Getting Around Gijón
Gijón is a compact, walkable city on the Asturian coast, and most visitors find they can cover the centre on foot. For longer hops, the city has a solid network of local buses, a suburban rail system linking it to the rest of central Asturias, a bike-share scheme, and plenty of taxis. This guide covers each option in turn, plus how to reach the city from its airport.
On Foot
Walking is the best way to explore Cimadevilla, the old peninsula neighbourhood that forms the historic heart of Gijón. The old centre is traffic-restricted, with camera enforcement, so you don't need a car there — and in practice you can't drive through it. If you arrive by car, leave it in one of the nearby underground public parking lots and continue on foot.
Rail and Suburban Trains
Gijón's main rail station is Gijón Sanz Crespo, the terminus for all trains and located about 500 m southwest of the city centre. Facilities are basic — a couple of vending machines, shabby toilets, and nowhere to sit down — so don't plan to linger there.
Long-distance Renfe services connect Gijón with Madrid Chamartín, running every 2–3 hours and taking around 4 hours via Segovia, Valladolid, Palencia, León and Oviedo. Some of these trains originate in Valencia or Alicante.
For travel within Asturias, the Cercanías local network is the workhorse. Shuttles run every 30 minutes between Oviedo and Gijón, taking about 35 minutes. Other Cercanías lines run hourly along the coast via Pravia and Avilés, and from Laviana in the southeast. In general you can reach anywhere in central Asturias from Gijón by Cercanías, though travel times on the longer routes can be considerable.
Note that Gijón has no metro or tram system — the Cercanías suburban trains and the city bus network cover that ground instead.
Buses
EMTUSA operates around 20 local bus routes across the city. A single ticket within town costs €1.50 (as of December 2025). A Bono bus card cuts the fare in half and allows free transfers within 45 minutes, making it worthwhile if you plan more than a couple of journeys.
For late nights, Buho night buses run six routes from Plaza del Humedal. They operate hourly every night in July and August, and on Friday and Saturday nights plus festivals during the rest of the year.
The city's main bus station, Estación de Autobuses, sits southwest of the town centre on Magnus Blikstad. It's a 1941 modernist building that, as one description puts it, looks like it wants to be an arthouse cinema. This is where you'll arrive on intercity services from elsewhere in Spain.
Bike-Share
Gijón Bici is the municipal bike-share service, now entirely electric. The simplest way to access it is through the service's phone app. It can also be accessed via the Tarjeta Ciudadana card, but obtaining that card is tedious for non-residents, so the app is the practical choice for visitors.
Taxis
A score of taxi firms operate in Gijón, so hailing one on the street or finding a rank is generally straightforward. As of 2025, the flagfall is €5, with a rate of €1.4 per kilometre after that. Taxis are a useful option for the airport run and for late nights when the Buho buses aren't running.
Getting from the Airport
Asturias Airport (OVD) is about 30 km west of Gijón, near Avilés. It has flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Sevilla and other Spanish cities. International flights are operated by budget carriers and are sparse, but do include major European cities, London and Istanbul.
The most practical way into Gijón is the ALSA bus, which runs direct from the airport to Gijón hourly and takes about 50 minutes. A taxi covers the same journey in roughly 20 minutes.
Two alternative airports are worth knowing about. Santander (SDR) has a similar choice of flights, so it rarely offers an advantage over Asturias. Madrid, by contrast, has a much greater range of routes including intercontinental services — useful if you can't find a suitable flight into Asturias itself.
Arriving by Train or Bus from Elsewhere in Spain
If you're coming from Madrid by rail, Renfe trains from Madrid Chamartín run every 2–3 hours and take about 4 hours. By bus, ALSA services run hourly from Madrid Estación Sur, taking 6–7 hours via Madrid Moncloa, Valladolid, León and Oviedo; some start from Madrid Airport T4.
For shorter regional hops, buses between Oviedo and Gijón run every 15 minutes and take about 30 minutes. From Avilés, buses run every 20 minutes and also take about 30 minutes — and once an hour, these services start from Asturias Airport, giving you another way to connect the airport with the city.
By Road
From Madrid, follow the A-6/A-66 toll route. Reckon on about 5 hours, though it can be slower in winter when you cross the mountains. If you hit rush hour descending towards Oviedo, swing east onto the AS-I to avoid the traffic. The A-8 runs east–west along the coast and is toll-free except between Bilbao and the French border.
Once in Gijón, remember that the old centre is traffic-restricted and camera-enforced, so plan to park in one of the nearby underground public lots rather than driving into Cimadevilla.