Discover Grado: historic routes, culture and nature

The market of Grau/Grado is Asturias’s oldest market and dates back to the Middle Ages. At that time, Alfonso X the Wise granted the town the privilege of holding a weekly market through the Carta Puebla.

Today, the Grado market takes place on Wednesdays and Sundays, continuing a market tradition connected with the Camín Real de la Mesa and the Camino de Santiago.

For a holiday apartment in Grado, you can compare travel dates, room categories and cancellation policies on the respective offer pages. The various routes, market dates and cultural sites provide different focuses for planning your trip.

Routes through history

The first stage of the Camino Primitivo connects Oviedo/Uviéu with Grau/Grado and is 25.62 kilometres long. In the municipality of Grado, historic routes converge and then branch out again: these include the Camino de Santiago Primitivo as well as the Camín Real de la Mesa, a former Roman road.

The original route of the Camín Real de la Mesa connects Torrestío in León with Grado and can be completed in four or five stages. The different route lengths help you compare the scope of the two routes.

Culture and history

The Museo Etnográfico de Grado was founded in 1982 and distributes its collections across three exhibition sites. In the Palacio Fontela, Villa ya Mercáu houses a collection on the history of Grado, its market, industry, trading tradition and bourgeois life. La Cardosa presents traditional culture with sections on bread, domestic life, agriculture and livestock farming, as well as traditional crafts.

The historic centre of Grado is protected as a Bien de Interés Cultural and preserves remains of the medieval town wall as well as Indian-style bourgeois houses.

The Capilla de los Dolores belongs to the Palacio de Miranda-Valdecarzana; because of its size, the 18th-century building is considered a church and is used as a venue for cultural activities. Grado’s Casa de Cultura in the palace has a library specialising in poetry.

Landscape and nature

The approximately seven-kilometre circular hike around the parish of Castañéu starts at Villa Grau/Grado and leads through mountain meadows, forests, small villages and traditional Asturian architecture. Along the way, there are views of the Nalón and Cubia valleys as well as the Sierra del Aramo.

In the vicinity of Grado, the Santuario de la Virgen del Fresno is located on a hill at the boundary between Grado and Salas. In clear weather, the view reaches as far as Monte Naranco, Monte Sueve and the highest peaks of the Picos de Europa.

The Jardín de las Mariposas can be reached via bridges over the Cubia; it is home to numerous plant and butterfly species. The vicinity of Grado also contains a historic bridge over the Nalón associated with the Carlist Wars, the Napoleonic invasion and the Spanish Civil War.

Food and the annual cycle

Tocinillo de cielo is one of the gastronomic specialities named in the municipality of Grado. During a stay in Grau/Grado, you can also try Afuega’l Pitu, an Asturian cheese with a protected designation of origin.

The Primera Flor de Grado is a festival and competition centred on Faba Asturiana, which has a protected geographical indication, and related products. It takes place on the weekend after Easter and is recognised as a festival of tourist interest in Asturias.

In the same place directory, you will also find Baselgas, Sorribas.

For the higher-level travel overview: Grado.