Barbate covers the following areas: Los Caños De Meca, Manzanete, Riberia de la Oliva, San Ambrosio, Sierra del Retin, El Soto, Zahara de los Atunes and Zahora.
Barbate is a traditional fishing village, located in the South of the province, featuring magnificent virgin beaches stretching lazily along the Atlantic Coast. It is bordered by coastal mountains - such as the Retin range, where you can see retinta cattle, famous for their high quality meat, grazing freely, even on the beaches!- the pine forest of Parque Natural de Las Breñas and the wetlands of the Parque Natural de Las Marismas - creating a unique eco and marine system and an important area for birdlife.
Barbate dates back to ancient times, when the Phoenicians and the Romans fished for tuna. Using specially-crafted nets for catching the tuna,they also built a number of factories along the coast of Cádiz, notably at the Roman port of Baesipo, at the mouth of the River Barbate. This method of fishing is still deployed today and you can watch the fishermen working along the coast between May and August.
More than five centuries were spent under Muslim control, until it was finally conquered by Alfonso X's Christian troops. Still suffering constant attacks from Berber pirates until well into the 18th century, Barbate was reduced to a tiny hamlet dependent on Vejer de la Frontera until 1947. Thereafter, it became a separate village under the name of Barbate de Franco, shortened to Barbate after the death of Franco the Dictator, in 1975. .
Today it is of great interest to the many Spanish tourists thanks to its famous unspoilt beaches, especially those at Zahara Los Atunes (in whose castle Miguel de Cervantes once worked). Los Caños de Meca, where fresh water cascades towards the sea and Cape Trafalgar, where in 1805, Admiral Nelson, at the Battle of Trafalgar, led the English navy to victory over the combined fleets of Spain and France.
Barbate Town itself, may lack the charm of some of the more quaint Andalucian Villages and in some parts is quite run down. However it does have an ambiance all of its own, especially the promenade - Paseo Maritime - which is almost 2KM long and has plenty of restaurants & bars. During the summer months this is an ideal place to just sit and watch the world go by or, in the evenings, watch it come alive...
On this part of the Coast, be aware that Spanish timetables are still adhered to: Breakfast 8am -10am, Lunch 2pm - 4pm, Dinner 9pm-11pm or later....
