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Things to do in Santander

Our most recommended things to do in Santander

Santander: 1-Hour City Cruise Around the Bay

1. Santander: 1-Hour City Cruise Around the Bay

Make your visit to the city an unforgettable experience by embarking on this 1-hour cultural highlights tour of Santander Bay, considered to be one of the most beautiful bays in the world. Beginning and ending at the pier in Santander, you'll pass along the coast, towards the interior of the bay, through Puertochico. Observe, among other points of interest, Magdanela Palace, the Sardinero, Loredo, Somo, and El Puntal Beaches, until you reach the Botín Center, an internationally renowned art center and meeting place in Santander. Listen to your live guide, who will provide information about the history and the local culture, in English and/or Spanish. Move between the sheltered part of the boat to the uncovered section where you'll have amazing panoramic views of the bay from the top of the boat.

Santander: Picos, Santo Toribio Monastery and Potes Day Tour

2. Santander: Picos, Santo Toribio Monastery and Potes Day Tour

Depart from Santander and head toward Liébana. You will love this region of Cantabria where the landscape is dominated by mountains, forests, and rivers. On the way, prepare to be impressed when crossing the Hermida Gorge, one of the longest gorges in Spain. The first stop will be to visit the Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana, a holy place for Christianity that houses the Lignum Crucis, the largest preserved piece of wood from the cross of Jesus. After this very special stop, continue the trip towards Fuente Dé, where there is the cable car station to go up to Picos de Europa. Enjoy at least 1 hour and 30 minutes of free time there to enjoy the place, take the cable car, or embark on a horseback riding experience around the area (optional). If you take the cable car, the trip will only last 4 minutes and will take you to a height of 1,823 m above sea level. The views from there are just breathtaking. Finally, arrive in Potes, the capital of Liébana and considered one of the most beautiful towns in Spain, with its cobbled streets, bridges, and medieval tower, Torre del Infantado. Take a short walking tour of the town and you enjoy free time for lunch and for shopping in one of its many souvenir shops.

Santander: Hop-On Hop-Off Tour 24-Hour

3. Santander: Hop-On Hop-Off Tour 24-Hour

Rolling hills, towering cliffs, diverse beaches...Santander has now evolved into one of Spain's most popular resorts for wealthy or noble Madrilenos (people from Madrid). Damaged by a fire in 1941, parts of the city have been re-built retaining the original architectural style. The reconstructed area houses Santander's most popular Gothic Cathedral. To make a visit more complete, guests should walk from the immense Palace grounds and then take a route along the Pla de Camel and the Playa Primera de El Sardinero to end at the Jardines de Piquio. Upgrade your experience to include a guided tour of the Magdalena Palace, the former home of the Spanish Royal Family. The upgraded option also includes a round-trip train ticket to the palace. Your itinerary stops: Stop 1 - Cathedral Stop 2 - Pasea Pereda Stop 3 - Peurto Chico Stop 4 - Museo Maritimo/ Playas Bahia Stop 5 - Palacio Festivales y Planetario Stop 6 - Palacio de la Magdalena Stop 7 - Playa del Sardinero/ Casino Stop 8 - Parque de Mataleñas/ Faro Cabo Mayor Stop 9 - Parque de las Llamas Stop 10 - Estación Marítima

From Santander: Cabarceno Natural Park Half-Day Trip

4. From Santander: Cabarceno Natural Park Half-Day Trip

Visit Cabarceno Natural Park with a guide to understand and see what makes this park so unique. Once an open-cast iron mining operation, the park was reclaimed and turned into a conservation and also provides environmental education. The park is home to almost 150 species of animals from the five continents that live in a semi-freedom and are distributed in large enclosures. Explore the park by minivan and also have the opportunity to see it from the air as you take a short trip on a cable car. During your visit, see a large variety of animals including, but not limited to gorillas, tigers, bears, and elephants. Depending on the season and weather conditions have the chance to see flight demonstrations of raptors, as well as a demonstration of sea lions.

