Hotels in Avilés

Avilés is Asturias's third city and still wears its working-port identity openly: steelworks, cranes and an industrial estuary that shaped its modern growth. Look past that and you find one of the better-preserved old towns in northern Spain, a compact grid of arcaded streets like Calle Galiana and Calle Rivero, stone palaces and cider bars where pouring sidra from a height is still a nightly ritual. The Óscar Niemeyer International Cultural Centre, a striking white ensemble across the river, gave the city a contemporary landmark and a reason for culture-minded visitors to stop.

Its Antroxu carnival is also one of the liveliest in the region. Be honest: the outskirts are industrial and unlovely, the Atlantic weather is often grey and wet, and it lacks the polish of nearby Oviedo or the beach life of Gijón. It is, however, the closest town to Asturias Airport, which makes it a practical base for the coast. Stay in or around the old town near Plaza de España, where the arcades, restaurants and riverside walk to the Niemeyer centre are all within easy reach.