Oviedo(Destination)
"Capital of the Paradise"
Portray of the Destination
Oviedo is the capital city of Asturias and maintains a vocation of administrative and university
services city. The commerce has become its fundamental economic sector. The city arose on a hill
that the Romans called Ovetao. His founder was the Asturian king Fruela. Today, Oviedo is a city
with a remarkable international projection through the Prince of Asturias Awards, annually
presented in the Campoamor Theater, and for the International Campus, to which high world-wide
relevance personalities attend.
Safety
In Oviedo, people are conscious of the amount of tourists that get there, for that reason security
is a priority. In this territory the institutions count on several services which aim is to make
the coexistence easier and to help during emergencies. General precautions to avoid theft must be
taken such as going out with just the amount of necessary money and to watch purses and wallets
around crowded areas.
Health Care Services
Health care services in Spain are good, offering a large network of Health care Centers. Some of
them are listed below:
Instituto Nacional de la Salud: calle Manjoya, LOS BARREDOS (33174) Telephone: +34 985
797070;
Centro de Especialidades Lila: Calle Lila, 2 (33002) Telephone: +34 985 108900;
Centro de Salud Teniente Alfonso Martínez: Calle Otero, s/n (33008) Telephone: +34 985
219196;
Centro de Salud del Cristo: Calle Álvaro Flórez Estrada, 23, (33006) Telephone: +34 985
236561;
Centro de Salud Ventanielle: Calle Río Cares, 3 (33010) Telephone: +34 985 288001 Fax: +34
985 111995
Public Transport
Urban transportation within the city is made by the TUA company (Transportes Urbanos de Oviedo).
Its headquarters are located on the Oviedo Bus station and the Telephone number for further
information is: +34 985 222422. A total of 12 bus services goes not only within the city, but to
some other towns in the municipality of Oviedo too.
Car Rentals
AVIS: Train Station. Calle Uria; Telephone: +34 985 241383 (www.avis.es).
RUMBO: Train Station. Calle Uria (www.rumbo.es).
SPAIN CAR: (www.spaincarsa.es).
CURIN: (www.curin.es).
ASTUR-DRIVE CAR: Calle Pepe Cosmen, Telephone: +34 902 222818 (asturcar@fade.es).
EUROPCAR: Asturias Airport.
NATIONAL ATESA: Asturias Airport (www.rentalcargroup)
Telephone
The Spanish phone code is 34 and the Oviedo code is 985. To make a phone call to another country
you must first dial 00 and then the international code of the country you would like to call to and
finally dial the subscriber phone number. For phone calls within Spain a special code is not
required.
The most important mobile phone operators are Amena – www.amena.com-, Movistar/Telefónica
Móviles -www.movistar.tsm.es- and Vodafone-www.vodafone.es-. Telephone booths are very common along
the streets and they work with coins or phone cards. There are also the called locutorios, they are
establishments with many phone booths, where coins or cards are not needed, just pay in cash the
phone call after the conversation. In many of this kind of places it is also possible to send and
receive faxes and there are computers with internet connection as well.
Electricity
Electricity in Oviedo is 220 or 225V, AC, 50Hz. Sockets take two round plugs.
Basic Dictionary
YES: si. NO: no. HELLO: hola. GOOD BYE: adios. GOOD MORNING: buenos días. GOOD AFTERNOON: buenas
tardes. GOOD NIGHT: buenas noches. PLEASE: por favor. SORRY: lo siento. THANK YOU: gracias. DOCTOR:
médico. PHARMACY: farmacia. NUMBERS: 1: un. 2: dos. 3: tres. 4: cuatro. 5: cinco. 6: seis. 7:
siete. 8: ocho. 9: nueve. 10: diez. 11: once. 12: doce. 13: trece. 14: catorce. 15: quince. 16:
dieciséis. 17: diecisiete. 18: dieciocho. 19: diecinueve. 20: veinte. 21: veintiuno. 22: veintidós.