From Santander: Santillana del Mar & Altamira Museum Tour

5. From Santander: Santillana del Mar & Altamira Museum Tour

Depart from Santander at 9:30 AM and head to Santillana del Mar, a beautiful village of the Middle Ages. This village with is one of the best-known cultural and tourist centers of Cantabria. You will enjoy a walking tour along its cobbled streets until you reach its Plaza Mayor where you will see the Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana. There you will visit the museum of the local sculptor Jesús Otero. Afterward, you will have some free time to visit the Collegiate if you wish and do some shopping around. Afterward, you will head to the Altamira Museum. This museum houses a scale replica of the 'room of paintings', the so-called Neocave. This cave was declared World Heritage by Unesco in 1985. To protect its preservation, it currently allows only 5 people to visit it per week and this is the reason they created this replica from the cave. The cave is a natural cavity in the rock, with paintings dated from 35,600 years ago and it stands as one of the most important pictorial and artistic cycles of prehistoric paintings int he world.

From Santander: Lakes of Covadonga Guided Day Trip

6. From Santander: Lakes of Covadonga Guided Day Trip

Asturias is the region that has it all. Find out why they say that paradise is in Asturias on a full-day trip that takes you past its blue lakes, green hillsides, and stunning coastline. Marvel at the mountains of Covadonga and learn the secrets that they hold. The tour starts from Santander and takes you past many Asturian and Cantabrian treasures. Learn about the history of this region as you drive into Covadonga Mountain National Park and up to Mirador de Entrelagos – the viewpoint between 2 lakes – where you'll take in Ercina and the Enol below. After visiting the Lakes of Covadonga, venture down to the Royal Site of Covadonga, home to the Virgen of Covadonga. Popularly known as La Santina, this site has a majestic Basilica built from stones from the surrounding mountains. The next stop is Cangas de Onís. Once the capital of the Kingdom of Asturias, this small town is home to a charming bridge with an incredible history. Learn all about this town from your guide and snap a picture of the famous victory cross.

From Santander or Torrelavega: Soplao Cave Excursion

7. From Santander or Torrelavega: Soplao Cave Excursion

Start with pickup in Santander or Torrelavega and travel to El Soplao Cave in the Cantabrian mountains. Admire the scenery of valleys, forests, and mountain peaks throughout the journey. Upon arrival, take a one-hour guided tour of the different chambers, or "galleries", of the cave. First, learn more about its discovery in the early 20th century. Be amazed by a natural geological wonder of spectacular stalactites, stalagmites, washes, columns, cave pearls, and other interesting features. After visiting the cave, continue the trip towards the beautiful viewpoint of Tina Menor located outside the town of Pechón. Enjoy the wonderful views of the Cantabrian Sea and the beaches below.

Cantabria: El Castillo Caves & Paleolithic Art

8. Cantabria: El Castillo Caves & Paleolithic Art

In this half-day tour, you will learn about history, caves, and paleolithic art. In fact, this is an awesome opportunity to visit an authentic cave with paintings from the Paleolithic era. After picking you up at your hotel, we will drive towards Puente Viesgo to explore the famous Caves of El Castillo and Las Monedas, both World Heritage Sites by UNESCO since 2008 for their cave paintings. It will only take us 40 minutes to arrive at El Castillo Mount where these famous caves are located. The visit to the caves is done on foot and by a local guide of the caves (the visit is in Spanish, so should you don't understand Spanish, your tour leader will join you during this visit to translate it into English for you). Each cave visit will take about 50 minutes, you will be surprised by the art legacy our ancestors left us thousands of years ago. Next, we will visit the recently inaugurated Paleolithic Art interpretation center in Puente Viesgo to learn more about cave art. We will also enjoy a nice walk along the village of Puente Viesgo, you will love the views over the Pas River and the Pasiego Valleys.

