From Wikitravel
Santillana del Mar is a picturesque town in
Cantabria, Spain, renowned for
it's medieval architecture. The area around Santillana del Mar has
been populated for thousands of years and there are traces of some
of the earliest inhabitants at the Altamira Caves about two
kilometres from the town. Unfortunately, the village has become a
bit of a tourist trap, and is so swamped with new developments
around the outskirts, that on arrival you might be forgiven for
wondering what all the fuss is about.
However, the original kernel of the medieval village still
survives in the centre, although the beauty of the winding streets
and yellow sandstone buildings is rather marred by the abundance of
shops selling tourist nick-nacks that have proliferated into almost
every doorway. The highlight of the town is the Colegiata de Santa
Juliana - a lovely medieval church with a walled cloister that can
be found in the heart of the town. The entrance fee is €3.
For the more adventurous, there are some lovely walks in the
small hills around the town that afford stunning views of the Picos
de Europa and ??? mountain ranges, as well as the coast of the
Bay of Biscay..
There is a very modern and helpful tourist office in the town
that provides lots of useful information
Get in
Santillana is 15 ml (24 km) from Santander.
Plane
The next airport is Santander Airport
(Santander - Parayas, Aeropuerto Internacional de Santander) [
[1]] Aptdo de Correos 097, E-39600 Maliaño/Cantabria, tel. 942
202100, fax 942 202152, email: infosdr@aena.es
Rail
The next FEVE [[2]] railway station is
Puente San Miguel, about 3 ml (4 km) from
Santillana-del-Mar.
The next RENFE [[3]] railway station is
Torrelavega, about 6 ml (10 km) from
Santillana-del-Mar. Autobuses Garcia operate bus services from
Torrevelaga to Santillana del Mar and back.
Bus
There are buses to Santillana del Mar from Santander, with the
journey taking about half an hour. There are up to seven buses a
day in July and August, although fewer outside of these months.
- La Cantabrica, Nav 5, El Campon, Penacastillo,
tel 42342701, 942720822 fax 942346988 operates bus services from
Santander Bus Station (estación de Autobuses de Santander)
[[4]]
to Santillana del Mar from Sep 1 until Jun 30 at 10.30 and 11.30
am, 1.05, 5, 6.15, 7.15 and 8.30 pm. Journey time: 40 minutes,
price: € 2.25 single (December 2009).
The bus from Santander drops you just outside of the town. When
leaving beware that, although there is a bus shelter just outside
the town where you will be dropped off on your way in, the bus back
actually departs from the steps in front of the town hall?, about
50 metres closer to town.
The bus station is at Av, Cantabric s/n, tel
942891954.
- Autobuses Garcia operate services to and from
Altamira and Torrevelaga.
- from Santander: take the highway to
Torrelavega - exit “Requejada”, go ahead to Barreda, turn right on
road CA-131 to Santillana del Mar, or exit “Puente San Miguel” and
take the CA-133 road to Santillana del Mar.
- from Asturias: take the “Autovía del
Cantábrico” (Cantabrian Highway) or N-634 to Puente San Miguel,
then the CA-133 road to Santillana del Mar.
- from Madrid, Bilbao,
Burgos, Palencia or
Valladolid: take the highway to Torrelavega, then
as above
- from Comillas: take the CA-131 road.
Distances from Santillane del Mar:
- Suances 6 Km.
- Torrelavega 6 Km.
- Comillas 16 Km.
- Santander 30 Km.
- San Vicente de la Barquera 30 Km.
- Parque de Cabárceno 30 Km.
- Picos de Europa 70 Km
- Altamira, (3
km). edit
- Santillana zoo, (2 km). edit
- Comillas, (17
km, with Sobrellano Palace, chapel-mausoleum of the Marquises of
Comillas, Pontifical University, Capricho of Gaudí,).
edit
- San Vicente de la Barquera, (29 km, with Santa María de los Ángeles
Church and Castillo del Rey Castle,). edit
- Oyambre National Park, (20 km). edit
- Queveda, (Torre
de Don Beltrán de la Cueva, 18th cent, Virgen de las Quintas
Hermitage). edit
- La Barca de Calderón, Carretera de Santillana del Mar a
Viveda. house of the
Calderón de la Barca family, 15th cent edit
- Santa María de Viaceli (Cisterciensian Abbey), Cóbreces, on the road from
Santillana del Mar to Comillas. edit
- Complejo del Monte Castillo (rock paintings from the Upper Paleolithic),
Cuevas del
Castillo. from May 1 until Sep 30
10am to 2pm and 4pm to 8.30 pm, maximum 380 persons per day in
groups of 20, duration of the visit 45 min. edit
- Cueva de Covalanas, Ramales de la Victoria, ☎ 942645504. from May 1 until Sep 30 10am to 1pm and 4pm to 7 pm.
