Gijón / Xixón

Gijón or Xixón (in Asturian language) is a coastal city in Asturias province in northwest Spain. It lies close to the cities of Aviles and Oviedo. It attracts a growing number of visitors, drawn by a good offer of culture and sports and a strong service sector. The weather in Gijón is not like much of the rest of Spain. Gijón is on the northern coast where it is wet and not very hot in summer. The climate of Gijón may be defined, in this sense, as being temperate, with an average annual temperature of 15 ºC and only slightly varying annual average maximum and minimum temperatures. Rainfall ranges between 800-1,000 mm/year, fairly regularly distributed, with few very dry periods and no great concentration of rainfall at specific times of the year. Both variables, temperature and rainfall, are slightly modified at the southeastern border of the municipality, where the highest altitudes are to be found: the temperatures decrease and the rainfall increases. The first inhabitants of Asturias, arrived 250,000 years ago. Some neanderthal remains are from the Palaeolithic era, and others belongs to the "Asturiense" period, local culture between 7000 and 5000 BC. One of the most important neanderthal remains are Mount Areo dolmens. The territory was occupied continuously during the Middle Ages, proof of which is the Romanesque churches dating from the 12th and 13th centuries. The founding of the Puebla (Village) in 1270 implied an urban expansion that was to come to a standstill at the end of the 14th century, when Gijón became the stage for the Trastámara conflicts, during which the town was almost completely destroyed. In the 18th century, the erudite Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos laid out the plans for the development of Gijón. The process of industrialisation begun in the mid-19th century changed the city into the industrial centre of Asturias, with its leading El Musel Port, shipyards and numerous manufacturing installations. The first inhabitants of Asturias, arrived 250,000 years ago. Some neanderthal remains are from the Palaeolithic era, and others belongs to the "Asturiense" period, local culture between 7000 and 5000 BC. One of the most important neanderthal remains are Mount Areo dolmens. The territory was occupied continuously during the Middle Ages, proof of which is the Romanesque churches dating from the 12th and 13th centuries. The founding of the Puebla (Village) in 1270 implied an urban expansion that was to come to a standstill at the end of the 14th century, when Gijón became the stage for the Trastámara conflicts, during which the town was almost completely destroyed. In the 18th century, the erudite Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos laid out the plans for the development of Gijón. The process of industrialisation begun in the mid-19th century changed the city into the industrial centre of Asturias, with its leading El Musel Port, shipyards and numerous manufacturing installations.

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Gijón / Xixón is the starting point of Gijon to Santiago in 15 days and it’s a stopover point on Irun to Santiago de Compostela and From Bilbao to Santiago in one month. You can reach Santiago de Compostela in 16 days.