From Santander: Pilgrimage Day to Santo Toribio

9. From Santander: Pilgrimage Day to Santo Toribio

At 9:00am leave Santander for Potes, the capital of Liébana region. To get there you will cross the impressive gorge of the Hermida, part of a set of narrow gorges along the river Deva. Once in Potes, you will have the opportunity to do a short walking pilgrimage to the Monastery of Santo Toribio, 3 km from the village. This walk is roughly 45 minutes. The Monastery of Santo Toribio is, along with Santiago, Rome and Jerusalem, one of the holiest Christian sites, as it is host to the longest piece of the cross on which Jesus Christ died. The Monastery is also well known for celebrating the Jubileum regularly (the next Jubilee Year will be in 2023). It was Holy Toribio of Astorga, custodian of the relics of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, who transferred a piece of the Cross to Astorga, city of which he was Bishop. This relic was transferred then to Liebana by Christians who wanted to keep it safe from the Muslims who had started the invasion of the peninsula. This place was also a place of pilgrimage, with its own identity due to the curative and miraculous powers attributed to the remains of the Saint of Astorga and to the Relic itself. Once you arrive in Potes, you will have the opportunity to walk the last part of the Lebaniego Way, this is the 3 km route that separates Potes from the Monastery, and attend the Pilgrim's mass at 12:00pm. After the mass, visit the chapel of San Miguel from where you will enjoy beautiful views of Picos de Europa before going back to Potes for lunch. The menu includes a “Cocido Lebaniego”, a stew of chickpeas and meat. This is the perfect local dish to recharge your energy. However, should you prefer another menu, please advise upon booking this tour. In the afternoon you will visit San Sebastian de Garabandal, a small village in the mountains where there were appearances of Virgin Mary from 1961 to 1965. You will have the opportunity here to walk up to the "Sanctuary of Los Pinos", the main place where the Virgin appeared. After the tour, enjoy comfortable transport back to Santander.

From Santiago: 5-Day Private Tour of Northern Spain

10. From Santiago: 5-Day Private Tour of Northern Spain

Day 1: Santiago de Compostela Your local guide will pick you up at your hotel and take you on a 4-hour visit of Santiago de Compostela, including the cathedral. Enjoy free time for lunch before the driver will picks you up and leads you for a visit to the Costa da Morte on the Galician coast. Stay overnight at your hotel. Day 2: From Santiago to Oviedo Your driver will pick you up at your hotel in Santiago de Compostela and drive you towards Oviedo. On your way, discover the coastal regions of Galicia and Asturias, including the As Catedrais beach, Ribadeo, Mirador La Regalina observation deck, and the Lighthouse Cabo Vidio. Enjoy a lunch break in Cudillero. After lunch, drive to Oviedo where you will meet with your local guide and enjoy a guided visit to its old town. Sleep in Oviedo Day 3: From Oviedo to Santander Your driver will pick up you up at your hotel in Oviedo and drive you towards Santander. On the way, stop to visit the Holy Cave of Covadonga and basilica followed by a lunch break in Llanes. Take a scenic drive through San Vicente de la Barquera and stop in Comillas to enjoy a guided visit to the El Capricho de Gaudí. Sleep in Santander. Day 4: Santander and Santillana del Mar Your guide will pick you up at your hotel to show you the nice city of Santander and its bay on a 3-hour tour. Take a lunch break in Santander, after which you will go to one of the nicest villages in Spain, Santillana del Mar. Enjoy some time to walk around and visit the Neo-Cave of Altamira in the Altamira Museum. Day 5: Santander to Bilbao Your driver will pick you up at your hotel in Santander and drive you towards Bilbao. Meet with your local guide and enjoy a guided tour of the city and a 4-hour visit to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Take a lunch break in Bilbao and have free time to visit the so-called "Hanging Bridge" linking Portugalete and Las Arenas. The final drop-off will be at your hotel in Bilbao where the tour will end.

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What are the best day trips and excursions from Santander?

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What people are saying about Santander

Overall rating

4.6 / 5

based on 190 reviews

Amazing tour of Comillas blessed with lovely weather and a wonderful guide (Gabriella.) Saw all the sights I wanted to see with the highlight being Caprico de Gaudi Would totally recommend this tour - 10 out of 10 !

Everything was perfect to see so many species in a space adapted almost to their natural space, the landscapes were perfect, since the enclosures are so large with some animals it is difficult to see them

Today was a wonderful day trip. Our guide was enthusiastic, informative and enjoyable. We also had sufficient time to explore on our own. I wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you.

It has been great! They pick you up at the door of your hotel and take you back, our guide Carlos, the best of all, a great expert and a great experience thanks to him !!

A great boat trip around the bay, a lovely way to see the sights of Santander