Vejer de la Frontera, perched high above the steep gorge of the River Barbate, is a serene, compact white labyrinth of a town with twisting streets, beautiful viewpoints, a ruined castle, a surprisingly elaborate culinary scene, and a tangible Moorish influence. Vejer is a town steeped in history; almost certainly a prehistoric hilltop Iberian citadel, vejer was utilised as a fortress during the Phoenician and Carthaginian epochs of the first millennium BC to protect coastal factories and fishing grounds from the warlike Iberians of the interior. Dubbed Besipo by the later Romans, it was as the Moorish town of Bekkeh that Vejer rose to prominence as an imortant agricultural centre on the western frontier of the kingdom of Granada. Taken by Fernando III in 1250, it was immediately handed over to Alonso Pérez de Guzmán, founder of the ducal house of Medina Sidonia and later hero of Tarifa.
Vejer is best savoured by randomly exploring the briliant-white, labyrinthine alleyways, wandering past iron-grilled windows, balconies and patios, and slipping into one of numerous bars. The houses built directly into the castle walls, give the town uniquely charming and a magical feel.
Vejer de la Frontera’s rich culture is palpable, as you explore its quaint cobbled stone streets, the sound of flamenco music will beckon you to step into one of the town’s many authentic flamenco bars where the beautiful Spanish music and dance unfolds every night.
