Santillana del Mar: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Locals say Santillana del Mar is the town of three lies: it is not holy, not flat, and not on the sea. The name comes from Santa Juliana, whose relics brought pilgrims and money to a monastery here, and the village grew around it. Its stone mansions belonged to noble families who carved their coats of arms over the doors. The walk is under a kilometre on cobbles, so wear proper shoes and come early, before the tour buses.
A short history of Santillana del Mar
Santillana del Mar grew up around a monastery founded in the 9th century that kept the relics of Saint Juliana, and the town's name comes from a corruption of hers. In the 12th century the Romanesque church of Santa Juliana was built, and in the centuries that followed noble families built stone houses with coats of arms here, which still stand almost unchanged. About two kilometres from the town is the Cave of Altamira. In 1879 María, the eight-year-old daughter of Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola, noticed the paintings of bison on the ceiling, and at first many refused to believe they were ancient. Only at the beginning of the 20th century were they recognised as Palaeolithic paintings, more than 14,000 years old. In 1985 the cave was declared a World Heritage Site.
The ten best sights in Santillana del Mar
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1Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana
The Romanesque church the town is named after; the carved cloister is the highlight
2Altamira MuseumA full-size replica of the painted cave, 2 km from town; book ahead in summer
3Regina Coeli Diocesan MuseumReligious art in a former convent of the Poor Clares, at the entrance to the old town
4Torre de Don BorjaA medieval tower house on the main square, now home to the Santillana Foundation and its exhibitions
5Museum of TortureInstruments of the Inquisition era; not for young children
6Plaza de Ramón PelayoThe main square, lined with stone mansions and coats of arms; quietest early morning
7Santillana ZooA small zoo on the edge of town; an easy afternoon with children
8Santa Justa BeachA cove 4 km north with a hermitage built into the cliff
9El Capricho de GaudíOne of Gaudí's few buildings outside Catalonia, 15 km west in Comillas
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10Cabárceno Nature Park
Elephants, bears and giraffes roaming an old mine; plan half a day
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Santillana del Mar →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Santillana del Mar:
Free walking tours in Santillana del Mar
The town of three lies
Locals say Santillana del Mar is the town of three lies: it is not holy, not flat, and not on the sea. The name comes from Santa Juliana, whose relics brought pilgrims and money to a monastery here, and the village grew around it. Its stone mansions belonged to noble families who carved their coats of arms over the doors. The walk is under a kilometre on cobbles, so wear proper shoes and come early, before the tour buses.
- Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana · The 12th-century church keeps the relics of Santa Juliana, a martyr of the early church, and the town's name is a contraction of hers. The cloister capitals show knights, lions and biblical scenes, carved by masons who worked along the pilgrim roads.
- Plaza de Ramón Pelayo · The square is named after Ramón Pelayo, Marquis of Valdecilla, a Cantabrian who made a fortune in Cuba and paid for the great Valdecilla hospital in Santander. The town hall and the parador stand on its sides.
- Torre del Merino · This 14th-century tower housed the merino, the official who collected taxes and judged in the king's name. Its narrow windows show it was built for defence as much as for living.
- Torre de Don Borja · A 15th-century tower house with a Gothic doorway, today the seat of the Santillana Foundation. Its exhibitions change through the year, and the inner courtyard is a quiet corner off the busy square.
- Museum of Torture · The collection gathers instruments used in Europe from the Middle Ages to the age of the Inquisition, with notes on how each was used. It is grim, and better skipped with small children.
- Regina Coeli Diocesan Museum · The former convent of the Poor Clares, founded in the 16th century, now shows carved saints and church silver gathered from village churches across Cantabria. The nuns' cloister is part of the visit.
Painted caves
Cantabria is one of the richest places on earth for Ice Age art, and Santillana sits at its centre. The most famous cave, Altamira, is almost closed to protect its paintings, but a faithful replica stands beside it, and real painted caves nearby can still be entered. This is a day by car, with timed entry at every cave, so book ahead and carry a sweater: the caves stay cool all year.
- Altamira Museum · The museum opened in 2001 with the Neocave, an exact copy of the cave as it looked when it was painted, bison ceiling included. Visit it first: the real caves nearby make more sense once you have seen this one in full light.
- Altamira Cave · In 1879 María, the eight-year-old daughter of Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola, looked up and saw bison painted on the ceiling. Experts called it a fake for twenty years, until in 1902 the French scholar Émile Cartailhac published his 'Mea culpa of a sceptic'.
- El Pendo Cave · People lived in this huge cave mouth for tens of thousands of years, but its painted frieze of deer and horses was only noticed in 1997. Visits are guided and small, with the paintings seen from a platform.
- El Castillo Cave · In 2012 researchers dated a red disc on these walls to more than 40,800 years ago, which made it one of the oldest known cave paintings in Europe. The hand stencils, made by blowing paint around a palm, are the part people remember.
- Las Monedas Cave · The cave on the same hill takes its name from coins of the time of the Catholic Monarchs found in one of its pits. Beyond them are black drawings of horses, reindeer and goats among bright stalactites.
- El Soplao Cave · Miners of the La Florida lead and zinc mine broke into this cave in the early 20th century. It has no paintings; it is known instead for its helictites, crystal formations that grow sideways and twist in every direction.
