In winter the Gijón coast is mild and damp: according to AEMET, January has average highs of 12.9 degrees and lows of 5.9, with 103 litres of rain. The municipal museums are free and stay open, except on Monday and a few holidays, and February brings Antroxu.
Anyone looking up Gijón in winter usually has two questions: how cold it gets and whether anything will be open. The first is answered by AEMET's official figures, and the surprise is that winter is mild and is not the wettest time of year. The second depends mostly on the calendar: there are a handful of days when almost everything shuts, and it is worth knowing them before packing.
What the weather is like: AEMET's figures
AEMET, the Spanish State Meteorological Agency, publishes standard climate normals for the period 1981-2010 on its website. In Asturias it gives a full table for only two stations, Asturias Aeropuerto and Oviedo; the pages for its Gijón stations currently show no data. The closest match for the Gijón coast is therefore the airport, which lies in the municipality of Castrillón, at 127 metres above sea level. The figures below are for that station, not for the city itself.
In December the average temperature is 9.9 degrees, with average highs of 13.3 and lows of 6.5; 117 litres per square metre fall over 13.6 days of rain, and there are 86 hours of sunshine in the whole month. January is the coldest month: an average of 9.4 degrees, highs of 12.9 and lows of 5.9, with 103 litres, 12.2 rainy days and 98 hours of sunshine. February repeats the 9.4-degree average, with highs of 13.1 and lows of 5.7, and is the driest and brightest of the three: 88 litres, 11.1 rainy days and 109 hours of sunshine.
What those figures mean
Real cold is rare. The same table shows an average of 0.6 days of frost in December, 1.0 in January and 0.9 in February, and snow is almost anecdotal: 0.1 days in December, 0.4 in January and 0.5 in February.
Nor is winter the wettest part of the year. At that station the month with the most rain is November, with 134 litres, followed by December, with 117, and October, with 116. What does change a great deal is the light: against 182 hours of sunshine in August, December manages 86. The days are short, and that matters more for planning than the thermometer: whatever you want to do outdoors is best done around midday.
The days when almost everything closes
Gijón's municipal museums are free and stay open in winter, but they share a calendar of closures worth noting. According to the City Council's listings, the Asturias Railway Museum (Museo del Ferrocarril de Asturias), the Muséu del Pueblu d'Asturies and the Roman Baths of Campo Valdés close every Monday of the year and also on 24, 25 and 31 December, 1 and 6 January and Shrove Tuesday.
From October to March, the Railway Museum and the Muséu del Pueblu open Tuesday to Friday from 9:30 to 18:30, and on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 18:30. The Roman Baths close at midday. The full list of indoor plans, with opening times, is in what to do in Gijón when it rains.
The Aquarium opens almost every day, but according to its FAQ it keeps two days a year to close: 25 December and 1 January.
December at the Aquarium
The Aquarium's programme for December 2026 includes plans that only exist in those weeks. On 24 December at 11:30 it announces the arrival of L'Anguleru and the collection of letters, marked as free. On 18, 19 and 20 December there are piano concerts by candlelight, with a children's edition on the 20th at 18:30, and the 18th brings another night of Durmiendo con tiburones (Sleeping with Sharks).
What the ticket costs and how to plan the visit is in the Gijón Aquarium guide.
The Botanic Garden, on short hours
The Atlantic Botanic Garden (Jardín Botánico Atlántico) does not close in winter, but its day is shorter. In December, January and February it opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10 to 18, according to the City Council. An adult ticket costs 2.90 euros, ages 12 to 26 and over-65s pay 1.80, and entry is free up to the age of 11. With winter light, the sensible thing is to go in the morning. What there is to see inside is in the Botanic Garden guide.
The beach without bathers
Out of bathing season, San Lorenzo changes hands: until 30 April you can be on the sand with a dog, on the stretch between stairways 2 and 8. Turismo Asturias dates the start to 15 October; the dates and rules, including the City Council's version, are in the guide to dogs on San Lorenzo. For everyone else, a walk along the Muro promenade at low tide is one of the best things winter has to offer.
February: Antroxu
Winter ends with Antroxu, Gijón's carnival. According to Turismo Asturias, it starts on the Thursday of Comadres and ends on Shrove Tuesday, a local holiday in the city, with the reading of the will and the Burial of the Sardine. It has been declared a Festival of Tourist Interest of the Principality of Asturias.
That Tuesday is also one of the days the municipal museums close, so it is best kept for the street. If the trip allows, Avilés has its own carnival, described in the Descenso de Galiana guide.
Checked
Details checked in October 2026 with: AEMET (standard climate normals 1981-2010 for the Asturias Aeropuerto station, and the Gijón station pages without data), Gijón City Council (directory listings for the Museo del Ferrocarril de Asturias, the Muséu del Pueblu d'Asturies, the Museo Termas Romanas de Campo Valdés and the Jardín Botánico Atlántico), the official website of Bioparc Acuario de Gijón (FAQ and activities programme) and Turismo Asturias (Antroxu de Gijón listing).
Quick questions
How warm is Gijón in winter?
According to AEMET, at the Asturias Aeropuerto station the December average is 9.9 degrees and January and February average 9.4, with average lows no colder than 5.7.
Does it rain a lot in Gijón in winter?
It rains, but less than in autumn: 117 litres in December, 103 in January and 88 in February, against 134 in November.
Which days do Gijón's museums close in winter?
The municipal museums close every Monday and also on 24, 25 and 31 December, 1 and 6 January and Shrove Tuesday.