Making the most of Gijon
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Gijón's deep-water port can shelter every type of cruise ship in any weather or sea conditions, while offering extensive modern facilities for ships and passengers. Visitors receive tourist information on arrival and a shuttle bus for the 6km trip to town centre.
Large vessels such as Anthem of the Seas now use a recently built long quay; it is so new that the 'cruise terminal' remains a large tent.
Inside the tent, desks sell 10 Euros all-day unlimited-return shuttle tickets and provide tourist maps. The trip into town takes about 35 minutes and ends at the waterfront promenade by the marina, about 100 meters from Cimadevilla Old Town's entrance.
The tent has no WiFi, but taxis wait outside.
The tourist-information building stands on a marina-side pier, about 100 meters from the shuttle-bus drop-off.
A printable map to take along.
On the Cantabrian Sea, Gijón combines seafaring character, heritage architecture and modern development behind its beach. The marina reflects a history closely tied to the sea. Gijon, Asturias's largest city, has 280,000 residents.
Cimadevilla, the historic fishing village on a peninsula that splits the port in half, is Gijón's principal tourist attraction.
Other sights are 16 large public-space sculptures, Cerro de Santa Catalina park and the city's main beach, Playa de San Lorenzo.
Important buildings reflect Gijón's Roman-settlement past, 16th-century development after the Catholic Monarchs chose to establish a port in the city, and the Enlightenment boost to these lands, largely through Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos.
Getting around
Walk uphill through historic Cimadevilla to a park at the summit. There, a modern sculpture's base forms a superb panorama over the city and sweeping bays on both sides.
Gijón is midway along Costa Verde between western and eastern Asturias, making it a good base for coast and inland trips. The eastern coast has extensive beaches, historic Ribadesella and Llanes, fishing villages including Lastres and Tazones, prehistoric Tito Bustillo caves, and Colombres houses built by returning Asturians who had made fortunes in America, some still standing.
Outdoor visitors should note Gijón's more than 13 miles/21 kilometers of bike lanes. Hire a bike and see the city from the saddle.
Nearby places
A short distance inland from Gijón (30mn), Naranco hill displays Asturian Pre-Romanic art from the first Asturian monarchy, dating to the 9th century and declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. From its summit, look over Oviedo, Asturias principality capital, with Gothic cathedral and old centre.
Food and shopping
The central beach and lively shopping streets both deserve a relaxed stroll.
Money
The local currency is the euro.
A euro is divided into 100 cents. Eight coin values exist: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cent, plus 1 and 2 Euro. Seven bank-note values are issued: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 Euro.
Staying connected
Spanish is the official language throughout Spain, alongside regional languages: Catalan in Catalonia; Galician in Galicia; Euskera/Basque in the Basque Country; Valencian in the Valencia Region; and a particular Balearic-Islands variety of Catalan.
Dial 112 free of charge throughout Spain in emergencies. Service is in Spanish, and some tourist areas also offer English, French and German.
Opening Hours and
Typical shop and business hours are Monday to Saturday, from 9.30 h to 13.30 h, and from 16.30 h to 20.00 h.
Large shopping centres and department stores trade continuously 10.00 h to 21.00 or 22.00 h, and sometimes open on Sunday.
During high season in coastal cities, shops usually stay open after 22.00 h.
Pharmacies are open from 9.30 to 13.30 h, and from 16.30 to 20.00 h. Major cities have pharmacies open 24 hours. A rolling late-hours schedule is printed in newspapers and posted at all pharmacies.