Campo de San Francisco

Campo de San Francisco is the largest urban park in the center of Oviedo, the capital of Asturias in northern Spain, and a favorite green space for both locals and visitors exploring the city.

How do you get to Campo de San Francisco?

The park sits right in the heart of Oviedo, so walking is by far the easiest way in from anywhere in the old town — it's only about a ten-minute stroll from Oviedo Cathedral. It borders the city's main shopping streets and squares directly, which means almost every visitor exploring the center passes by or through it at some point. From the train or long-distance bus station, the walk takes roughly 10–15 minutes. Local buses do serve the area, but given the central location, most people simply walk.

What's the history behind this park?

The site's story goes back to the 8th century, when Franciscan friars settled just outside the city walls, along the Camino de Santiago, and founded a monastery surrounded by orchards and vegetable gardens. For centuries these grounds were part of everyday life in Oviedo, and as the city grew and eventually enveloped the old monastic land, the convent buildings fell into ruin. In 1534, the city council and the cathedral chapter agreed to turn the former monastery garden into public space — a decision generally regarded as the birth of the park in its current role.

The next major turning point came with Spain's church-property disentailment (the Mendizábal confiscations) in the early 19th century, when the land passed into municipal ownership. In 1846 the city granted it on a perpetual lease to the university, which intended to establish a botanical garden with an artificial lake here. The park's layout much as it appears today, however, was shaped in the second half of the 19th century by two Oviedo mayors, Ramón Secades and José Longoria Carbajal, who turned the grounds into a sweeping English-style park with tree-lined paths, lawns, and ornamental fountains, including the well-known Fuentona and the Frog Fountain (Fuente de las Ranas).

What will you see in the park?

Campo de San Francisco covers about 90,000 square meters, of which nearly 50,000 m² are green areas, making it one of the largest urban parks in all of Asturias. Its real signature is the tree collection: the park catalogues 955 trees across 51 species. Horse chestnuts, plane trees, silver maples, silver lindens, and magnolias dominate, and many specimens are decades — some over a century — old, with several officially recognized as protected natural monuments. Walking the main paths, you'll come across classic 19th-century fountains, including the Fuentona and the Frog Fountain, and the layout of paths and lawns still carries the picturesque English-garden character given to it by those 19th-century mayors.

When is the best time to visit?

The park is open year-round and functions as a daily recreational space for residents, so there's no bad time to drop in. Spring and autumn show off the tree collection at its best — magnolias blooming in spring, and chestnuts and maples turning gold and red in autumn both draw extra attention from visitors. Summer is ideal for longer walks in the shade of the mature trees, and the park often serves as a quiet break from the bustle of Oviedo's nearby shopping streets.

Frequently asked questions

Is admission to the park free? Yes, Campo de San Francisco is an open public space with free entry at any time of day.

How much time should you set aside for a visit? Walking the main paths takes about 30–45 minutes, but it's worth allowing more time if you want to take a closer look at the historic fountains and the oldest trees.

Are there places to rest inside the park? Yes, the park has an extensive network of benches and walking paths, and thanks to its large green area and mature trees, it offers plenty of shade even on hot days.

Are other Oviedo attractions close to the park? Yes, Oviedo Cathedral and the old town are just a short walk away, making it easy to combine a stroll through Campo de San Francisco with sightseeing in the historic center.