Avilés

Human settlement around Avilés goes back roughly 100,000 years. Stone tools from that period have been found near the old coastline, including a Lower Palaeolithic hand-axe known as the Trelles axe, along with polished axes and other prehistoric tools uncovered in excavations in the city centre. Iron Age hillforts existed in the surrounding area, and Roman presence is suggested by finds including a large Corinthian marble capital, reused as a baptismal font in the church of San Nicolás de Bari, and Roman coins found in the estuary and at Llaranes.

The town's documented history begins around the tenth century, when it appears as a settlement at the head of the estuary, protected by the Castle of Gauzón, built by Alfonso III for the defence of the port. Avilés's position as Asturias's main harbour shaped its economy: the Sabugo district thrived on fishing while trade, salt distribution, and maritime commerce reaching France, Portugal and northern Europe drove the rest of the town. In 1085 Alfonso VI of León granted Avilés a royal charter, the Fuero de Avilés, making it a crown town free from feudal lordship, with commercial privileges extending from the sea to León, later expanded across the kingdoms of León and Castile.

The original document is lost; the surviving copy dates from 1289.

The historic centre of Avilés has been a protected cultural asset since 1955, recognised for its state of preservation and architectural range. Romanesque work survives in the former parish church of San Nicolás de Bari (now San Antonio de Padua), built between the eleventh and twelfth centuries, though later additions, including the chapel of Pedro Solís (1499), have altered the original. The Capilla de los Alas is considered a key example of proto-Gothic Asturian architecture, notable for its vault and doorway.

The Palacio de Valdecarzana is the sole surviving example of medieval civil architecture, its street-facing pointed arches and biforate windows reflecting a merchant building tradition. Baroque landmarks include the Palacio de Ferrera, with its corner tower, lintelled balconies and heraldic shield, and the Palacio de Llano Ponte, built by a returning emigrant from the Americas. The neogothic church of Santo Tomás de Canterbury was designed by Luis Bellido; the Teatro Palacio Valdés is neobaroque.

The streets of Rivero and Galiana were the first to push beyond the medieval walls toward Oviedo and Grado. Since its opening in 2011, the Centro Cultural Internacional Oscar Niemeyer, named an icon of modern Asturias, has become the city's most prominent contemporary landmark.

Asturias Airport, 15 km west of Avilés, has frequent flights from Madrid and at least daily services from Barcelona, Seville, Palma de Mallorca, the Canary Islands, Málaga and Granada, plus international flights from London Gatwick, Paris Orly and Amsterdam. ALSA airport buses run hourly from 08:00 to 01:00 to Avilés, Oviedo and Gijón. ALSA buses from Madrid Sur (some starting at MAD Terminal 4) run hourly, take 6 hr 30 min via León and Oviedo, where you usually change, though three daily services are direct.

Oviedo–Avilés buses run every 30 minutes (30 min journey); Gijón–Avilés likewise. One direct Renfe train daily runs from Madrid Chamartín (4 hours via Valladolid, Palencia, León and Oviedo); otherwise change at Oviedo, where trains run every couple of hours. Cercanías C3 from Oviedo runs every 30 minutes (40 min); C4 from Gijón runs hourly (55 min).

The bus and train stations share a building on Avenida de Telares near the river. City buses are run by Tranvía Avilés (8 lines; not actually a tram). A dozen taxi firms operate in town.

Most restaurants sit in the old town between the riverbank and Avenida de Cervantes. Options include: Casa Lin sidrería at Telares 3 (daily 12:00–23:45); El Pañol at Plaza Carbayo 1 (F–Sa 12:00–17:00 and 19:00–00:30, Su 12:00–17:00); Sal de Vinos at Muralla 36 (Tu–Th 11:30–17:00, F–Sa–M 11:30–23:00); L'Alfareria at Ferreria 25 (Su–W–Th 12:00–17:00, F–Sa 12:00–17:00 and 20:00–23:30); Punto de Encuentro La Madreña at Ferreria 3 (Tu 12:00–17:00, W–M 12:00–17:00 and 20:00–00:00); 100 Montaditos café-sandwich bar at Ruiz Gómez 1 (daily 10:00–00:00); Al Kasbah Moroccan restaurant at Ruiz Gómez 15 (daily 13:30–17:00 and 21:00–23:00); La Dársena at Llano Ponte 7 (W–Th–Su–M 12:00–17:30, F–Sa 12:00–17:00 and 20:00–01:00); Tierra Astur sidrería at San Francisco 4 (daily 10:00–00:00); La Latería de la Calleja tapas bar at Alfonso VII 7 (Tu–Th 19:30–23:00, F–Sa 19:30–02:30); and Ronda 14 (Asturian-Japanese cuisine) at Alfonso VII 20 (Su and Tu–Sa 13:00–16:00, plus evening hours Tu–Sa).