Bus station and train stop

You can visit San Vicente de la Barquera without a car: it has a bus station in the centre and a train stop on the outskirts. The bus is the practical option for almost everything; the train runs very infrequently and should be checked carefully before you count on it.

The bus station

It is on Avenida Miramar, in the centre of the town, about a hundred metres from the Hotel Luzón. From here you can walk to everything: the harbour, the Maza bridge and the climb up to the Puebla Vieja.

According to the municipality's tourism website, there are two main lines:

• San Vicente – Santander, run by La Cantábrica, for getting to and from the capital.
• Santander – San Vicente – Potes, run by Jiménez Movilidad, which continues inland through the La Hermida gorge to Liébana. It is the way to link the coast with Potes and the Picos de Europa without a car.

For other connections, the town council's website refers you to Alsa. Timetables and fares are not on the tourism page: they are published by the operators and by the Government of Cantabria's transport portal, which the website itself links to.

The train, at La Acebosa

The train station is in the La Acebosa district, outside the built-up area. It is on Renfe's narrow-gauge line, the former FEVE, which runs along the coast between Santander and Oviedo. The town council's website mentions two services a day in each direction, towards Santander and towards Oviedo, and links the timetable as a PDF. With so few departures, the train works if the time suits you, but not for a flexible day return. Before you go, check the timetable on Renfe and work out how you will get from La Acebosa to the centre.

By car

The town is on the N-634, the coast road, connected to the Cantabrian motorway, the A-8. In summer the centre fills up; if you are heading to the beach, Merón has a large car park.

Tips

If you plan to combine San Vicente with Potes, check the Jiménez Movilidad timetable first, because it sets the day. For last-minute questions, the tourist office, in the Cantón mansion, is open every day of the year and a few minutes' walk from the bus station.

If you stay the night, besides the Hotel Luzón you have, next to Merón, the Hotel Playa de Merón and the El Rosal campsite. For eating near the station, Augusto is opposite the market and Las Redes is beside the old quay.