Santillana del Mar
Sleep in an exquisitely preserved, centuries-old nobles’ home gazing out across Santillana’s cobbled main plaza. The 28 rooms are comfy, stylish and well equipped, yet full of historical character, and there are oodles of tucked-away lounges to get lost in, complemented by an elegant walled garden where you can breakfast in summer.
Santillana has a second, slightly cheaper parador, of recent construction but in traditional style, just off the same plaza.
1.15 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…
9.39 MILES
With this marvellous 1888 building, the Marqués de Comillas’ summer palace, Modernista architect Joan Martorell truly managed to out-Gothic real Gothic…
16.03 MILES
Santander's newest and splashiest landmark, this ambitious waterfront arts and cultural centre opened to great fanfare in 2017. The futuristic two-block…
9.88 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…
9.3 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…
11.13 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,…
17.88 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…
26.09 MILES
The Río Ebro starts life at this tree-shaded spring 5km northwest of Reinosa. It’s a stunningly serene spot, with deep-turquoise water, a tiny shrine and…
0.04 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…
0.17 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…
1.15 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…
7.67 MILES
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…
9.2 MILES
Comillas’ main church was constructed in the 17th century – the townspeople, offended, paid for it from their own pockets after the Duque de Infantado’s…
9.25 MILES
In the heart of town, this elaborate triple-tiered fountain and lamp post was created in 1899 by Modernista Lluís Domènech i Montaner and decorated with…
9.3 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…
8. Capilla-Panteón de Sobrellano
9.35 MILES
On a grassy hillside beside the Marqués de Comillas’ summer palace is the marquis’ family tomb, an intricate ‘mini-cathedral’ designed by Joan Martorell,…