés, con Alsa te lo ponemos fácil. En nuestra flota de autobuses podrás viajar barato. Aprovecha las ofertas de estos viajes y consulta los precios mas bajos con la garantía de la web oficial de Alsa.

Avilés Situada en el Principado de Asturias, Avilés se ha convertido en una ciudad muy moderna, llena de nuevas construcciones y modernas infraestructuras que hacen que la ciudad se haya convertido en un referente dentro del Principado. Avilés se encuentra a apenas 25 kilómetros de Gijón y a 27 de Oviedo y tiene una población que llega a superar los 83.000 habitantes. Una de las infraestructuras más modernas que se han inaugurado en la ciudad recientemente es el Centro Cultural Internacional Oscar Niemeyer, inaugurado en marzo de 2011 y en el que se pueden admirar exposiciones, asistir a espectáculos teatrales, de danza, cine o de gastronomía y mucho más. Está situado en la Ría de Avilés y es el principio de una serie de obras que se llamará la Isla de la Innovación y que pretende la regeneración urbana de Avilés.

La estructura de este centro tiene varias partes: una plaza, abierta al público y de carácter cultural, un auditorio, una cúpula, que es un espacio para la exposición de unos 4.000 metros cuadrados, y también dispone de una torre con un mirador sobre la ría y un edificio polivalente.

Alsa tiene constancia de la importancia de la ciudad para muchos pasajeros y tiene una importante variedad de rutas que la une con ciudades muy destacadas de toda la geografía española. Avilés ofrece mucho más a sus visitantes, para mencionar y destacar algunos de estos lugares se puede hablar del Palacio de Balsera, con una pintoresca fachada y atrae la mirada de todos los peatones que circulan por la zona. Hablando de Museos y centros culturales, además del ya mencionando Centro Cultural Internacional Oscar Niemeyer, también está el Museo de Cerámica Negra, o el de Alfercamen el que se pueden admirar desde instrumentos musicales del mundo hasta coches de época.

Por la ciudad se puede encontrar también muchas esculturas, por ejemplo el conjunto escultórico en el parque del Muelle, cabe destacar la escultura Pedro Menéndez y la Foca, también otras como el conjunto escultórico de la Ría de Avilés. Sin duda es uno de los atractivos más importantes de la ciudad.

Otros lugares que la ciudad ofrece a todos los visitantes que lleguen a ella es el Palacio de Llano Ponte. Avilés ofrece también otros atractivos, la Iglesia de San Nicolás de Bari es uno de ellos, fue construida en los siglos XII y XIII, en la que cabe destacar su portada principal de estilo románico. Alsa gracias a sus rutas acerca a todos los pasajeros que lo deseen hasta este lugar tan encantador.

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ABOUT STEPHANIE

Stephanie is a Marketing and PR consultant with a decade of experience in the beverage industry managing craft and luxury wine & spirits accounts. She began her career in media relations and honed her creative abilities working on new product launches, experiential activations, content marketing, and social media campaigns for local and global brands. An enthusiastic solo traveler and adventurous imbiber, Stephanie works with travel & hospitality clients to bring their stories to life and help them achieve their business goals.

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