Things To Do in Oviedo
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Oviedo Attractions
Oviedo has been rebuilt into a modern city around Campo de San Francisco, a large green park, but its historical and artistic monuments lie just east of there, clustered along the stone streets and plazas of the Old Quarter.
On the Plaza de Alfonso II el Casto you’ll find the Gothic Catedral de San Salvador and the Museo de Bellas Artes de Asturias. From the cathedral plaza, walk south down Calle Rúa, which becomes Calle Cimadevilla, to the secular counterpart of the cathedral plaza, the boxed-in square called Plaza Constitución (pictured above), dominated by the golden–stone Ayuntamiento (town hall). Calle de Fierro leads off a corner of the square past the food market hall to Plaza del Fontán and adjacent Plaza Daoíz y Vélarde. Bagpipe and folk troupes often perform here during tourist season (May–Sept), and on Thursdays a vigorous street market takes over the squares. A flea market of antiques and collectibles sets up shop on Sundays.
About 90m (295 ft.) away from the Cathedral is San Miguel de Lillo (tel. 98-529-56-85). It, too, was built by Ramiro I as a royal chapel and was no doubt a magnificent specimen of Asturian pre-Romanesque architecture until 15th-century architects marred its grace. The stone carvings that remain, however, are exemplary. Most of the sculptures have been transferred to the archaeological museum in town. The church is open the same hours as Santa María del Naranco (see individual listing)
- Cathedral
Catedral de San Salvador
The original church—now little more than the foundation—dates to the 8th century, but the current cathedral was begun at the end of the 13th century and completed in the late 16th century. Inside is an altarpiece in the florid Gothic style, dating from the 14th and 15th centuries.… - Museum
Museo de Bellas Artes de Asturias
There’s a civic tendency in parts of Spain to dump all the art that used to be in churches and private collections into one big museum. The same is true of this museum, but it does an admirable job of representing Spanish painting and sculpture from the 14th to 21st centuries.… - Religious Site
Santa María del Naranco
Rising above Oviedo on Monte Naranco, northwest of the city center, this church is one of the most famous examples of Asturian pre–Romanesque architecture. Originally a 9th–century palace and hunting lodge of Ramiro I, it was converted into a church in the 12th century. Its intricate…
Oviedo Shopping
Serious shoppers know that Oviedo offers some of Spain’s best outlets for handbags and shoes. For a number of the finest boutiques, head for the intersection of Uria and Gil de Jaz. In this district, and on adjoining side streets, you’ll find some of the country’s best–known designer boutiques selling merchandise that often fetches higher prices in Madrid and Barcelona. You’ll also come across good sales on Asturian ceramic ware.
The Sunday morning flea market on Plaza Daoíz y Vélarde tends to focus on small items—everything from vintage jewelry to mid–20th–century cameras.
The Mercado Fontán (tel. 98–520–43–94), the city’s main fresh food market, is a delightful array of the fish of the coast alongside meat and produce from the green hillsides. It’s open Monday to Friday 8am‒8pm, Saturday 8am‒3:30pm.
