San Vicente de la Barquera brings together all the values and attractions of Green Spain: an outstanding monumental heritage, great historical importance, an exceptional natural environment, a renowned gastronomy and a deep popular tradition reflected in its various festive and artistic manifestations.
Its fishing port, on which the development of this town has revolved, continues to be one of the most important in the region. Tourism and services are currently the main economic activity of the municipality, comforting a wide and attractive offer for visitors.
San Vicente de la Barquera is located in the heart of the Natural Park of Oyambre, a protected natural area of great ecological value made up of estuaries, cliffs, beaches, dunes, meadows and forests that are home to a fauna and flora of great importance.
These natural values have remained practically unchanged throughout the history in which San Vicente de la Barquera has been a protagonist since Roman times. However, the town lived its greatest splendour during the Middle Ages, after the granting of jurisdiction by Alfonso VIII, a period in which his men carried out important seafaring feats in the reconquest of Andalusian cities or on expeditions to Newfoundland.
San Vicente de la Barquera was an important step on the Pilgrim's Way to Santiago on the coastal route. As a result of this past, the town and its villages have an outstanding monumental heritage declared a Historic-Artistic Site.
