Santander

Introduction

Santander is the capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria, on the northern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is a port city, facing the Cantabrian Sea.

Before you go

Getting there

Santander's airport, Seve Ballesteros–Santander (SDR), sits at Camargo about 5 km east of downtown and is served by Ryanair from various points in western Europe, Britain and Ireland, Iberia from Madrid and Vueling from Barcelona. It's a single small terminal with the usual facilities groundside and airside; if you're on a non-Schengen departure, note that passport control doesn't open until 45 minutes before your flight, and the gates beyond it have no toilets or other facilities. The Alsa bus runs from outside Arrivals to the city bus station every 30 minutes, taking about 10 minutes — buy your ticket from the machine in Arrivals (which also sells tickets to other cities) or from the driver. Taxis wait in front of the terminal and accept credit cards, and the airport connects to motorway A-8, east towards Bilbao and west into Asturias.

By bus, you arrive at the Estaciónes, the trio of bus, mainline railway and cercanías railway stations standing adjacent in the city centre; the bus station has the most facilities, with much of it underground and cafés, ticket offices and machines and left-luggage on site, while long-distance buses use the lower basement. Alsa runs from Madrid every two hours (5 hr 30 min, some starting at Madrid Airport T4), from Barcelona in 10 hours via Zaragoza, from Gijón in 4 hours via Oviedo, and from Bilbao hourly in 90 minutes; Flixbus runs daily from Paris, taking 13 hours via Bordeaux, San Sebastian and Bilbao. Renfe trains run five times a day from Madrid Chamartín, taking 4–5 hours via Segovia, Valladolid, Palencia and Reinosa, with one daily train starting from Alicante, plus slow but cheap regional services from Oviedo, Palencia and Bilbao. Cercanías suburban trains connect Reinosa via Torrelavega (C1), Cabezón de la Sal via Torrelavega (C2) and Liérganes (C3). By sea, Brittany Ferries crosses the Bay of Biscay — notorious for its Atlantic swells — from Plymouth (21 hours, March to October, two or three times a week) and from Portsmouth (24 hours, twice weekly year round); the ferry terminal is central, off Calle Antonio Lopez near the bus and railway stations. By road, follow the E5 north from Madrid past Burgos (400 km), or take the A-8 coastal motorway from the French border past Bilbao, which is 250 km from Biarritz or Bayonne.

Getting around

Santander sprawls, but the sights you'll want to see sit in a compact centre that's best covered on foot. The walk from the Town Hall and cathedral out to the Magdalena headland or Sardinero beach is long but very doable, and the route via Paseo Pereda and the Puerto Chico marina to the El Sardinero beaches is pleasant at a relaxed pace. The terrain isn't uniformly flat: the city rises inland, so expect steep streets away from the waterfront, though mechanical ramps and escalators — urban lifts — link the lower city to the higher residential districts on some of the steepest climbs. Around the cathedral and Plaza Porticada you'll find pedestrian-only zones that are paved and accessible for strollers and wheelchairs, and crossings and street lighting are generally good in the evenings.

TUS runs the city's blue-and-white bus network, with most routes passing through Paseo Pereda and the Ayuntamiento and frequent service to the El Sardinero beaches at peak daylight hours. Extra "S" lines are added in summer for coastal access, and "Nocturno" night buses run on Friday and Saturday nights. Board at the front door and exit in the middle or rear; drivers sell single tickets for cash only and may not break large notes, so carry small change. Real-time arrival displays at stops show when the next bus is due. If you're staying more than a day, the rechargeable Tarjeta de Transporte card cuts the per-journey price substantially, allows free transfers within an hour, and is multi-person, so you can tap it several times for a group — but it isn't valid on the airport bus. Buy and load it at estancos or kiosks near the main bus stops, not on board, and keep your ticket or card until you leave the bus. A TUS mobile app provides real-time arrivals, route planning and a stop map.

Santander has no metro or tram. Renfe provides long-distance trains and the cercanías suburban network, and the mainline and cercanías stations sit alongside the bus station in the centre, making connections easy. The cercanías lines serve towns around the bay and the wider region, so they're useful for day trips rather than for getting around the city itself.

A City Sightseeing hop-on hop-off bus circles the city roughly hourly, starting from the cathedral and calling at Paseo Pereda, the maritime museum, the festival palace and planetarium, the Palacio de la Magdalena, Playa de Sardinero, the Cabo Mayor lighthouse, Mataleñas, the university, Avenida Valdecilla, Cuatro Caminos and Barrio Pesquero. The full circuit takes a while and tickets are valid for 24 hours; the ticket also includes free admission to the Centro Botín contemporary art gallery. The section out to the Palacio de la Magdalena is covered by a little red road-train, and you can buy a cheaper ticket for just that portion. Separately, a tourist train runs a circular route around the Magdalena Peninsula from the Campa de la Magdalena near the park entrance, frequently in high season with a reduced winter schedule, taking in the mini-zoo, the royal stables and the coastline with a brief photo stop near the palace. Check the final departure time if you're visiting late in the afternoon.

Taxis are white with a diagonal blue stripe on the front doors, with ranks at the bus and railway stations, the airport and Plaza de Italia, among other places, and a dozen operators work the city. Fares are metered, with higher rates at night, on Sundays and on public holidays; most taxis accept credit cards, but ask first. You can book by app or through the local radio-taxi service. Ride-hailing has a limited presence, and traditional taxis dominate — they're a sensible choice if you're arriving with luggage or heading to the ferry terminal.

The city's bike-share scheme has been out of service, so don't count on it. If you do cycle, the waterfront route from the ferry terminal out to the Magdalena Peninsula is flat, while the streets climbing inland toward the northern districts are steep.

