Oviedo in 2 Days: everything you need to know

With its medieval aesthetics and the imprint of its churches, Oviedo is one of the most important cities in Asturias and also one of the most visited in northern Spain, especially on short breaks of just a few days, so with the right itinerary it is possible to discover the Vetusta in a 48-hour trip.

Among the activities you can see and do in Oviedo are touring the old town to visit the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Plaza del Fontán and the Municipal Market, as well as visiting Monte Naranco on the outskirts of the city and enjoying Asturian cuisine.

Oviedo, in Asturias, is a perfect destination for a weekend getaway or a short 2-day stay, so I suggest starting the first day's itinerary with the main sites of the old town, including the Metropolitan Cathedral, Plaza del Fontán and the Municipal Market.

Outside the old town during the first day you can also visit the Campo de San Francisco, which is one of the most characteristic of Oviedo and Asturias, to rest and relax before finishing the tour in the Cider Boulevard on Gascona Street, which is made up of the best cider bars in the city.

Visit the Metropolitan Cathedral

The Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador de Oviedo is one of the most representative attractions of the city and also a cultural reference of Asturias, as it is a mainly pre-Romanesque building, which is the preponderant Asturian art, combined with Baroque, Gothic and Romanesque, resulting in one of the most beautiful churches in Spain.

The Metropolitan Cathedral is also famous for the number of relics it holds and for the mysteries of its treasures, such as the Holy Shroud, so to visit it is also to enter into the mysteries of Oviedo, a medieval city that for centuries was one of the most important in northern Spain.

During your visit to the Metropolitan Cathedral you can also visit the Holy Chamber, where the jewels of the local curia are kept, and the Old Tower, which was designed as a bell tower but was later reduced to a watchtower, so from here you will be able to see some of the best open views of Oviedo.

• Price... The entrance fee is approximately 7 euros.
• Opening hours... Monday to Saturday from 10am to 1pm and from 4pm to 5pm.
• Location... Plaza Alfonso II El Casto s/n, Oviedo.

Walk around the Plaza del Fontán

Oviedo is a city that stands out for its churches, but also for its squares and among them El Fontán is one of the most famous, as it had historical relevance during the Middle Ages and later centuries, serving as a carriage market, meeting point, public square of the Inquisition and since 1885 as the headquarters of the municipal covered market.

El Fontán is also notable for the colourful arcades on the outside of the buildings inside and because it is located in a strategic area of Oviedo, near the squares of Constitución and Trascorrales and the Palace of the Marquis of San Feliz, the Church of San Isidoro El Real and the sculpture of El Vendedor de Pescado (The Fish Seller).

To get to the Plaza del Fontán from the Cathedral you have to walk for four streets towards the Jardines de la Rodriga side. El Fontán is also a meeting point for some of Oviedo's best excursions, which include walking through the historic centre of the city and visiting the museums.

Lunch at El Fontán Municipal Market

As you'll see, Oviedo is a city to walk around and discover other sites on the way between each of the attractions. Opposite the Plaza del Fontán is the Municipal Market, a traditional flea market where you can find fresh food in the market's greengrocers, fishmongers and butchers.

The Municipal Market, like others in Spain, is a place frequented by locals, so if you prefer to get to know the daily life of the inhabitants of the city you are visiting, you can walk around this flea market and meet thousands of Oviedo locals as they do their shopping.

At this flea market you can also have lunch at one of the stalls selling local products before continuing your tour of the city. Among the food stalls in the Municipal Market you will find cafés and bakeries as well as some tapas and fast food places, which is ideal if you are planning to visit Oviedo as a child

• Price... Admission to the market is free.
• Opening hours... Monday to Friday from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm and Saturdays from 8.00 am to 3.30 pm.
• Location... Plaza 19 de Octubre s/n, Oviedo.

Walk through the Campo de San Francisco

The Campo de San Francisco is an urban park located in the centre of Oviedo, but outside the area traditionally known as the old town. You can reach this green lung, which is the most emblematic of the city and one of the most representative of Asturias, in a 10-minute walk along the 5 streets that separate it from the Municipal Market.

In the Campo de San Francisco, which includes the orchards of the old Convent of Oviedo, you can walk along its avenues and along the Álamos, Bombé, José Cuesta and Alemania promenades. It also has a large pond and a monument to José Tartiere and the statue of Mafalda, the protagonist of the famous newspaper strip by the cartoonist Quino.

This park is also a regular venue for concerts, festivals and cultural events, and is also bathed in Christmas spirit during the festive season, so if you are planning to visit Oviedo in December you can get to know one of the epicentres of Christmas in the city.

The Campo de San Francisco is also a site of lush Asturian vegetation and has several species of birds inhabiting the pond. It is also located in a strategic point of the city which will be useful if you plan to visit the Archaeology Museum or the Fine Arts Museum, two of the most representative museums in Oviedo.

• Price... Admission to the park is free.
• Opening hours... Open every day, 24 hours a day.
• Location... Intersection of Uría and Conde de Toreno streets, Oviedo.

