Gijón
Gijón is one of the 8 comarcas or administrative regions of Asturias. It is divided into three municipalities. The first is Gijón, or Xixón in Asturian language. It is Asturias’ largest city in terms of number of inhabitants (270.000 in 2019). You can stroll or cycle through this coastal city to explore its beaches, museums, gastronomy and beautiful botanical garden. The second municipality is Villaviciosa. This coastal town is famous for its river delta and beaches. The third municipality is Carreño. Here, you eat fresh seafood and discover Neolithic artifacts like dolmens and hill forts.
We organize the following tours in Gijón :
History and Heritage
Our history and heritage tours take you back in time to Asturias’ unique past.
Asturias’ history started millions of years ago when dinosaurs roamed its coast. In the Paleolithic, our ancestors left incredible cave art, such as in World Heritage Site Tito Bustillo.
The Romans built bridges, aqueducts and public baths. The Reconquista started in Asturias with the famous Battle of Covadonga in 722. Here, Asturias’ first King Pelayo defeated the Arabs. During the subsequent reign of the Asturian dynasty (722-910), the pre-Romanesque style was born. You can still visit some pre-Romanesque buildings, for example San Julián de los Prados and Santa María del Naranco in Oviedo.
In the 19th and 20th century, thousands of Asturians emigrated to ‘Las Americas’. The people who returned (Indianos) built large mansions inspired by Latin- American architecture. You can still visit many of them today.
The Industrial Revolution, especially the development of coal and iron mines, and the resultant iron and steel industry still shapes the current Asturian identity and culture.
Our history and heritage tours let you discover all these aspects of Asturias’ past. Select one of the tours listed below, or let us design a customized tour for you to dive intoAsturias‘ unique history!
Ancestry Tour
Were your (great)grandparents from Asturias and migrated to ‘the Americas’? And are you curious to learn more about their homeland?...
Other Trips
These are other trips.
Our customized guided tours let you discover Asturias together with our specialized guides. They can tell you everything about the...
Are you planning on visiting Asturias for a day, multiple days or a few weeks? And do you want to...
Do you want to visit Asturias but not sure how to get here? Don’t you have time to research and...