This Spanish city is a place of pilgrimage with a pleasing modernity, says Isabella Noble. 

Go now 

The starting point of the lesser-known Camino Primitivo (the oldest Camino de Santiago) and long the host of unparalleled holy riches, Oviedo has attracted religious pilgrims for centuries. But the compact, elegant, meticulously dressed capital of the northwestern Spanish region of Asturias also has a fresh, forward-thinking spring in its step. The past few years have seen Oviedo’s fine arts museum expanded and ambitious arrivals burst on to its gastronomic scene, with avant-garde cookery from treasured local chef Nacho Manzano, a sprinkling of new crafted-cocktail bars and the odd vegan Asturian menu now complementing the city’s lively student buzz and delightfully traditional sidrerías (cider bars). 

May to July, when you can expect usually warm days, are ideal months to visit. Swing by in September for the Fiestas de San Mateo, when theatre and live music take over (oviedo.es), or in October when the Asturias cider-apple harvest is in full swing. Direct flights are available from Gatwick with Vueling (vueling.com) 

Stay here 

Fusing contemporary touches with the historical grace of an 18th-century hospice, the five-star Eurostars Hotel de la Reconquista is Oviedo’s top hotel, set around two pillared courtyards just west of the old town (eurostarshotels.com; doubles from £90). Barceló Oviedo Cervantes has business-smart rooms across a revamped 20th-century mansion, also in modern Oviedo (0034 985 255 000; doubles from £60). 

Walk here

All Oviedo paths (including two Camino de Santiago branches) lead to the extraordinary Catedral de San Salvador, a Gothic-meets-baroque masterpiece at the heart of the mostly pedestrianised old town; its major drawcard is the Unesco-listed, ninth-century, pre-Romanesque chapel, containing two jewel-studded medieval crosses and the Santo Sudário (a cloth said to have covered Christ’s face). Wander out into Plaza Alfonso II, then pop down Tránsito de Santa Bárbara for cathedral views before meandering south through old Oviedo to Plaza de Trascorrales, the town hall and the local-produce market. Then head north past the 17th-century University of Oviedo building to the late-19th-century Teatro Campoamor. 

See this

Occupying two of Oviedo’s most opulent palaces, the Museo de Bellas Artes de Asturias is a feast of works by Goya, El Greco, Ribera, Zurbarán and other Spanish and European masters (museobbaa.com; free; closed Monday). Its multi-award-winning, 2015-opened Ampliación – a bold, all-white creation by Navarra architect Francisco Mangado – turns to the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. 

Try this

Be sure to spend some time poking around the old town’s many scattered squares, which unveil fascinating snippets of Oviedo history – from Plaza del Paraguas, with its enormous concrete umbrella (and originally a market square) and Plaza de la Constitución, framed by the porticoed 17th-century town hall, to Plaza del Fontán, a pastel-painted Nineties recreation of a 19th-century courtyard. 

Shop here

Oviedo’s shopping scene centres on Calle Uria and Calle de Pelayo, just west of the historic core. For a banquet of Asturian produce, head for the old town’s 19th-century Mercado El Fontán, where pungent Picos de Europa cheeses sit alongside fresh wild seafood; there’s been a market here since at least the 16th century (facebook.com/mercadofontan; closed Sunday).

Drink here

The place to start is Calle Gascona (“the Cider Boulevard”), which is packed with boisterous sidrerías. Oviedo’s best artisan cocktails are mixed at rustic-chic La Leyenda del Gallo in the old town; dine on creative Spanish-inspired tapas (book ahead) before it transforms into a club (facebook.com/laleyendadelgallo). The same team runs buzzy cider/vermouth tavern La Cantina de Gascona (facebook.com/lacantinadegascona).

Eat here

Gloria is the urban outpost of two-Michelin-starred Asturian chef Nacho Manzano’s culinary empire, whose style reinvents traditional local dishes with creative flair; try the tortos (0034 984 834 243; estasengloria.com; mains £15). Standout sidrerías include old-town El Fartuquín, which specialises in tapas and hearty northern classics (0034 985 229 971; elfartuquin.es; mains £13 to £17).

Off the map

Some of Asturias’s (and Spain’s) most remarkable sights are hidden away on Monte Naranco, two miles northwest of the city centre: the pre-Romanesque Palacio de Santa María del Naranco and Iglesia de San Miguel de Lillo, both key examples of the architectural style that developed in the isolated Christian Kingdom of Asturias in the eighth and ninth centuries. The Iglesia de San Julián de los Prados, half a mile northeast of town, is another Asturian pre-Romanesque jewel.

Visits to all three are by guided Spanish-language tour (£2), and you can learn all about Asturias’s pre-Romanesque school at the interpretation centre next to Santa María (prerromanicoasturiano.es).