Getting Around Oviedo
Oviedo is the capital of Asturias and its administrative and commercial centre, and it sits in the hills of northern Spain a short drive inland from the Bay of Biscay. For a visitor, the good news is that the historic core is compact and best explored on foot, while a solid network of local trains, buses and taxis covers the rest of the city and the wider region.
Walking the Old Centre
Walking is the best way to see Oviedo's old centre. The streets there are traffic-restricted, so you can wander the historic quarter without competing with cars, and many of the city's key sights are within easy reach of one another on foot.
Rail, Metro and Tram
Oviedo's railway station sits at the northwest end of Calle Uría, the street that leads into the city centre. The main through-street, Calle Pepe Cosmen, passes through an underpass at the station, with ramps up to it, and there is also a raised street access to a separate drop-off area. The taxi stand is at the main entrance, and there are plenty of cafes nearby. If you need to exit on the north side, a narrow stairway and corridor lead out into Calle Monte Gamonal.
Long-distance trains connect Oviedo with Madrid Chamartín, running every couple of hours and passing through Segovia, Valladolid, Palencia and León. Some of these services start further away in Valencia or Alicante, and some continue on to Gijón or Avilés.
For travel within Central Asturias, the Cercanías network is the workhorse. Trains run from everywhere else in the region, frequencies are generally good at roughly half-hourly to hourly intervals, and most lines reach Oviedo. Travel times on some routes can be long, however. There are also a few regional trains serving the outlying "wings" of Asturias, but their low frequencies make them unreliable if you are planning a day trip.
Note that the railway station has no luggage storage. If you need to leave bags, use the bus station instead.
Buses and Other Public Transport
Oviedo's urban bus network, operated under the TUA brand, covers the city with a large number of lines. Bus stops have real-time displays showing when the next service is due, which makes them easy to use even if you do not know the timetable.
On fares, the adult single ticket is inexpensive, and children under four travel free. A book of ten tickets offers a substantial saving over buying singles, so it pays off from your fourth journey onwards. If you plan to use the bus more than a couple of times, the multi-trip book is the better buy.
The city bus station is a long, low building on Calle de Pepe Cosmen, a short walk northeast of the railway station. It has cafes, ticket offices and luggage lockers (staffed on weekdays), plus a tourist office where you can pick up information. Long-distance coaches arrive here from Madrid, including some that start at Madrid airport, as well as from Barcelona, Seville, the French border at Irun, and further afield in Europe.
If you prefer to cycle, there are hire shops in the city, including Santana at San Pedro de Mestallón 4 and Carma Bike at Ángel Muñiz Toca 12, both open Monday to Saturday, which also handle spares and repairs. Oviedo does not have a bike-share system, so renting from a shop is the way to go if you want two wheels.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis wait at the bus station and at numerous other central locations around the city. Operators include Radio Taxi Ciudad de Oviedo and Radio Taxi Principado, both reachable by phone. Fares start with a flagfall charge and then accrue per kilometre, so short hops across the centre are reasonably cheap, while longer trips add up.
Getting from the Airport into the City
Asturias Airport (OVD) is the closest airport to Oviedo, located on the coast near Avilés to the north. It handles flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Sevilla and other Spanish airports, along with a few international services.
The simplest way into Oviedo is the Alsa bus, which runs hourly from the airport to Avilés, Oviedo and Gijón. Services operate from morning until late, so you have flexibility even on an evening arrival.
If you need more flight options, Madrid airport has far more connections and also offers a direct bus to Oviedo, which is worth considering if you are routing through the Spanish capital.
Practical Tips
- Base yourself centrally and walk: the traffic-restricted old centre is the highlight and is best seen on foot.
- Buy a ten-trip bus book rather than singles if you will make more than a few journeys.
- Use the real-time displays at bus stops to avoid long waits.
- Remember the railway station has no luggage lockers; the bus station does, along with a tourist office.
- For regional day trips, rely on Cercanías trains rather than the sparse regional services to the "wings" of Asturias.
- From the airport, the hourly Alsa bus is the straightforward option into the city.