Santander

Santander, a charming city in northern Spain, in the Cantabria region, extends along a bay with stunning views of the coast and the Cantabrian Sea. It has lush parks, paradisiacal beaches and a peninsula dominated by an elegant English-style palace. Furthermore, it has a seafront for pleasant walks between historic buildings such as the Grand Casino Sardinero, modern buildings such as the Centro Botín, gardens with monuments such as the Doctor Mesones Park and paths that reach the cliff of the Cabo Mayor Lighthouse.

PARKS AND GARDENS

One of the largest parks with privileged lookouts is the Cabo Mayor Park (Parque Cabo Mayor).
Some parks and gardens of Santander are:

  • Mataleñas Park (Parque de Mataleñas);
  • Doctor Mesones Park (Parque Doctor Mesones);
  • Piquío Gardens (Jardines del Piquío) with a wonderful view of the coastline;
  • Magdalena Peninsula Park (Parque de la península de la Magdalena);
  • Menéndez Pelayo Park (Parque de Menéndez Pelayo);
  • Los Pinares Park (Parque Los Pinares);
  • San Roque Gardens (Jardines de San Roque);
  • Pereda Gardens (Jardines de Pereda) where there is the Art Centre Botín;
  • Las Llamas Park (Parque Atlántico de Las Llamas);
  • Rostrio Park (Parque de Rostrio).

MUSEUMS

Some museums of Santander are:

  • Art Centre Cabo Mayor Lighthouse (Centro de Arte Cabo Mayor);
  • Sport Museum (Museo del Deporte);
  • Museum of man and the sea (Museo el Hombre y la Mar);
  • Magdalena Palace (Palacio de la Magdalena);
  • Cantabrian Maritime Museum (Museo Marítimo del Cantábrico);
  • Botín Centre (Centro Botín);
  • Museum of Prehistory and Archeology of Cantabria (Museo de Prehistoria y Arqueología de Cantabria);
  • Archaeological Centre of the Medieval Wall (Centro Arqueológico de la Muralla Medieval de Santander);
  • Mariana Pineda air raid shelter (Refugio antiaéreo de Mariana Pineda);
  • the Interpretation Centre of the History of the City (Centro de Interpretación de la Historia de la Ciudad);
  • House Museum of the Pelayo family and the Gerardo Diego Foundation (Casa Museo de la familia Pelayo, Fundación Gerardo Diego);
  • The Bullfighting Museum (Museo Taurino);
  • The Coastal Interpretation Centre (Centro de interpretación del litoral).

CHURCHES

Some churches of Santander are:

  • Church of Saint Lucy (Iglesia de Santa Lucía);
  • Cathedral (Catedral de la Asunción de Nuestra Señora);
  • Church of Santísimo Cristo (Iglesia del Santísimo Cristo);
  • Convent of the Poor Clares of Santa Cruz (Convento de las Madres Clarisas de Santa Cruz);
  • Church of Saint Francis (Iglesia de San Francisco);
  • Church of the Salesas Reales (Iglesia de las Salesas Reales);
  • the Hermitage of the Virgen del Mar (Ermita de la Virgen del Mar).

 

TRADITIONAL FESTIVALS

An attractive feature of Santander is the wide variety of traditional festivals that place throughout the year. Some festivals are:

  • The Cavalcade of Magi (Gran Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos);
  • The Cantabria Children’s Day (Día Infantil de Cantabria);
  • The Festival of the Virgin of the Sea (Fiesta de la Virgen del Mar);
  • The Wave Baths (Baños de Ola);
  • The Big week of Santander (Semana Grande de Santander);
  • Santander International Festival (Festival Internacional de Santander);
  • The Holy patron martyrs’ Day, Saint Emeterio and Saint Celedonio.

GASTRONOMY

Santander is a city between sea and land with a wide variety of genuine gastronomic products and typical dishes based on fish from the Cantabrian Sea, local meat, vegetables and legumes.
Some traditional dishes are:

  • Seafood (mariscada);
  • sardines (sardinas a la santanderina);
  • anchovies (anchoas de Santoña);
  • meat dishes (cocido montañés, cocido lebaniego);
  • cheese queso nata de Cantabria;
  • cheese queso de Liébana;
  • cheese queso Picón Bejes-Tresviso;
  • desserts (sobaos, quesada pasiega);
  • wines (Vinos de la Tierra) of the Cantabrian Coast and Liébana.

BEACHES

The beaches of Santander are:

  • The beach playa Virgen del Mar;
  • The beach playa de la Maruca;
  • The beach playa de Rosamunda;
  • The beach playa el Bocal;
  • The beach playa de Mataleñas;
  • The beach playa de los Molinucos;
  • The beach playa del Sardinero;
  • The beach playa de la concha;
  • The beach playa del Camello;
  • The beach playa de los bikinis;
  • The beach playa de la Magdalena;
  • The beach playa de los peligros.

 

Other cities of Cantabria to visit:

  • Castro Urdiales: Along its coast there are wonderful beaches and high cliffs with stunning view of the landscape. Read more here about Castro-Urdiales
  • Laredo: is a place with an interesting historical-cultural heritage to discover. In addition to the remains of the medieval wall, the historic centre (Puebla Vieja) which includes six streets and the church of Saint Mary of the Assumption (Iglesia de Santa María de la Asunción) from the 13th and 16th centuries in Gothic style are two assets that form part of the cultural heritage of the region. Read more here about Laredo

Santander has a train station, a bus station, the Severiano Ballesteros airport, the port and the motorway which allow you to reach the city via various means of transport.

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