Protected by the pine-filled Parque Natural de las Dunas de Liencres, this exquisite 3km-long, gold-tinged beach has a delightful natural feel and is hugely popular with surfers and beach-lovers alike. It’s an 18km drive west of Santander: take the A67 west to Boo de Piélagos, then the CA231 and CA305 north.
Playa de Valdearenas
Santander
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
8.76 MILES
The museum’s highlight is the Neocueva, a dazzling, full-sized re-creation of the real Cueva de Altamira’s most interesting chamber, the Sala de…
16.61 MILES
With this marvellous 1888 building, the Marqués de Comillas’ summer palace, Modernista architect Joan Martorell truly managed to out-Gothic real Gothic…
8.67 MILES
Santander's newest and splashiest landmark, this ambitious waterfront arts and cultural centre opened to great fanfare in 2017. The futuristic two-block…
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29.75 MILES
Discovered in 1903 (second only to Altamira among Cantabrian caves with prehistoric artwork), the World Heritage–listed Covalanas cave is home to several…
10.54 MILES
Of these four World Heritage–listed caves 30km southwest of Santander, two – El Castillo and Las Monedas – are open for 45-minute guided visits (in…
16.52 MILES
Antoni Gaudí left few reminders of his genius beyond Catalonia, but of them the 1885 Capricho is easily the most flamboyant. This brick building, one of…
18.2 MILES
The 2km-long, soft-blonde Playa Oyambre, 5km west of Comillas, is a sandy dream protected by the Parque Natural Oyambre. It has frequently surfable waves,…
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10.47 MILES
At the eastern tip of the bay, this sprawling parkland is perfect for a stroll, and popular with picnickers. Kids will enjoy the resident seals, sea lions…
Nearby Santander attractions
7.52 MILES
A stroll along Santillana’s cobbled main street, past solemn 15th- to 18th-century nobles’ houses, leads to this beautiful 12th-century Romanesque ex…
7.63 MILES
This grisly exhibition displays more than 70 grim instruments of torture and capital punishment used by the Inquisition and elsewhere in Europe. You may…
3. Casa-Museo de Menéndez Pelayo
8.27 MILES
The family home of celebrated local scholar Marcelino Menéndez Pelayo (1856–1912) stands directly behind the elaborate Biblioteca de Menéndez Pelayo,…
4. Biblioteca de Menéndez Pelayo
8.28 MILES
This vast old library with its beautiful wood-lined reading room was built in 1915 to house the 41,500 books bequeathed to Santander by local teacher,…
5. Museo de Arte Moderno y Contemporáneo
8.29 MILES
Santander’s art museum offers an extensive eclectic collection spanning the 16th to 21st centuries. Much of it is secondary Spanish art, though you’ll…
8.4 MILES
Housed in a 19th-century cast-iron structure, the bustling Esperanza market is a lively slice of Cantabrian life. Shoppers throng two floors of stalls…
8.52 MILES
Santander’s serene cathedral comprises two Gothic churches, one above the other. The 14th-century upper church, extensively rebuilt after the 1941 fire,…
8. Iglesia del Santísimo Cristo
8.52 MILES
Two superposed Gothic churches make up Santander’s cathedral. In the lower, older, 13th-century Iglesia del Santísimo Cristo, glass floors reveal…