A guide to things to do in Santander, the capital city of Spain’s Cantabria region. This beachside city is known for being a vacation destination among the Spanish, but sees far fewer international tourists than other Spanish cities. Santander doesn’t feel touristy or crowded. It’s a place to relax and immerse yourself in the Spanish way of life.
What brought me to Santander? It’s my mother-in-law’s hometown, and she spends the majority of her time here. After years of invitations, we finally made the journey to Spain with our four-year-old daughter.
I arrived in Santander without expectations other than spending time with my husband’s parents, aunts, and cousins. I found Santander to have a nice balance of historic architecture, lovely beaches, small museums, and lively cafes, bars, and restaurants where we could spend our days. We spent a total of eight days in Santander, but I would say you could certainly see most sites and enjoy the beach over a long weekend.
About Santander
Where is Santander?
Santander is the capital of Cantabria. It is on the North Coast of Spain, just over an hour west of Bilbao.
How to Get to Santander
Fly
RyanAir flies directly from London to the Santander airport, and Vueling flies from London Gatwick to Bilbao. Or, fly into Madrid and take the train to Santander.
Ferry
There is a ferry from Santander to Portsmouth, but the travel time is about 29 hours.
Train
If you are traveling from Madrid, the train ride to Santander is about four and a half hours.
What to Know about Visiting Santander
Most businesses are closed on Sundays. This includes the markets, grocery stores, many museums, and most shops. Sunday is a great day to head to the beach or a museum. Or, use Sunday as a travel day. Museums are closed on Mondays.
Siesta is from 2 pm to 5 pm, and most businesses are closed during those hours. Museums, however, are open all day.
Mealtimes are different from what Americans are accustomed to. Lunch is at 2 pm, and most restaurants don’t open for dinner until 8 pm.
Avoid renting a car if you can, as parking is very hard to find in Santander. We did rent a car since we were continuing on to Casa Beatnik, but parking was so challenging that we kept the car parked in a garage while we were in Santander and relied on the bus instead. The bus system is very efficient!
How to Fit Santander into Your Spain Vacation
Santander is about an hour and fifteen minutes from Bilbao, two and a half hours from San Sebastian, and seven and a half hours from Barcelona by car. The train from Madrid to Santander is about four and a half hours.
Santander is a small city with a population of about 173,000 and a large community of retirees. It isn't a huge tourist destination, but it's a place to slow down and enjoy the Spanish way of life. It's certainly worth a visit if you are in the area. See Santander in conjunction with Spain's larger cities.
Things to Do in Santander
Beaches
Playa de Magdelena
This small beach is popular with families since it’s located on the bay side and there are no waves. Watersport rentals, including paddleboats with slides and paddleboards, are available. Additionally, there is a cafe that offers light meals.
Sardinero I and Sardinero II
This pair of large sandy beaches is on the other side of the peninsula from Playa de Magdelena. These beaches have waves and are popular with surfers. There are several food stands along the beaches.
Palacio de la Magdalena
Built between 1909 and 1911, this palace sits on a hill on the Magdalena Peninsula overlooking the ocean as a summer residence for the Spanish royal family. In 1977, the palace and peninsula were sold back to the city of Santander. Today, it's home to a university. Tours of the palace are available on weekends during the summertime and daily from mid-September through mid-June.
Santander Cathedral
Catedral de Santander is formally named Nuestra Señora de la Asunción Church-Cathedral and was built in the early 13th century in the Gothic style. An additional section dates from the 14th century. The cathedral has a lower church which was built on the remains of a Roman-era acropolis.
The cloister dates from the 15th century. The cathedral is open daily form 10 am until 1 pm and from 4:30 pm until 7:30 pm. For a panoramic view of the city, climb to the top of the belltower.
Centro Botin
Located on the water in the center of the city, Centro Botin is an arts and culture center that hosts rotating art exhibits, music, theatre, and dance performances, plus film and literature events.
Museums
Note that Santander's museums are closed on Mondays.
