Vejer de la Frontera, a white village above the Costa de la Luz.

Vejer de la Frontera is a white village on top of a hill, about 10 km from the Atlantic, with its 15th-century walled enclosure almost intact and a castle at the very top. Below it begins the quietest part of the Costa de la Luz: the beach of El Palmar, Zahora, Caños de Meca and Cape Trafalgar, the Breña pine forest and, further south, Bolonia, with its dune and the Roman city of Baelo Claudia. It is a place to combine village and beach in the same day.

How do you get to Vejer from Cádiz or Seville?

By car. From Cádiz, along the A-48 towards Algeciras, it is about 55 km and 45 minutes. From Seville, along the AP-4 to Jerez and the A-48, a little under two hours. From Málaga or Huelva it takes more than two and a half hours: from them, this coast needs at least a night.

Without a car it is complicated: there are scheduled buses along the N-340, but the beaches are far from the stops and Sunday timetables are sparse.

Where to park in Vejer?

Outside the old town, which has narrow, cobbled, steep streets. The town council signs several car parks around it: the Zona Franca one on Avenida Andalucía, the Camino de la Oliva, the Nelson Mandela park, Calle Molinero and the La Noria fairground. From any of them you walk up in 5 or 10 minutes. At El Palmar, the car parks beside the beach cost €4 to €5.

What to see in a day?

In the morning, Vejer: go in through the Arco de la Segur, climb to the castle and the church of the Divino Salvador, go down to the Plaza de España through the Arco de la Villa and look out from the Torre del Mayorazgo, with the mouth of the Barbate at your feet. Have lunch in the village or go down to eat fish at El Palmar. In the afternoon, the Torre del Tajo trail, 2 km of flat pine forest to a watchtower above the cliff, or the walk along the sand to the Trafalgar lighthouse to watch the sun go down.

With a night, add Bolonia: Baelo Claudia is open on Sundays from 9:00 to 15:00 and the dune is right next to it. If the water tempts you, a surf lesson at El Palmar costs €35 and is suitable from age 6.

When to go?

May, June, September and October are the best months: the water is already warm, there is room on the sand and you can eat on a terrace. In July and August the coast fills up and the beach car parks are full by the morning. In winter Vejer is quiet, there are waves for surfing and Baelo Claudia is visited almost alone. Check the wind before going: with a strong levante the beach is uncomfortable and it is better to stay in the village or the pine forest.

Where to eat?

In Vejer, El Muro, by Paco Doncel, beside the wall: modern Andalusian cooking, open on Sunday lunchtime and closed Tuesday and Wednesday. On El Palmar beach, El Alférez, a family place since 1988, with fish of the day and rice with carabineros; closed on Tuesdays. In the old town, El Refectorio, in the former dining hall of the convent of San Francisco. This is almadraba bluefin tuna country: in spring it appears on every menu.

Where to sleep?

If you want the village at nightfall, the Hotel Convento de San Francisco, a 17th-century convent on La Plazuela. If you prefer the beach close by, the Hotel Arohaz, in Zahora, with a saltwater pool and free parking.