On San Lorenzo beach in Gijón you may be with a dog between 1 October and 30 April, only between stairs 2 and 8, according to the City Council; Turismo Asturias gives 15 October as the start. El Rinconín is the only beach in Gijón with dogs all year.
As soon as the bathing season ends, the sand at San Lorenzo fills with dogs chasing balls, and it is one of Gijón's autumn scenes. But not the whole beach and not any date: there is a specific stretch, a calendar and a bylaw with fines. This is what you need to know before taking the dog down.
When you can
According to Gijón City Council's page on pet areas, updated on 29 September 2026, dogs may be on San Lorenzo beach between 1 October and 30 April. The rest of the year, no.
There is a catch: the beach's page on Turismo Asturias gives 15 October as the start date, which is when the bathing season ends, running in 2026 from 1 May to 15 October. The two sources disagree on those first two weeks of October. The council page itself warns that the signs in each area are what count, so if you go in early October, check the signs at the stairs. From 15 October both sources say the same.
Which stretch
Not the whole beach. Dogs may only be between stairs 2 and 8, the stretch on the Cimadevilla and San Pedro church side. The stairs are numbered on the wall, so it is easy to know where you are. Beyond number 8, even in winter, they are not allowed.
What the rest of the beach is like and how it changes with the tide is in the best beaches in Asturias near Gijón.
The beach with dogs all year
According to the City Council, El Rinconín beach, also called El Cervigón, is the only beach in Gijón where dogs are allowed all year. On the rest of the municipality's beaches pets are not allowed.
El Rinconín is to the east, where the promenade ends, next to the Madre del Emigrante sculpture. From there the coastal path to La Ñora starts, which we cover in the Rinconín to La Ñora path.
The rules
The underlying rule is the municipal bylaw on the protection and keeping of pets, published in the BOPA on 24 March 2011. It bans dogs from moving or staying on beaches outside the months and places set by the City Council. It requires a lead, cord or chain of at most 2 metres, and a muzzle if the dog is potentially dangerous or behaves dangerously; it requires droppings to be picked up immediately, and it requires the dog to be identified with a microchip before 3 months of age.
The council's pet areas page adds the practical side: dogs classed as potentially dangerous may not be let off the lead, whoever is with the dog must watch it and is liable for any damage it causes, and droppings go in a closed bag into the bin. If the authorities ask, you must show the animal's identification and health card or passport; guide dogs are exempt from these limits.
The fines
The bylaw classes offences as minor, 300 to 750 euros; serious, 751 to 1,500 euros; and very serious, 1,501 to 3,000 euros. The council's April 2025 list of penalties shows 400 euros for taking a dog onto the beach outside the permitted months and places, and 500 euros for having it off the lead, not picking up droppings or not showing its identification. The document's columns are misaligned, so treat it as a guide.
A note for anyone reading this later: in February 2026 the City Council opened a public consultation to reform the bylaw and bring it into line with the 2023 national law, with the aim of regulating shared use of the beaches. When we wrote this no text had been approved, so dates and stretches may change.
Checked
Dates, stretches and rules checked in October 2026 against: Gijón City Council (pet recreation areas, San Lorenzo beach page, El Rinconín beach page, 2026 bathing season calendar, pets bylaw published in the BOPA of 24 March 2011, April 2025 animal welfare penalties list and February 2026 notice on the bylaw reform) and Turismo Asturias (San Lorenzo beach page).
Quick questions
Does the dog have to be on a lead at San Lorenzo?
The bylaw requires a lead, cord or chain of at most 2 metres, and potentially dangerous dogs may not be let off.
What is the fine for taking the dog outside the season?
The council's April 2025 penalties list gives 400 euros for taking a dog onto the beach outside the permitted months and places.
Is there a beach in Gijón that allows dogs in summer?
Yes, El Rinconín, also called El Cervigón: it is the only beach in Gijón where dogs are allowed all year.