Santander Favorites

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Favorite thing: Santander is built on a hilly peninsula, which means that the sea is always present, be it the calm waters of the Bay of Santander, or the fierce open sea of the Bay of Biscay.

The city is long and narrow and most of the streets are very steep. Luckily, the majority of the sights of interest for the tourist are at sea level. The historical core of the city was entirely rebuilt after the 1941 fire and does not have many attractions. The Western part of the city is basically occupied by residential developments with little or none artistic value, so you will spend most of your time to the East of the City Hall.

Lining the port, the Paseo de Pereda and Paseo de Castelar are two elegant avenues where Santanderinos and tourists love to stroll. From the Festival Hall, a long and scenic road connects the centre of the city with el Sardinero neighbourhood, which has some of the best beaches in the city. This area is usually very crowded in Summer, but much quieter in the colder months.

Check the "Must do tips" for ideas on itineraries in Santander.

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Favorite thing: The foundation of Santander is attributed to the Romans, although there existed a previous settlement of the aboriginal Cantabrians. The Roman city was named Portvs Victoriae Ivliobrigensis.

In the Middle Ages, Santander and other towns of the Northern coast of Spain achieved prosperity and notoriety thanks to fishing, shipbuilding and trade with French, Flemish and English ports. It is in this period that the city got its current name, which is actually a corruption of Santi Emeterii, after one of its Saint Patrons.

The greatest development of Santander came in the XVIII century, when it achieved the status of city and was allowed to trade with America.

On the turn between the XIX and XX centuries, Santander became a fashionable holiday resort with well-heeled Spaniards. This period that left the most interesting architectural print in the city. The oldest area, unfortunately, was lost after an explosion in the port in 1893 and a devastating fire that burnt part of the city to ashes for various days in 1941 and left thousands homeless.

Santander is currently an administrative city of about 200.000 inhabitants, capital of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria.

Favorite thing: The UIMP university (Universidad Internacional Menendez Pelayo) organizes during the summer several courses.
One of the most popular are the Spanish Courses for foreigners, which, as well as the courses, they also offer accommodation and other social activities : excursions, the language exchange program "que tal?" together with the Oficial School of Languages,...

Infos at: www.uimp.es

Favorite thing: The following link points to the city street map.
At the bottom of the page, you can search for:
* callejero = street index drop-list
* lugares de interes = points of interest (neighbourhoods, parks and beaches, banks and public places, transport...)
* codigos postales = postcodes
* edificios de interes = interesting buildings (drawings of all these buildings with links to detailed info)
* hotels

All these links are only in Spanish, but the graphic information is good.

Fondest memory: http://www.ayto-santander.es/concejalias/turismo/Turismo_callejero_Santander.htm

Favorite thing: This page offers an introduction to the city both in Spanish and English, as well as lots of links about tourism and activities agenda (some of them mentioned in another tips).

Fondest memory: Page of the city hall department of tourism:

http://www.ayto-santander.es/concejalias/turismo/Turismo_principal_presentacion2.htm

Favorite thing: We did not stay in Santander...but what we saw was very beautiful...on our return we had a walk along to the marina...but unfortunately it was siesta time & not many places were open.So we just enjoyed the sights & the sunshine.

Favorite thing: THE NEO-CAVES
To solve this problem, they have built a clone of the caves, called Neo-Cave, which can be visited from 9.30 to 17.30, except mondays. The entrance (400 ptas, kids free) includes a guided tour through the 'new' caves, and a visit to the museum.
As they are recently opened, it is very important to make reservations in advance. Otherwise you could make a loooong line for more than 2 hours and end up without ticket. Reservations can be made at any 'Banco de Santander', at phone 902 24 24 24 / 902 11 22 11, or at the web www.bancosantander.es , www.bsch.es, or at www.bancosantanderbsch.es

Favorite thing: ALTAMIRA CAVES
Discovered in 1879 by chance by Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola, this caves are a masterpiece of paleolitic art (14.000 years ago!). To see the original ones you have to fill a form and wait for more than 3 years!!, as they only admit very small groups with guide.