The Torre del Reloj in Gijón, on calle Recoletas in Cimadevilla, was built in 1572 on the Roman wall and is now the seat of the Municipal Archive, open Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 14:00; it is not a viewpoint. The quarter's view is at the top, on the Cerro de Santa Catalina, by the Elogio del Horizonte.
Cimadevilla is small and can be walked in a morning, but it packs so much into so little space that it is easy to wander without order. This is a walk that starts down by the Plaza Mayor and ends up on the hill, with one clarification that saves a disappointment: the Torre del Reloj, which many people look for to climb, now holds the city archive.
Before you start
Cimavilla, as it is also called, means the top of the town, according to the Turismo Asturias guide, which already tells you the walk is uphill. The quarter covers the whole hill, between the marina to the west and San Lorenzo beach to the east. City bus line 4 is the one given on the council's pages for the quarter's monuments.
The story of the Romans who lived here and of the Elogio del Horizonte is told in our guide to the Roman baths and the Elogio del Horizonte. This walk is the other one: streets and squares.
The Plaza Mayor, the quarter's gateway
You start at the Plaza Mayor, which acts as a hinge between the old quarter and the new town. According to the City Council, in 1858 Andrés Coello designed the town hall and the arcaded square, and in 1864 Luis Céspedes and Lucas María Palacios changed the project towards a historicist style. The marina is 450 metres away.
The Torre del Reloj: what it is today
Going up towards calle Recoletas you reach the Torre del Reloj, at number 5. The council's page tells its story: it was built in 1572 on remains of the Roman wall, was the town hall and then a prison until 1909, and was demolished in 1911. When Cimadevilla was restored, in 1989, remains of the wall appeared, and the tower was rebuilt following the same approach.
What the page does not say is that you can climb it. Some unofficial guides mention an exhibition and a viewpoint at the top, but the tower is now the seat of the Municipal Archive, open Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 14:00, by phone and with in-person consultation by appointment. For anyone searching for its opening hours, those are the ones: an archive's, not a viewpoint's. The view from the top of the quarter comes later, and it is free.
The Plaza del Marqués
Heading down towards the harbour you reach the Plaza del Marqués, home to the Revillagigedo palace. According to the City Council, it was built in the 18th century from a medieval tower, and since 1991, together with the Colegiata de San Juan Bautista, it has been an art centre with exhibitions, courses, music, dance and theatre.
The Colegiata is attached to the palace. It was laid out in 1720, at the initiative of the canon Luis Martínez de Jove; it is baroque, has the Cross of Calatrava held up by angels and has been a Historic-Artistic Monument since 1974. Today it is used for concerts.
Jovellanos and the baths, free
On the Plaza de Jovellanos stands the Museo Casa Natal de Jovellanos, with free entry. It opens Tuesday to Friday from 9:30 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 19:30, and on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 19:30; it is closed on Mondays. Who he was and what he founded in Gijón is in Jovellanos in Gijón.
The Roman baths of Campo Valdés, on the other side of the quarter, next to the church of San Pedro, keep the same hours and, according to the council's page, are also free. That page warns of a maintenance closure from 27 to 31 October; as it may be an old notice, call 985 185 151 first. Hours checked in October 2026.
The fishermen's streets and the climb to the hill
According to the Turismo Asturias guide, the chapel of La Soledad was the seat of the mariners' guild, and the Plaza del Periodista Arturo Arias keeps its fishermen's houses. The Cuesta del Cholo, with its cider bars, is around here too; the story of the women who climbed it loaded with fish is in the fishwives of Cimavilla.
The walk ends at the top. On the way up the Cerro de Santa Catalina stands the sculpture Nordeste, by Joaquín Vaquero Turcios, from 1994, and at the summit, Eduardo Chillida's Elogio del Horizonte, from 1990. From there you see the sea, the city and the beaches, and on clear days the Picos de Europa: that is the quarter's viewpoint.
Checked
Facts checked in October 2026 against: Gijón City Council (pages for the Torre del Reloj, the Municipal Archive, the Revillagigedo palace, the Colegiata de San Juan Bautista, the Museo Casa Natal de Jovellanos, the Roman baths of Campo Valdés, the Plaza Mayor and the marina, and the leaflet for the thirty years of the Elogio del Horizonte) and Turismo Asturias (guide to visiting Gijón).
Quick questions
Can you climb the Torre del Reloj in Gijón?
The council's page does not say you can: the tower is the seat of the Municipal Archive, with in-person consultation by appointment Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 14:00.
Which free museums are there in Cimadevilla?
The Museo Casa Natal de Jovellanos and the Roman baths of Campo Valdés, according to the council's pages; both close on Mondays.
What is on the Plaza del Marqués?
The Revillagigedo palace, from the 18th century, and the Colegiata de San Juan Bautista, laid out in 1720, which together have been an art centre since 1991.