Coast and Comillas
The sea that Santillana's name promises is only four kilometres away, along a coast of small coves and wide surf beaches. To the west, Comillas grew rich on money brought back from the Americas, and spent it on Catalan architects, Gaudí among them. This loop by car takes a full day, with a beach stop at either end; the sea is cold even in August, so bring a towel more than a swimsuit.
- Hermitage of Santa Justa · The little chapel is built into a cave in the cliff at the edge of the beach, with the rock as its back wall. Above it stand the remains of a watchtower that guarded this stretch of coast.
- Suances Lighthouse · The lighthouse stands on the headland at the mouth of the Saja-Besaya estuary, the river that runs past Torrelavega. From the path below it you look over the surf beaches that made Suances a surfing town.
- La Concha Beach, Suances · A sheltered town beach inside the estuary mouth, calmer than the open beaches nearby. It is the easy choice with children, with cafés along the promenade.
- El Capricho de Gaudí · Gaudí designed this summer villa in 1883 for Máximo Díaz de Quijano, who had made his money in the Americas. It is covered in green and yellow sunflower tiles, and its slim tower looks like a minaret.
- Palacio de Sobrellano · Antonio López, who made his fortune in Cuba and became the first Marquis of Comillas, had this neo-Gothic palace built by the Catalan architect Joan Martorell. Gaudí, still young, designed some of the furniture in the chapel.
- Oyambre Beach · A long open beach inside the Oyambre natural park, backed by dunes and marshes rather than buildings. The waves are strong; swim only where lifeguards are on duty.
Getting to Santillana del Mar and getting around
- Santander Airport · Seve Ballesteros airport, about 25 minutes by car; a handy pick-up point mid-route
- Torrelavega Station · The nearest railway station, about 9 km away; buses and taxis cover the last stretch
- Santander Bus Station · Regional buses to Santillana and Comillas leave from here
Cheap eats in Santillana del Mar
Cantabria eats from its green pastures: milk, butter and the cakes made with them. In Santillana the old houses still sell a glass of cold milk with a sobao, the local butter cake, and the menus offer cocido montañés, a stew of white beans, cabbage and pork. A menu of the day at lunch is the cheapest proper meal, usually under 20 €.
- Confitería Santillana · Sobaos and quesadas pasiegas to take away, about 1-3 € each
- Heladería Santillana · Ice cream on the main street, about 3-4 € a cone
- Terraza El Roblón · Coffee and a snack on a terrace outside the old town, about 2-6 €
- Bodeguca los Blasones · Tapas and raciones in the old town, about 3-12 €
- El Bisonte Rojo · A quick lunch on the road to Altamira, menu of the day about 13-18 €
Museums in Santillana del Mar
- Altamira Museum · The Neocave replica and a fine prehistory exhibition; allow two hours
- Regina Coeli Diocesan Museum · Carved saints from village churches in a 16th-century convent
- Santillana Foundation · Temporary art shows in the Torre de Don Borja
- Museum of Torture · Inquisition-era instruments; adults only in spirit
- Centro Botín · Art centre on Santander bay by Renzo Piano; 30 minutes by car
- Faro de Cabo Mayor Art Centre · Paintings of lighthouses inside a working lighthouse above the cliffs
Nature and day trips near Santillana del Mar
- Santa Justa Beach · Small cove with a cliff chapel, 10 minutes from town
- Cabárceno Nature Park · Animals in open ground among limestone pinnacles; drive between areas
- Oyambre Beach · Wild dune beach in a natural park beyond Comillas
- Bárcena Mayor · Stone village deep in the Saja forest, 45 minutes south
- La Concha Beach, Suances · Sheltered beach in the estuary mouth, good for children
- Langre Beach · Golden sand under high cliffs east of Santander
Things to do in Santillana del Mar with kids
- Santillana Zoo · Small zoo a walk from the old town; two hours is enough
- Cabárceno Nature Park · Elephants, giraffes and a cable car over the enclosures
- El Soplao Cave · In by mine train, then walkways among crystals
- El Capricho de Gaudí · Sunflower tiles and a little tower; a short, colourful visit
- Palacio de la Magdalena · Royal summer palace on a peninsula, with seals and penguins in the park
- El Sardinero Beach · Santander's big city beach, with lifeguards and a long promenade
Where to eat in Santillana del Mar
- Casa Cossío · Traditional dishes beside the collegiate church
- Gran Duque · Restaurant on the main square
- La Huerta del Indiano · Dinner in a garden off Calle de la Carrera
- Los Blasones · Meat and fish on Plaza Gándara
- Restaurante Plaza Mayor · Regional food at the top of the square
- El Porche · Simple dinner on Calle de Santo Domingo
Frequently asked questions about Santillana del Mar
What is there to see in Santillana del Mar?
The top sights in Santillana del Mar are Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana, Altamira Museum and Regina Coeli Diocesan Museum. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Santillana del Mar?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Santillana del Mar without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Santillana del Mar?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Santillana del Mar, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The town of three lies.
How do you get to Santillana del Mar and get around?
The main ways are Santander Airport, Torrelavega Station and Santander Bus Station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Santillana del Mar, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Santillana del Mar that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Santillana del Mar for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.