30: treinta. 40: cuarenta. 50: cincuenta. 60: sesenta. 70: setenta. 80: ochenta. 90: noventa. 100:
cien. 1000: mil. DAYS OF THE WEEK: MONDAY: lunes. TUESDAY: martes. WEDNESDAY: miércoles. THURSDAY:
jueves. FRIDAY: viernes. SATURDAY: sábado. SUNDAY: domingo. COMMON WORDS: BIG/SMALL:
grande/pequeño. HOT/COLD: caliente/frío. OPEN/CLOSED: abierto/cerrado. GOOD/BAD: bueno/malo.
NEW/OLD: nuevo/viejo. PUSH/PULL: empujar/tirar. ENTRANCE/EXIT: entrada/salida. LADIES/GENTLEMEN:
señoras/señores. FAR/NEAR: lejos/cerca. LEFT/RIGHT: izquierda/derecha. TAXI: taxi. BUS: autobús.
MEALS: BREAKFAST: desayuno. LUNCH: comida. DINNER: cena. MENU: menú. WINES: vinos. DESSERT: postre.
THE BILL: la cuenta. COMMON SENTENCES: DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?: ¿Habla inglés?. I DON'T UNDERSTAND:
no entiendo. WHERE IS IT?: ¿donde está? HOW MUCH IS IT: ¿Cuánto es? WHAT TIME IS IT: ¿Qué hora es?
COULD YOU HELP ME: ¿Puede ayudarme?
Airport
The Asturias airport connects Oviedo’s bordering areas, and it is located 43 Km from this city. In
order to get in and out from Oviedo to the airport, taxis (around 40 euros) or Buses can be taken.
The Airport information telephone is +34 985 127500, and its fax is +34 985 127516. Direct flights
to/from Alicante, Barcelona, Brussels, London-Gatwick, Lanzarote, Madrid, Malaga, Palma de
Mallorca, Paris-Orly, Seville, South Tenerife and Valencia are offered in this aerial terminal.
Visa
The European Union tourists do not need visa to enter Spain. Neither those citizens of the United
States, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil and the rest of the Latin American countries, though a return
ticket must be bought. Travelers from Australia, Anguilla, Bermuda, Canada, Cyprus, South Korea,
Hong Kong, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Israel, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Montserrat, New
Zealand, Saint Helena, Singapore and Turk & Caicos do not either need visa provided that they
do not stay more than 90 days in Spain.
When to go
September is a good time to visit Oviedo, to enjoy the nice weather and the St Mateo Celebration.
Spring and Summer are also a good choice, since there are pleasant temperatures, although it is
always necessary to be cautious and to carry a coat for the nights.
Climate
Regarding climate, we should mention the existing differences between the lower and upper areas of
the valley, stagnating the cold air below the 210 m level, giving rise to an incessant fog, more
extreme temperatures and less frequent precipitations in the lower area. The average maximum
temperature is 23°C, and the average minimum is 4.5°C. Winters are really cold and rainy, summers
are warm and spring and autumns are very pleasant.
Clothing
Clothing, which does not have very fixed rules, changes according to the climatic period, the place
or the circumstances. Spaniards usually do not over dress to attend to work or to share leisure
time with others; in general casual comfortable clothes are used, without forgetting that during
the month of January, warm clothes are a must.
Currency
Euro is the local currency. There are 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 euro bank notes. There are also 1 and 2 euro coins, together with 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cent coins.
Currency Exchange
1.00 USA Dollar= 0.82 Euros; 1.00 Sterling Pound = 1.45 Euros.
Spanish embassy in the destination
Useful phone numbers
- Police : 092
- Ambulance : 985 235025
- Fire Brigade : 080
- Tourist health care services : 006
Oviedo(Touristic Zone)
“The city that barely naps”
Description
The former Ovetum has been closely linked to the Asturian monarchy since its foundation (8th
century), and even became the capital of the Kingdom. This fact has left an unquestionable medieval
flavour in the historical quarter, which in modern times has been provided with an urban layout
easy to move around. An exceptional starting point to approach to the pre-Romanesque art (World
Heritage), the Costa Verde coast-line, incredible natural landscapes for all kinds of sports and,
of course, a first-class gastronomic culture.
Highlights
San Salvador de Oviedo Cathedral
The cathedral is Gothic styled, and is settled over a basilica built by Fruela I devoted to St.