Where to stay

Santander's accommodation splits between the city centre and the beach at El Sardinero. Downtown you'll find efficient, business-type places such as Hotel Bahía by the cathedral, the Dorma Coliseum on Plaza de los Remedios, and the modern NH Ciudad de Santander on Paseo Menéndez Pelayo. For something simpler and inexpensive, Hospedaje Magallanes on Calle Magallanes offers comfy rooms in the centre.

• Hotel Bahía — central, clean and efficient, by the cathedral
• Dorma Coliseum — clean, friendly business-type hotel downtown
• NH Ciudad de Santander — good modern chain hotel downtown
• Hospedaje Magallanes — comfy, inexpensive city-centre option

Near the beach, the Santemar Hotel sits a block back from El Sardinero, while the slick, comfortable Gran Hotel Sardinero is right on the beachfront. At the north end of the beach you'll find the pleasant Hotel Chiqui, and the small, clean and cosy Hotel Las Brisas is also close to the sand.

Food & drink

Seafood dominates eating in Santander, so it helps if you like fish. Shellfish include almejas (clams) and navajas (razor clams), while the fish you'll see most are seabream, red mullet, anchovies, seabass and sardines; squid and cuttlefish are staples too. For a quick bite, 100 Montaditos is a tapas and open-sandwich chain with outlets south of the cathedral and on Plaza Brisas at Sardinero beach, and Mercado del Este now operates as a food court near the Archaeology Museum. Regma, an ice-cream chain, has several outlets downtown and more along Sardinero beach.

Downtown you'll find inexpensive traditional cooking and cheerful tapas bars, particularly around Peña Herbosa, which has a cluster of spots for grills, pizzas and rice dishes such as paella. Sardinero beach is the place for Chinese, Mexican, Italian and Turkish options, plus friendly places serving traditional cuisine. For something different from tapas, there's the city's only Indian restaurant, and mid-range choices range from upmarket Cantabrian meals to Japanese sushi and sashimi. At the top end, several upscale seafood restaurants get admiring reviews, alongside fine dining overlooking the beach. For drinks, Plaza de Cañadío in the old town has a cluster of bars. Cantabria produces red and white wine from its coastal strip and the mountain region of Liébana to the west, though none reaches DO quality.

What to see and do

Santander's compact centre is easy to explore on foot. The two-level Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción combines a 12th-century lower church with a 13th-century upper basilica and a later cloister; time your visit outside Mass. A block north, the neoclassical Plaza Porticada was laid out as the new heart of the city after the 1941 fire, while the broad Paseo de Pereda runs east from the cathedral to the old harbour at Puerto Chico. Other central churches worth a look include the Renaissance Iglesia de la Anunciación and the Baroque Iglesia de la Consolación, built over a medieval cemetery. The Ayuntamiento dates from 1907, and the former San Rafael Hospital now houses the regional parliament. For art, the Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art holds paintings and sculpture from the Italian, Flemish and Spanish schools, including a Goya portrait of King Fernando VII, and the Museo de Prehistoria y Arqueología covers the Paleolithic through to medieval times. The Centro Botín stages contemporary exhibitions, and Plaza Pombo is a small square with an old bandstand.

Along the coast you can walk out on the breakwater at Puertochico, the marina neighbourhood, or continue to the Dique de Gamazo, a dry dock on reclaimed land. The Naves de Gamazo puts contemporary art, with an aeronautics theme, into former industrial warehouses, while the Maritime Museum of Cantabria covers maritime heritage, natural history and an aquarium. La Magdalena, a wooded headland with a park, small zoo, lighthouse and replica ships, centres on the Palacio that once served as a royal summer residence. Further west, the Faro Cabo Mayor Art Centre displays lighthouse-themed works at the base of a lighthouse, and the Panteón del Inglés is a cliff-top chapel. Boat trips run from the Paseo Maritimo near the marina, and cultural venues include the Fundación Caja Cantabria, the Centro Cultural Doctor Madrazo, the Colección del Ateneo in the former Mercado del Este, and the Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria for classical music and ballet. Golfers have courses at Cabo Mayor, Abra del Pas, and across the bay at Pedreña and Pretium. The beaches are Atlantic, so the water is clean but cold and the tides cover much of the sand at high water; with north-westerly weather it can be too rough for swimming. Playa de la Magdalena is the closest, sheltered in the estuary, with Playa del Camello on the peninsula and the long sweep of Playa del Sardinero, the city's main beach, divided by Piquío Gardens. Smaller options include Playa de Los Molinucos and the secluded Playa de Mataleñas.

Three days in Santander

Day one: Start with the city itself, since Santander sits on the Cantabrian Sea and looks out over the Atlantic on the Iberian Peninsula. Begin around the Jardines de Pereda, then work through the centre towards Becedo, the old quarter, where the streets are narrow and the mood is local rather than resort-like. Stop by the Oficina de Turismo Municipal for maps and current listings, and use the day to get your bearings between the historic core and the waterfront.

Day two: Give the coast your full attention. Head to El Sardinero, the city's beach district, and walk the Magdalena peninsula, where the gardens and sea views define the Santander experience. This is the side of the city that drew Spanish royalty and later visitors from Britain, Ireland and elsewhere in Europe. Expect warm, humid summers and a mild, damp winter climate, so plan around the weather rather than against it.

Day three: Look beyond the city. Cantabria spreads west towards Asturias and east towards Bilbao and Biarritz, with Gijón further along the coast. If you are flying, Santander airport at Camargo is served by Ryanair, Iberia and Vueling, with connections via Madrid and Barcelona and other Schengen points; the Alsa network and arrivals by taxi cover the region. Alternatively, stay close and revisit the Jardines de Pereda and the centre at an easier pace before you leave.