Santander is the capital city of the Cantabria region. The city sits on Spain’s north coast facing the Bay of Biscay. It is a port city with a population of around 172,000.
Santander’s old town is fairly small. This is because it was destroyed by fire in 1941. What remains of the old town and the beaches are the main tourist attractions in the city.
Playa Primera de El Sardinero is an excellent beach. It is conveniently located on the eastern side of the city. There are plenty of places to eat and play areas for the kids.
The Palacio Real de La Magdalena was originally built as a Royal palace between 1908 and 1912. It sits on a beautiful peninsula surrounded by water. The buildings are now used for conferences and events. It is also an excellent place to visit and enjoy the peaceful surroundings.
The Museo Maritimo del Cantabrico is a maritime museum. It focuses on Santander’s and Cantabria’s proud maritime traditions. There is a range of displays and a restaurant with excellent water views.
The Prehistory and Archaeology Museum of Cantabria is a smallish museum full of amazing things to see. It houses artifacts dating back to prehistory through to the middle ages. The museum is conveniently located under Mercado Municipal del Este where you can find plenty of places to eat.
For a touch of local style markets visit Mercado de la Esperanza. Here you will find a huge selection of produce to buy as well ready to go foods and a few places to eat.
Like the rest of Spain, several traditional festivals are celebrated throughout the year. These include events near Christmas, New Year, Easter, Spain’s National day and various Saints days. Other events are peculiar to Santander.
The La Virgen el Mar or Virgin of the Sea celebrates the patron saint of Santander. The festival is held in on the Monday following Whitsunday. This can be in May or June. It involves a procession, mass, picnics, concerts and a fair.
Every July, the Santander Exhibition Centre has the International Art Fair. The fair shows pieces from galleries around the world in the hope of introducing the public to a variety of art.
Also in July is Magdalena Live. This involves four days of concerts on the Magdalena peninsula with various artists performing.
The Festival Internacional de Santander (FIS) happens in August. The festival runs for 30 days and has a range of performances, concerts, and recitals from a variety of artists.
Ryanair flies from Londons Stansted airport to Santander. The flying time is around 1 hour 55 minutes.
Vueling Airlines flies from Paris and many Spanish cities to Santander.
Iberian Airlines flies from most Spanish cities to Santander.
For something different, Brittany Ferries operates services to Santander. These depart from Portsmouth and Plymouth in the UK and Cork in Ireland.
Santander is about 1 hour 10-minute drive from Bilbao.
The trip from Gijon takes about 2 hours.
Madrid to Santander takes about 5 hours to drive.