Apartamentos OviedoApartamentos Oviedo
If you’re settling in for a while, here’s what you need to know about getting around the city and the wider region, from your first days here to the daily commute once you’re settled in.
One of the most common questions from people moving here is whether you need a car to live in Oviedo. Short answer: no, especially if you’re staying in the old town. Between how compact the city is, the TUA city bus and the good Cercanías connections across the central Asturias area, it’s entirely possible to spend a season here without depending on a vehicle of your own.
Oviedo’s train station (RENFE) and the bus station are connected by a walkway, right in the city centre — a 5-10 minute walk from Calle Jovellanos. It’s one of the practical perks of living in the old town: you can reach either station without needing a second form of transport, which helps when you’re travelling with luggage or arriving somewhere unfamiliar for the first time.
The C-1, C-2 and C-3 Cercanías commuter lines connect Oviedo to Gijón and Avilés in a short time. On weekdays, C-1 trains between Gijón, Oviedo and Pola de Lena run roughly every 30 minutes, making it easy to get around the central Asturias area without a car, whether for work in another town or just a day trip. For longer distances, Renfe connects Oviedo with Madrid via AVE and Alvia services — the fastest journey takes around 3 hours, with several services a day — plus further connections to León and Valladolid for anyone heading that way.
TUA, Oviedo’s city bus network, covers the rest of the city for trips you’d rather not walk. A single ticket costs €1.20, and multi-journey passes are available for daily commuters who use it more often. For most trips within the old town and nearby areas, though, walking tends to be just as fast as taking the bus, given how compact the city is — many residents only use the TUA for trips further out.
Much of the old town’s pedestrian streets have restricted vehicle access, enforced with number-plate cameras, and the area falls within the City Council’s Low Emission Zone (ZBE). The rest of the centre has regulated, metered parking, with set time limits. In practice, most people living in the old town go without a car day to day and rely on TUA, the Cercanías train, or walking.
If you’d rather not rely on public transport for a one-off trip, Oviedo has taxi ranks at the main squares and stations, plus the usual ride-hailing apps found elsewhere in Spain. For short trips within the centre, walking is usually just as quick, but for heavy luggage or a late-night arrival, it’s a convenient option.
Asturias Airport is about 26-27 km from Oviedo. There’s a direct Alsa bus (around 45 minutes, roughly €9) and taxis are also an option (approximately €45-50, depending on the route) — useful if you’re arriving with a lot of luggage, travelling as a group, or at a time when you’d rather not rely on the bus’s fixed schedule.
If your work has you moving around the region often, the central location makes a real difference: having both stations a short walk away saves real time every week, and not depending on a car simplifies day-to-day logistics considerably, whether you’re commuting for work or just exploring the rest of Asturias on weekends.
Tell us what you need and we'll get back to you directly.