Walks in and around Gijon
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Gijon is a great city in which to take some kind of themed walk and the local tourist offices provide a number of leaflets (in different languages) with a selection of suggestions.
The old town (Cimadevilla)
The most popular walking route for tourists is the short trek around the old town on the headland called Cimadevilla.
This route takes in all of the main historic sights by leading the walker along the marina’s side, then up to the highest point of a hill park, before descending and returning on a parallel path to a previously unseen part of the old quarter.
This walk can easily be undertaken in an hour and covers most of Gijon’s heritage and cultural routes including the church of San Pedro, the Roman Baths, the original fishing village and the Revillagigedo Palace.
Rural walks
Rural walks are usually signed and called “greenways”. The best of these are normally the ones that you make up yourself as you wonder around, but there is always help at hand and Gijon has some excellent planed routes for tourists to follow.
Nora walk
One of the best rural walks around Gijon is called the “Norra” (a stream) path. This walk takes in a bit of everything. It commences at a golf course (Gijon has three) and finishes at a picturesque beach that is called “la playa de Nora”.
Not surprisingly the path traces a stream, but it also leads a route through woodland, meadows and the crossing of several small bridges as the stream is traversed again and again. At the walks conclusion there are some cafes (overlooking the beach for some well earned refreshments.
La Camocha walk
The Camocha greenway is typical of the enthusiasm that Asturias has for offering specialized walking routes for its visitors. The region has a number of routes that follow the paths of disused railway tracks and this is one of them. These old railways routes are also marked out for cyclists.
The walk starts at the small town of Santa Barbara and finishes at the former mine of la Camocha. It follows the path of the rail track for most of the journey. On route the walk takes in woodland, meadows, a stretch by a river and the occasional view of local villages. At the end of the walk there is a bus stop, and a bus journey back to the point of origin, or an alternative walking path back.
City walks
In addition to the obvious rural walks and the path around the old quarter, there are some other "city" walks that can offer a complete tour of the city. One of these is a route that includes all of the cities museums, botanical gardens and galleries.
There are around a dozen different museums and galleries in Gijon and they vary from manor houses, exhibiting the works or life story of a single individual, to the artistic product of a specific period in history. Some of these centres are on the outskirts of the city and this produces a route that manages to combine Gijon’s heritage with the natural beauty of the surrounding area.
Museums in Gijon include, the Antiguo Instituto Cultural centre, the Campo valdes Roman Baths, the Clock Tower, the Nicanor Pinole Museum, the Universidad Laborial, Evaristo valle, the Folk Museum of Asturias, the Jovellanos Museum, the Atlantic Botanical gardens, the Campa Torres Archaeological Museum, and the Railway Museum of Asturias.
Bus tour
For those wanting a more leisurely experience of Gijon, there is a mini tourist bus that offers open topped trips around the Cimadevilla part of the old town.
See the photo to the right.