# Sunday in Oviedo: Pre-Romanesque Naranco, the Old Town and Cider on Gascona Santa María del Naranco with a guide in the morning, the Fontán and the old town on foot and a cider-house lunch on Calle Gascona. An hour and a half from León, and it works in the rain. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/asturias/oviedo/itineraries/oviedo-pre-romanesque-and-cider-from-leon · Revisado: 2026-11-12 ## El día - 09:00 · Salida: 1 h 30 by car (via the AP-66, with the Huerna toll, about 90 min) - 10:45 · Santa María del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo (guided tour with San Miguel de Lillo; €5; on winter Sundays, until 12:30) - 11 min by car, 3,9 km - 12:30 · Old Town, Plaza del Fontán and Calle Gascona (Fontán, Plaza de la Constitución and the Foncalada, 1 h 30 on foot) - 6 min on foot - 14:00 · El Ferroviario Cider House (Sidrería El Ferroviario · Asturian cooking · €€ · on Sundays, 13:00 to 16:00) · El Ferroviario Cider House, €€ - 4 min on foot - 16:30 · Fine Arts Museum of Asturias (free; check the Sunday opening hours on its website) - 18:00 · Vuelta (In León around 19:30) From León, Oviedo is an hour and a half along the Huerna motorway, and it is the Sunday that does not depend on the weather: everything is done on foot or under cover. In the morning you go up Monte Naranco to see Santa María, the palace of Ramiro I from the mid-9th century, and San Miguel de Lillo, 300 metres away. You come down to the centre to walk round the Fontán and the old town, eat at the first cider house on Calle Gascona and, if there is afternoon to spare, get into the Fine Arts Museum free of charge. ## The Day, Hour by Hour 9:00 · Departure. From León to Oviedo along the AP-66, with the Huerna toll, an hour and a half. Go straight up to the Naranco: there is parking next to the monuments, about three kilometres from the centre. 10:45 · Santa María del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo. The guided visit starts at Santa María and continues at San Miguel de Lillo. It costs €5. From October to March, on Sundays it is open from 10:00 to 12:30; from April to September, in the afternoon too. From the meadow in front you see the whole of Oviedo. 12:30 · The Fontán and the old town. Leave the car in a car park in the centre and start at the Fontán market and its arcaded square. Continue to Plaza de la Constitución, with the town hall and the church of San Isidoro, and finish on Calle Gascona, the cider boulevard. The cathedral is only open for worship on Sundays: you see it from outside from Plaza de Alfonso II. 14:00 · Lunch at El Ferroviario. It opened in 1951 next to the old El Vasco station and was the first cider house on Gascona. A chigre (Asturian cider tavern) with espichas (cider-tapping parties), barrel cider and Asturian cooking. On Sundays the kitchen is open from 13:00 to 16:00; closed on Mondays. 16:30 · Fine Arts Museum of Asturias. Spanish painting from the Renaissance to the 20th century spread across palaces in the old town. Admission is free. Confirm the Sunday opening hours on its website before going. 18:00 · Return. In León around half past seven. ## What to Order at El Ferroviario The fried pixín, which is monkfish, the oven-roasted ribs or the corn cakes with xata roxa, the Asturian-breed veal. For dessert, the Pría smoked-cheese tart. Cider is poured at the table: ask for a bottle and let them do it. ## If It Rains, with Children or with More Pre-Romanesque In the rain the plan hardly changes: the monuments are visited inside and the centre has arcades. If you want more Pre-Romanesque, San Julián de los Prados, or Santullano, is the largest Pre-Romanesque church in Spain, from the 9th century, with mural paintings; admission costs €4. For a guided visit of the old town, the cathedral or the La Regenta route, Visitas Guiadas por Asturias offers private ones, by appointment, with the price on request. With children, the Campo de San Francisco, the park in the centre, is next to Gascona. ## Cómo llegar ### By car AP-66 and A-66 through the Huerna tunnel, with a toll, about 90 minutes from León. The Pajares pass, along the N-630, is the free but slow alternative. ### Without a car There are trains and buses between León and Oviedo. For the Naranco, in Oviedo take the A2 bus up and the A1 down. Check the Sunday timetables before you set off. ## Consejos ### Get to the Naranco before eleven In winter, on Sundays it closes at 12:30 and the visit is guided. ### Eat early or book At half past two on a Sunday the cider houses on Gascona are full. ### Leave the cathedral for a Saturday On Sundays there is only worship. Visits are Monday to Saturday. ## Cuándo no ir The week of the Princess of Asturias Awards, in October, if you are not going on purpose: the centre fills up and there are road closures. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How long does it take from León? An hour and a half along the Huerna motorway. Via Pajares, without the toll, a little more. ### Can you visit the cathedral on Sundays? No. On Sundays it is only open for worship; tourist visits are Monday to Saturday. ### How much does the Naranco cost? €5 for the guided visit to Santa María del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo. On Monday mornings it is free, without a guide. ### Do I need to book at El Ferroviario? It is advisable at weekends. Call 985 225 215. ### Is it a good plan for rain? Yes. It is the Asturias plan for the days when it rains on the coast: monuments, museum and cider house.