Alquezar

Alquezar takes its name from al-qasr, the fortress, built in the ninth century by the Muslim governor of Barbastro on a rock above the Vero river; it was taken in 1067 and the fortress became a collegiate church, whose Romanesque cloister with carved capitals and later painted walls survives above the village. Below, the Vero has cut a canyon through limestone, and a route of metal walkways, the pasarelas, is bolted to the gorge walls and descends past pools and under overhangs, taking about two hours as a circuit from the village. The Vero canyons hold prehistoric rock art inscribed by UNESCO in 1998, and the area is the main centre for canyoning in Spain.

What you actually see

• The collegiate church - a Romanesque cloister with carved and painted work.
• The pasarelas - metal walkways bolted to the canyon walls below.
• The rock art - UNESCO-listed prehistoric painted shelters in the Vero canyons.
• The village - stone lanes on a rock spur above the gorge.

When to go

April to June and September to October; summer is hot and the walkway route is busy, with a daily quota now applied. Canyoning season runs from late spring through summer with guides operating from the village.

Honest expectations

The walkway circuit has a daily visitor cap and a charge, and it fills at weekends and in summer. The route involves many steps and metal stairs and is not accessible. Some rock art sites require booked guided visits.

Nearby

Barbastro and the Somontano wineries lie south; the Sierra de Guara canyons are north.