Laboral Ciudad de la Cultura

Built between 1946 and 1956 as an orphanage-school for the children of miners, the Universidad Laboral is a whole town in stone: courtyards, a colonnaded plaza, a theatre and an elliptical church with one of the largest domes in Spain. By floor area it is the country's biggest building. Today it's the Laboral Ciudad de la Cultura, home to an art centre, a theatre and university faculties. The only way into the main spaces is the guided tour (about 75 minutes), which normally ends with a lift and stair climb to the lookout at the top of the tower for views over Gijón and the coast. Tour times are fixed and change with the season, so book online before you sail. The Atlantic Botanical Garden is next door if you want to make a half day of it.