Salvador. Building began towards the end of the 13th century and ended in the second half of the
16th century.
The main façade was created by Juan de Badajoz and Pedro de Buyeres. The tower (15th century)
is notable because of its thin spire with fretwork. The temple has three naves with lateral
chapels, a transept and a renaissance ambulatory. Several plants motifs adorn the capitals of the
long pillars that support the cathedral roof. The main altarpiece, with fretwork baldachin,
recounts the life of Christ in images in a Flemish influenced Gothic style.
The Baroque Royal Pantheon is in the “Rey Casto” chapel, in which the former Kings of
Asturias lie. The fresco on the sacristy vault is also Baroque and was painted by Martinez de
Bustamante. The Diocesan Museum lies in the cloister and is home to a number of major
archaeological exhibits.
Santa María del Naranco Church
A pre-Romanesque architectural monument, lying on the slopes of mount Naranco and constituting one
of Oviedo's and Asturias' most precious buildings and declared World Heritage site by UNESCO.
King Ramiro I ordered its construction in 848 and used it as a Royal palace; subsequently it
became a church. The ground plan of the building is rectangular with two floors, both with a
central section and two shorter lateral sections. The whole building is covered by a half barrel
vault, except for the side halls on the ground floor, with wooden cover.
On the altar that stands outside the temple, there is still an inscription that dates back to
June 23rd 848. The barrel vaulted crypt is also worth observing, divided into five different
sections by several arches, with its vaulted hall that looks out thanks to its arched oriels.
San Miguel de Lillo Church
This construction, belonging to the collection of monuments of Oviedo and the kingdom of Asturias
which have been declared World Heritage by UNESCO, was built in the Naranco mountains during the
reign of King Ramiro I, in order to pay homage to the Archangel Michael. Today, only a third of the
original building is preserved. Specifically, the portico, the access to the choir and the entrance
to the three naves. However, it is still possible to see the decoration of the bases and capitals,
and some vestiges of the window lattices.
Conde de Toreno Palace
This palace was declared a Historical-Artistic Monument. It is a Baroque building with a
rectangular ground plan, arranged in three corridors around a central courtyard, from where the
staircase begins. It was built in 1675 by Gregorio de la Roza. The exterior of the building is
marked by its asymmetrical Baroque façade, made with ashlar stones and flanked by two Tuscan
columns. At present, it houses the Real Instituto de Estudios Asturianos (RIDEA), an institution
that was founded by the Diputacion Provincial (Provincial Council) in 1946.
Camposagrado Palace
Declared Historical-Artistic Monument in 1943, this building is presently the seat of the High
Court of Asturias. This mansion was built in the middle of the 18th century for the third Marquis
of Camposagrado, José Manuel Bernaldo de Quirós. It was started by the architect Francisco de la
Riba, who conceived it as a free-standing, cubic palace. It was finished by the architect Pedro
Antonio Menéndez, who added a Baroque touch to it. It has two monumental façades: the main one is
located opposite the palace of Valdecarzana, while the second one, a Rococo structure, faces the
Plaza de Porlier.
Oviedo University
It is an example of classicist architecture of the 16th century. The building was made by
architects Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón and Juan del Ribero Rada. Externally it appears like a long
building, with two façades made in stone ashlars and scarce openings.
The main façade has a frieze adorned with triglyphs and the Fernando Valdés’ coat of arms,
sustained on Tuscan columns. The interior is arranged around a square courtyard with arcade, with a
Tuscan and Ionian floor, structured in two levels. The Clock Tower is emphasized in one of the
corners of the building, made by Luis Céspedes in 1859. Ever since the different campuses were
built, this university precinct conserves only the Principal office and the central Library.
Visit to the Cathedral(Activity)
Excursion
Contact
You can contact us at:
C/Leopoldo Alas Hijo nº15 3º B,
33013. Oviedo (Asturias)
Spain
Tel/Fax: (+34) 985 230 687
Tel/Fax: (+34) 985 246 260
A few words
The Cathedral of San Salvedor is not only the cathedral of Oviedo; it is also the cathedral of
Asturias. It is an excellent example of Gothic architecture, with traces of pre-Roman and Roman
times.
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