Mon and Tue closed, maximum 60 persons per day. rock paintings, more than 15000 years
old edit
- Cueva de Chufin, Riclones (Rionansa), ☎ 942727457. 10
am and 4 pm. edit
- Ecomuseo Saja-Nansa, Puente Pumar (Señorial Valle de las
Poblaciones) (more than
1000 square km, up to altitudes of 2000 meters). edit
- Suances, Ría de San Martín. edit
- Torrelavega (Palacio
Municipal, Nuestra Señora de la Asunción Church, Consolación Church
with the Gothic picture of the city patron La Virgen
Grande), N-611. edit
See
The whole town, old and well-preserved, is worth visiting.
- Museo Diocesiano de Regina Coeli, El Cruce,
☎ 942818004, 639830520, [5]. 10 am to 1.30 pm, 4 to 6.30 pm, in summer to 7.30 pm,
in winter closed on Mon. 2,50.
edit
- Museo Jesús Otero, Plaza de Francisco Abad, ☎ 942818806. winter: 9.30 am to 1.30 pm, 4 to 7 pm, summer: 10 am
to 1 pm, 4 to 7.30 pm. museum of
the Cantabrian scultpor Jesús Otero free. edit
- Museo y Centro de Investigación de Altamira,
☎ 942818005 (altamira@museo.mec.es), [6]. from Jul until Sep: Tue to Sat 9.30 am to 7.30 pm,
Sun 9.30 am to 5pm, rest of the year: Tue to Sun 9.30 am to 7 pm,
duration of the visit: one hour. ´€
2,50. edit
- Museo de la Inquisición el Solar, Escultor Jesús
Otero, ☎ 942840273. winter 10.30 am to 8 pm, summer 10 am to 10
pm. museum displaying torture
tools and "instruments for public humiliation" € 3,50. edit
El Museo de la Tortura or Torture Museum contains
an impressive collection of instruments of torture from around
Europe, including those used in the Spanish Inquisition. The museum
is interesting and rich in history, but be warned that it is not
for the faint of heart!
- La Cuevuca Mitológica, Calle El
Cantón, (lacuevuca@lacuaevuca.com),
[7]. summer
11.30 am to 2 pm, winter: short visits in the morning only.
€ 4. edit
- Collegiata de Santa Juliana. Tue to Sat 10 am to 1.30 pm, 4 to 6.30 pm. in summer
to 7.30 pm. abbey dating to the
12th cent, beautiful Romanesque church, in ancient times one of the
most powerful monasteries of Spain, attracting many noble families
who built their houses in Santillana del Mar € 3. edit
- Claustro de la Colegiata, Plaza del Abad Francisco
Navarro, ☎ 639830520. 9.30 am to 1 pm and 4 to 6 pm, in winter closed on
Sundays. Romanesque cloisters
dating to the 12th and 13th cent with scenes from the Bible and
fighting scenes € 2,50. edit
- Convento de las Clarisas (16th cent monastery), Rúa Jesús
Tagle. edit
- Convento de las Dominicas, Calle Antonio
Niceas. edit
- Casas del Águila y la Parra, Calle Juan
Infante, ☎ 942818398. winter: 10 am to 1 pm and 4 to 7 pm, Sat, Sun 10 am
to 1 pm, Mon closed. adm free.
edit
- Casa de los Sánchez Tagle, Calle de
Velasco, ☎ 942818141. Passion Week and from Jul until Sep 10.30 am to 1.30
pm and 4.30 to 8.30 pm, Mon closed, rest of the year weekends
only. edit
- Palacio de Velarde (palace, 15th cent), Plaza de las Arenas. edit
- Casa de los Quevedo, Calle del Río. edit
- Palacio de Peredo - Barrera (also called Palacio de los Benamejís, 18th cent,
expositions organized by Caja Calabria), Santo
Domingo, ☎ 942818171. from Tue to Sun 11 am to 2 pm and 4 to 8 pm.
