San Vicente de la Barquera sits in a fine spot between the San Vicente estuary and the Rabia estuary, with the Picos de Europa closing off the horizon to the south. The view of the Puente de la Maza at sunset, with the town and the mountains behind, is one of the defining images of Cantabria.
The old town keeps its 13th-century medieval castle and the Gothic church of Santa María de los Ángeles. But what keeps San Vicente on the map is its fish market: the catch from the Cantabrian Sea lands here every morning, and the harbour restaurants work with whatever has come in that day. Book a table ahead and ask what came in that morning.
It’s 40 minutes from Alles on the A-8. It can be combined with Comillas, Santillana del Mar or the Oyambre beaches.