Walk along the Bulevar de la Sidra (Cider Boulevard)

For the end of the first day, I suggest you walk along the Cider Boulevard on Gascona Street, which pays tribute to Oviedo as one of the Asturian cider capitals. There you can visit the most famous cider bars in the capital of Asturias and also enjoy the local gastronomy to accompany your drinks at sunset.

The Cider Boulevard can be reached from the Campo de San Francisco on a six-street walk that will take you approximately 10 minutes and will allow you to visit the Plaza de la Escandalera on the way, which contains La Maternidad, a work by the Colombian artist Fernando Botero.

On the Cider Boulevard, as well as different variants of the drink, you can also try some Asturian dishes such as fabada, cachopo, bollos preñaos and frixuelos.

After the tour of the first day, which included a walk through the main sites of the old town, I suggest you leave the centre of Oviedo to visit the outskirts of the city, which is highlighted by the Monte Naranco, a mountain range from which you can see the whole city and also the Picos de Europa from the viewpoints on clear days.

You can also visit the Monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is one of the most famous images of Oviedo, the Purificación Tomás Park and the start of the Primitive Way to Santiago de Compostela. To round off your intensive tour of the Asturian capital, I suggest you enjoy the local gastronomy in some of the restaurants in the historic centre.

Discover Monte Naranco, one of Spain's balconies

Monte Naranco is a mountain range crowned by Pico el Paisano, from where you can see the Picos de Europa, especially on clear days. If you plan to visit Oviedo in summer, you can make the most of this natural attraction, which is also one of the most representative of Asturias, although it offers activities all year round.

On Monte Naranco you can also visit the recreational area, the viewpoints, the Christ and the Church of Santa María del Naranco, a 9th-century building that still stands and which bears witness to the pre-Romanesque art that characterised Asturias as one of the cultural avant-gardes of the Middle Ages.

You can reach Monte Naranco from the old town on bus lines A, E and J and then continue on foot or on a hiking tour to reach the peaks of the sierra.

Visit the Sacred Heart of Jesus Monument

This monument is one of the most representative within Monte Naranco and stands out because it is located at the top of the sierra, being the most famous of the more than 100 urban monoliths found in the Asturian capital. This stone sculpture represents Christ the Redeemer and is 30 metres high.

From the areas surrounding the monument it is possible to contemplate some of the best open views of Oviedo and also to take in the size of Mount Naranco, which with its six kilometres of arched extension is one of the watchtowers of northern Spain.

Entry to the Monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is free and it is open every day 24 hours a day, as is the mountain, although it is best to visit during daylight hours to get the most out of the tour.

Rest in the Purificación Tomás Park

The tour of Mount Taranco and the Monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus at a leisurely pace will take you between 3 and 4 hours in total, so to relax I suggest a tour of the Purificación Tomás Park, an open space that stands out for its hills and the animals that inhabit it, such as rabbits and squirrels.

In this park you can also opt for hiking excursions and it is just a few streets away from the Paseo de la Florida, where you can have lunch and visit the Pichote cider house, which is one of the most famous in the city.

It is also the starting point for someof the best excursions from Oviedo to nearby areas such as Cudillero and Covadonga, so it's a place you'll probably visit at some point on your trip.

You can get to the Purificación Tomás Park from Monte Taranco by bus (lines A and E).

• Price... Admission to the park is free.
• Opening hours... Every day from 9.00 am to 10.00 pm.
• Location... Oviedo, Asturias.

Learn about the Way of St. James of Compostela

Oviedo is part of the first stop on the Primitive Way of St. James of Compostela, so its history is inseparable from the tradition that attracts millions of tourists every year who try to face the pilgrim challenge. In the area of the Purificación Tomás Park is the starting point of the primitive route and even if you are not prepared to do the entire route you can opt for an excursion that covers half of a section.

On these half-day tours you can cover 12 kilometres of the first section between Oviedo and San Juan de Villapañada and get to know the traditional sites while you sample the local flavours and learn more about one of Spain's most representative cultural events.

These excursions, in addition, give the corresponding stamp in the passport of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, so in addition to discovering some of the secrets of an ancient custom you can also have a diploma that will certify you as a pilgrim of the first stage of the journey.

Enjoy Asturian cuisine

As in most cities and regions of Spain, in Oviedo the local gastronomy is one of the attractions to discover. In addition to the cider bars on Gascona street, there are restaurants in the old quarter where you can try fabada, the typical Asturian dish, cachopo, goat pie, escalopines, pote, pixín and chorizo in cider, a tapa you will love if you are planning to visit Oviedo in winter.

Some of the places where you can enjoy Asturian gastronomy are Cocina Cabral, El Fartuquin, Casa Conrado y Suárez, La Forquilla and Taberna El Dorado, where you can also try seafood, squid and fresh fish from the coast of Gijón.

Among the sweet alternatives , I recommend you try rice pudding, carbayones, casadielles, moscovita biscuits and frixuelos, which are one of the typical Asturian sweets.