Castillo del Rey

What it is

The Castillo del Rey stands on the climb from the quay to the top of the promontory and dominates the estuary: the municipal website calls it the silent guardian of San Vicente de la Barquera. It was built between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries as part of the town's defensive system, when the port was a strategic point on the road to Castile. It has an elongated plan, thick walls and two large towers, designed to withstand attacks, control the approaches and consolidate power.

The Gobierno de Cantabria's leaflet of driving routes cites it, together with the Gothic church of Santa María de los Ángeles, as the most significant monument of the Puebla Alta, the old quarter of the town, declared a conjunto histórico artístico (historic-artistic site). From the Puente de la Maza, castle and church form the silhouette that identifies San Vicente.

What to see

After its restoration, the rooms work as a small museum with information panels and scale models on the history of the town. The best part, however, is climbing up to the battlements: from the top you see the Maza bridge, the port, the marshes and, on clear days, the Picos de Europa. Allow about three quarters of an hour, more if you linger over the views.

Opening hours and admission

The municipal website does not publish opening hours or price, and gives no details on the building's accessibility. Before you go, ask at the tourist office, on 942 710 797 or at [email protected]. If you are going with someone with reduced mobility, also ask about the stairs up to the battlements.

Getting there

It is at avenida Antonio Garelly, 1, at the entrance to the Puebla Vieja: you enter through the Puerta del Mar and it is on your right. From the port it is a few minutes' walk uphill. Park below, in the town, because up there the streets are narrow and cobbled.

With children

A castle with battlements over the sea is a good hook for children, and the scale models help explain what the walled town was like. The visit is short, so it fits well with a stroll and an ice cream at the port. Keep an eye on them up on the battlements, and let them look in the models for the wall they will then follow along the calle Alta.

What to combine it with

The castle is the first stop of the walk around the Puebla Vieja: continue along the calle Alta, past stretches of wall, the palacio Corro and the torre del Preboste, up to the church of Santa María de los Ángeles, at the top, with the cemetery viewpoint. Then go down the alleys to the port and cross the Maza bridge towards the beaches. If you have more time, the Oyambre Natural Park begins on the other side of the estuary, with the sands of Merón and the Rubín marsh.