A gem on the shores of the Cantabrian Sea

SANTANDER

WHERE TO EAT

OPTIONAL EXCURSION: CABARCENO AND CASTRO URDIALES

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The Cathedral of Santander

First of all, you cannot miss the Cathedral of Santander. The lower church was built around the year 1200 over other older buildings from Roman times. Its structure is mainly Gothic, but has subsequently been extended and refurbished. The church comprises two floors and a cloister. The lower and older church, now the crypt (often referred to as the Church of the Christ), contains a nave and two aisles. In addition, the so-called high church was built between the late thirteenth and fourteenth century and once completed, the Gothic cloister was built.

El Sardinero

Afterwards, you should also take a walk around El Sardinero, one of the most famous neighbourhoods and tourist destination of the Cantabrian capital, known for its long beaches. El Sardinero was a wild place of Santander in 1840, but since 1850, after becoming the summer holiday location of Queen Elizabeth II and Amadeo of Savoy, the area became famous and began to attract large numbers of tourists. There was a great urban progress with the construction of several hotels, inns, cafes, trains and trams arriving to El Sardinero. Currently, here you can find some of the major cultural and sports facilities in the capital, such as the Conference and Exhibitions Centre, Sardinero soccer stadium and the Palace of Sports.

Gran Casino del Sardinero

While you are in El Sardinero, go visit the Italia Square, where you’ll find the Gran Casino del Sardinero. Finished in 1916, is one of the symbols of the city. It features a low floor for shops and terrace, where you can arrive though a monumental staircase. It has a game room and a room of slot machines, a restaurant, three dining rooms, two bars (installed in each of the gaming rooms), a café and a party room. It also has a showroom full of works of art by various artists. The Gran Casino sponsors and organizes various cultural and sporting events: music festivals (as the International Festival of Santander), photographic contests, sculpture and panting exhibitions, bowling, football, rowing and other activities.

La Magdalena Palace

Another point of interest when visiting Santander is the spectacular La Magdalena Palace, an early 20th-century palace located on the Magdalena Peninsula of the city. The building has an eclectic style, combining English, French and regional styles. The palace was built in 1909 by the local government of Santander for the purpose of providing a seasonal residence for the Spanish Royal Family. The palace is also used in external shots for the Spanish TV series Gran Hotel (Antena 3). The palace, which was declared an historical monument in 1982 and renovated between 1993 and 1995, continues to be used as a conference and meeting hall today. It is the most visited place in the city of Santander.

The Cabárceno Nature Park is located in Pisueña Valley, 15 kilometres away from Santander, and it has become one of the greatest tourist attractions of northern Spain. The park belongs to Cantur, a public company to promote tourism under the Government of Cantabria. Cabárceno is neither a conventional zoo nor a natural park in the normal use of the term. It is a naturalized space made up of 750 hectares (1,900 acres) and with more than 20 kilometres (12 mi) of roads. Cabárceno Park has two main roles: one is the conservation of endangered species and the other is environmental education.

The Park Cabárceno welcomes hundreds of animal species from five continents that live in semi-liberty. Except the food provided to them, the rest of the activities are marked by their almost total freedom and instinct. The 20 km of roads that run through the park will lead you to different venues through wonderful gorges, peaceful lakes and rocky suggestive figures. In addition, throughout the park there are numerous parking areas and paths. Thus, Cabárceno is the ideal place to spend the day with family, because of its numerous recreational areas, picnic areas, gazebos, botanical tours, cafes, restaurants, playground...

Castro Urdiales is a coastal town located in the eastern part of Cantabria. Near the border with the Basque province of Biscay, the town is 75 kilometres away from Santander and 35 kilometres from Bilbao (Biscay). Besides, Castro Urdiales is the third largest city in Cantabria with 31,670 inhabitants.

Castro has the delightful charm of a seaside fishing village of illustrious tradition combined with a tourist atmosphere, bathed in the beaches of Ostende and Brazomar. We advise you to take a walk through the old quarter and enjoy its distinctive buildings with wooden balconies. Castro Urdiales also has the Peña del Cuco prehistoric cave with the Upper Palaeolithic paintings. There is also the Roman site of Flavióbriga, beneath the current city.

The Lighthouse of Cabo Mayor

Finally, the Lighthouse of Cabo Mayor presides over the entrance to the Bay of Santander. Privileged balcony to the sea and the city, this lighthouse is nowadays one of the most emblematic buildings in Santander. Located in the northeast part of the city, the area where the Cabo Mayor lighthouse is located is a larger area made up of Cabo Mayor and Cabo Menor. Historically located on the outskirts of the city, the area of Cabo and Cabo Mayor hosted significant uses and relevant functions: maritime signal, defensive place, racetrack, camping, public park, golf course, etc. Thus, this part of the city has become a touristic milestone.

These are just some of the wonderful places Santander hides, the ideal city to enjoy for a few days on the shores of the Cantabrian sea. If you want to receive more information, do not hesitate to take a look at the Santander City Council’s website by clicking on the link below.

JANIRE ZURBANO ARRESE

Beyond landscapes with giant wondmills, folklore all along the sunny streets of the Andalusian cities and metropolises of Madrid or Barcelona in constant motion, Spain also keeps beautiful secrets in the north as small coastal towns lapped by Cantabrian Sea. These are places of strong winds and rough waves, fishing boats and strolls next to the sea. One of these cities is the capital of Cantabria, Santander.

Santander is not a city of great dimension at all and this allows tourists to enjoy it on foot. But do not get confused because despite its size, it owns monuments and sites that have nothing to envy to those found in major Spanish cities. Below we present the main points of interest of the Cantabrian capital..

HOW TO GET THERE

CAR

To reach Santander from Madrid take the A-67 highway. However, if you are coming from either the West (Asturias) or the East (Basque Country), take the A-8 highway along the Cantabrian Sea.

PLANE

Santander Airport is 5km away from the town, well connected to the city centre by bus. Another option is the airport of Bilbao, which is about an hour away by car from Santander. It has more flights and international connections than Santander.

TRAIN

RENFE and FEVE stations are located next to each other and in the centre of Santander.

FEVE connects the city with Asturias and the Basque Country. RENFE has more long-haul destinations to major Spanish cities.

BUS

The bus station is located on Navas de Tolosa street, very close to railway stations. There are buses to many parts of Spain; especially to the north, communicating Santander with Bilbao, San Sebastian, Asturias and Galicia. Besides, there are daily buses in order to visit Madrid and Castilla y León.