Experience the best of Gijón

Gijón stands on the Bay of Biscay in Asturias, in green northern Spain, and is the largest city in the region. The Playa de San Lorenzo, a broad crescent of sand that the tides rework twice a day, runs below a long promenade. Cimadevilla, the old fishermen's quarter on a headland, is a tangle of narrow streets with a Roman bath site, Campo Valdés, and at its top Elogio del Horizonte, a concrete sculpture by Eduardo Chillida, looks over the sea.

The Laboral City of Culture, a huge 20th-century complex with a tall tower that began as a school for the children of miners, stands on the edge of town. Cabo Peñas, a headland with a lighthouse and cliffs, lies about 20 kilometres to the north-west, Oviedo, the regional capital, is to the south, and the Picos de Europa mountains rise inland to the east.

Cider is the city's drink, poured from a bottle held high above the head into a glass held low, in the sidrerías of the old town. Fabada asturiana, a bean stew with chorizo and black pudding, cachopo, a breaded veal fillet stuffed with ham and cheese, Cabrales blue cheese and seafood fill the tables. The Atlantic climate is mild and rainy, and summers are cooler than in the Spanish interior.