MAS (Museo de Arte Moderno y Contemporáneo de Santander y Cantabria)
This newly opened museum dedicated to Modern and Contemporary Art from Santander and Cantabria is free to visit. The collection spans four floors and includes works by Goya and Miró.
Maritime Museum
Probably Santander’s most well-known museum, the Maritime Museum a massive whale skeleton, exhibits that explore maritime history, and an aquarium.
Museum of Prehistory and Archaeology of Cantabria
Located beside Mercado de Este, Santander's Museum of Prehistory and Archaeology of Cantabria displays artifacts from prehistoric days through the Middle Ages. Visitors can easily work their way through the collection in a couple of hours.
Children might find the subject matter dry since the exhibits aren't particularly interactive and consist mostly of displays of ancient tools.
The Museum of Man and the Sea
An open-air museum on the Magdalena Peninsula, a short walk from Palacio de la Magdalena, that is a tribute to the nine expeditions made by scientist and sailor Vital Alsar Ramirez between 1966 and 1992. The exhibit includes three galleons and a raft that he used in his ocean explorations. The raft was what Alsar used to cross the Pacific in 1970.
Santander Markets
Santander has two large markets, one is more focused on prepared foods while the other sells produce, fish, meat, and other items.
Mercado del Este
This market is open everyday from 8 am until 11:30 pm and focuses on prepared foods. It's great place to try pinchos.
Mercado de la Esperanza
This large market has three areas: the downstairs fish market, the upstairs market with cheese, produce, meats, and a couple of stalls with prepared food, and an outdoor market with clothing and other items.
The second-floor market is not to be missed. Take advantage of the rare opportunity to have an iced coffee at Kafeteros, and then wander around. Tours of this market available. Mercado de la Esperanza is open from 8 am - 2 pm Monday through Saturday. On Thursdays and Fridays the market is also open form 5 pm until 7:30 pm.
Santander Playgrounds
We visited two playgrounds during our time in Santander.
Pereda Gardens Park
This playground next to Centro Botin was my daughter's favorite - probably because it has a giant two-story carousel.
Located in a touristy part of town, this playground had lots of children speaking a variety of languages playing together. Beside the playground is a cafe that serves coffee, beer, and light meals.
Parque Juegos Magdalena
Located just down the hill from the Palacio de la Magdalena, this playground wasn't very busy and had lots of areas for climbing.
Coastal Walk
Walking along the coast is one of the best things to do in Santander. There are several trails to explore.
Magdalena Peninsula
Admire the view of the Mouro Island lighthouse from Magdalena Peninsula - there is a great view from Palacio de la Magdalena. If you don't want to walk up the hill, you can take a small train to the top and then walk down.
The Mataleñas
The Mataleñas is a walking path that runs along the coast from Sardinero Beach to the Cabo Mayor Lighthouse. The Cabo Mayor Lighthouse is one of the best places to watch the sunset in Santander. Heads up - in June and July the sunset is usually after 10 pm!
Shopping
Santander's city center has some great shopping. Some of the best streets to visit are Calle Jesús de Monasterio, Calle Lealtad, Calle San Francisco, Calle Juan de Herrera, and Calle Calvo Sotelo.
A Uniquely Spanish Annual Event: La Noche de San Juan
This annual event takes place throughout Spain (more so in beach towns) and involves celebrating the shortest night of the year by lighting small fires on the beach and jumping over them. In Santander, the event features music, dancing, food, drinks, and a massive bonfire. The festivities get going around 11 pm - the sunset on the solistice isn't until around 10:30 pm.
An Essential Side Trip: Santillana del Mar
This medieval city is just about a 25-minute drive from Santander - it’s the ideal activity for a day that isn’t a beach day. Santillana del Mar is famous for two things: its location on the Camino de Santiago, a popular pilgrimage route that ends in Santiago de Compostela, and its well-preserved medieval architecture.
The town, with its flower-filled balconies, stone buildings, and cobblestone streets, is truly charming. There are lots of lovely restaurants with outdoor seating; we had a leisurely lunch at a restaurant with a menu of the day before exploring the village.
Stay tuned for more articles about Santander's food and restaurants.
