Castrillón

Castrillón is pure beach. Its coastline has one of the longest beaches in the whole of Asturias, the Bayas beach, which is flown over by planes taking off and landing in the region at Asturias Airport, also located in Castrillón. Other beaches full of glamour, history and surfing are dotted around the municipality, such as Salinas, San Juan de Nieva, Arnao and Santa María del Mar. Castrillón combines the mine and the sea like no other, because Arnáu, as well as a powerful sandy beach, was the place where - thanks to the wealth and outcrops of coal in the area - the first underwater mine in Spain was created by the Real Compañía Asturiana de Minas, which brought mining closer to the Spanish Royal Family.

So much so that Isabel II was the first crowned woman to visit a mine, her son Alfonso XII was also there, and Alfonso XIII even anchored the Royal Ship 'Giralda' in San Xuan.

The 'Philippe Cousteau' Anchor Museum in Salinas, or the glamorous and creative cuisine practised by famous and renowned chefs in this part of Asturias, are also very real.

Population: 22,950 inhabitants
Surface area: 55,34 ^km2
Weekly market: Wednesday