Cider Houses at Christmas: Asturias' Nochebuena Tradition
Updated: 4 days ago
Our December roundup names Asturias for culture and food seekers, and singles out one detail: cider houses full on Nochebuena. That's not a throwaway line. Cider in Asturias isn't a drink you order, it's a whole social ritual with its own rules, and Christmas is one of the two or three nights a year when every chigre in the region is running at full capacity. Here's what's actually going on, and how to be part of it rather than just watching it happen at the next table.
Where to stay: Where to Stay in Asturias in December: The Best Hotels for Cider, Christmas and the Picos
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Why Asturian Cider Is Different
Asturian sidra natural is naturally fermented, low in alcohol, and still, not sparkling on its own, which is exactly why it's poured the way it is. In 2024, UNESCO added Asturian cider culture to its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list, recognizing a tradition that traces back to the Astures over two thousand years ago, carried through the Romans and refined in monasteries during the Middle Ages. This isn't a novelty drink for tourists, it's one of the oldest continuous food traditions in Spain.
The pouring method, escanciado, is the part everyone remembers: the server holds the bottle up high, sometimes at arm's length above their head, and pours a thin stream down into a wide glass held low near the floor. The height isn't showmanship, it's what aerates the still cider and briefly wakes it up, giving it the light sparkle and sharper edge it's supposed to have. You drink it immediately, in one go, a small pour called a culete or culin, then the rest gets tossed and the glass gets poured again for the next person. It sounds wasteful until you realize that's the point, everyone drinks from the same glass in quick, small rounds, which is exactly what keeps a chigre (an Asturian cider bar) loud, social, and moving all night.
What Happens on Nochebuena
Christmas Eve dinner in Asturias still centers on family, but cider is very often the drink on the table instead of wine, and afterward, or sometimes as part of the meal itself, people head out to a chigre or sidrería that's staying open late specifically because it's Nochebuena. This is one of the few nights of the year where a cider house is genuinely as full as it gets, standing room only, bottles going through servers' hands nonstop, multiple generations of the same family in the same room. If you want to see Asturian cider culture at its most alive rather than its most curated-for-visitors, this is the night.
Oviedo's Calle Gascona, nicknamed the Bulevar de la Sidra (Cider Boulevard), is the single best-known street for this: a pedestrian strip lined almost entirely with sidrerías, decorated for the season and packed through the holidays. Gijón has its own dense cluster of cider houses in the old fishing quarter of Cimad'evilla, less polished for tourists and, for that reason, arguably more honest. If you want the town most associated with cider itself, Nava, about 40 minutes from Oviedo, calls itself the cider capital of Asturias, its big Fiesta de la Sidra Natural runs in July rather than December, but the cider houses there run year-round.
Pair it with the food and it makes more sense: Asturian cider is built to cut through rich, fatty regional dishes, fabada asturiana (the region's bean and pork stew), cachopo (a breaded, stuffed veal cutlet the size of a dinner plate), or good Asturian cheese. A chigre that's serious about cider is usually serious about this kind of food too.
Where to Stay
Oviedo's old town puts you within walking distance of Gascona and the cathedral's own Christmas market, and it's the easiest base if this is a short trip. Gijón gives you the coast, the Cimad'evilla cider scene, and its own Christmas programming (Inverland's winter park, the Artegijón craft fair), with a beach-town feel Oviedo doesn't have. If cider is genuinely the main event, a night or two in Nava or Villaviciosa puts you closer to the actual apple orchards and production side of things, worth it if you want more than a bar crawl.
Book a Tour
🍎 Asturian cider experience — guided cider house visit with traditional pouring · Browse Asturias cider tours →
🐻 Somiedo wildlife day trip from Oviedo — bears, mountains, villages · 4.6★ · Book on GetYourGuide →
🏙️ Oviedo walking tour — pre-Romanesque, old town, and cider culture · Browse Oviedo tours →
Part of Our December Guide
This post is part of our complete guide to Where to Go in Spain in December — six different picks for six types of traveller.
What to Wear in Asturias in December
Asturias in December is properly northern European in terms of weather -- grey, wet, and around 12°C during the day. But Oviedo is a real city and people dress like it. Calle Gascona on a Friday night before Christmas is not a casual affair.
The scarf rule applies here more than almost anywhere in Spain. Locals have been wearing scarves since October. A good wool or cashmere scarf does double duty -- it's practical in 8°C evening temperatures and it reads as appropriately dressed for going out in a Spanish city.
For cider houses and evening out in Oviedo: a good coat, trousers or dark jeans, boots or leather shoes. Spanish men in Oviedo will almost certainly be in the navy puffer vest or a wool coat -- not fleece, not trainers. Women go for ankle boots, a good knit, and a coat. Think city-smart, not countryside-casual.
Waterproof is worth it: Asturias averages 17 rainy days in December. A waterproof coat that still looks decent -- or waterproof boots under a good outfit -- saves the evening. The sidra pouring spectacle happens indoors but you'll be walking between bars on wet cobblestones.
Practical Tips and Costs
Calle Gascona (Bulevar de la Sidra): Oviedo's cider street is lined with traditional sidrerías. Most open around 8pm and get going properly after 9pm -- this is Spain. No booking needed for most, just walk in. Nochebuena (Dec 24) is very busy and some places are reserved for parties; the 21-23 December window is more relaxed.
Cost of a night out on cider: Sidra is cheap. A bottle of Asturian cider at a sidrería runs €3-6. Traditional food (fabada asturiana, cachopo, cheese boards) runs €12-20 per person for a full meal with cider. Budget €25-35 for a very good evening.
Getting to Oviedo: Oviedo has a small airport (OVD) with connections to Madrid and Barcelona. Train from Madrid runs about 3h15 on the Alvia service. From Santander or Gijón it's a short drive or train ride.
Accommodation: Oviedo's old town and city center offer solid mid-range options for €70-110/night. The city is more affordable than the Spanish coast and rarely sells out in December outside of the Christmas Eve-New Year window.
In a Rush? Try These Hotels
Browse hotels in Oviedo -- the city center and old town put you walking distance from Calle Gascona and the cathedral.
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