€ 2,50. edit
- Casa de los Hombrones (noble house, 17th cent), Calle
Cantón. decorated with
Baroque coat of arms saying 'Un bon morir es onra de la vida' - A
good dying honours life edit
- Casa del Marqués de Santillana (Gothic house, 15th cent, home of doña Leonor de la
Vega, mother of López de Medonza, later Marqués de
Santillana), Calle Cantón. edit
- Casa de los Bustamante (house from the 18th cent), Calle de la
Carrera. edit
- Casa de los Villa (house, rebuilit in the 18th cent), Calle Santo
Domingo. edit
- Plaza Ramón Pelayo o del Mercado (former market place), (Calle Racial con Calle Juan
Infante). edit
- Casa de los Barreda - Bracho (building from the 18th cent, today Parador de
Turismo), Calle Santo Domingo. edit
- Torre del Merino (Gothic tower, 15th cent, today exhibition
center), Plaza Ramón Pelayo. free. edit
- Torre de Don Borja (Gothic tower, 15th cent), Plaza Ramón
Pelayo. 10am to 1.30 pm, 4 to 8
pm. edit
- Casa de la Infanta Paz (house of the infant Paz de Bourbon, princess of
Bavaria), Plaza Ramón Pelayo. edit
- Casa de la Archiduquesa (exile of Princess Margaretha of Hapsburg),
Calle Río
Cantón. edit
- Zoo,
Ctra. Puente de San
Miguel, ☎ 942818125,
942840175, [8].
9.30am to sunset. €
8, children: € 4, guided tour: € 7. edit
Local Festivals
Epiphany: Santillana, 5 January. Medieval Festival: June. Folia:
Variable, San Vicente de la Barquera, 30 km. Procession for Santa
Juliana: 28 June, Santillana del Mar. San Roque: 16 August.
Swimming
There are beaches at
- Urbiaco (5 km),
- Cobreces (10 km),
- Comillas (17 km),
- Oyambre (20 km) and
- Suances (10 km)
Eat
Typical pastries include sobao pasiego and
quesadas (a light sort of cheesecake)
- Los
Blasones, Plaza de la Gandara 8, ☎ 942818070. old fashioned restaurant, € 25. edit
- Casa
Cossio, Plaza
Abad Francisco s/n, ☎ 942818355. €
22. edit
- Café
Concana, Calle los Hornos, ☎ 942840161. edit
- La
Joraca ((Hotel Colegiata)),
Los
Hornos, ☎ 942840137. edit
- Altamira, Cantón, ☎ 942818025. €
12. edit
- Taberna del Chus, Calle del Río, ☎ 942818122. edit
- Los
Nobles, Calle
Carrera, ☎ 942818042. edit
- El
Catillo, Plaza Mayor, ☎ 942818377. edit
- Casa
Ángel, El
Cantón, ☎ 942818227. €
24. edit
- Parador Gil Blas, Plaza de Ramón Pelayo, ☎ 842818000. €
30. edit
Drink
A trip to northern Spain must include a sampling of
sidra, or hard cider, which is typical of Cantabria as
well as Asturias and Basque Country. It is traditional to pour the
cider into the glass from a height of about three feet. Your
bartender will know how if you are hesitant to try the feat
yourself.
- Posada Araceli, Calle La Robleda 20, 39330 Santillana del
Mar, Cantabria (12
rooms), ☎ 942840194 (fax: 942818083), [9]. edit
- Altamira, Calle Canton 1, 39330 Santillana del Mar,
Cantabria (32
rooms), ☎ 942818025 (fax: 942840136), [10]. edit
- Parador de Santillana - Gil Blas, Plaza Ramon Pelayo
11 (On the main sqare,
access via the Travesía Santander-Comillas), ☎ 942028028 (santillanagb@parador.es,
fax: 942818391), [11].
ancient mansion of the Barreda-Bracho
family, with wooden floors, traditional furniture and 28
rooms €70-110. edit
- Tourist Information (Oficina de Turismo) [[12]] Calle
Jesus Otero 26, tel 942818812
- Guardia Civil, Avda. Antonio Sandi, s/n,
☎ 42 818 010. edit
- Centro de Salud Altamira (Health Center),
Barrio La Teja, s/n,
39530 Puente San Miguel, ☎ 942838515, 942820684. edit
- Hospital de Sierrallana (Hospital), Ganzo, s/n, 39300
Torrelavega, ☎ 942847400,
942847402, 942847403, urgencies: 942847505 (fax: 942847501). edit
- Farmacia (Pharmacy), Jesús Otero, s/n, ☎ 942 818 369. edit
Get out
The bus to Santander departs from the steps in front of the town
hall?.
- La Cantabrica operates bus services from
Santillana del Mar to Santander Bus Station (estación de
Autobuses de Santander) [[13]]
from Sep 1 until Jun 30 Mon to Fri at 7.15 am, daily at 10.15 am
and 3.45 pm, Mon to Fri at 6 pm, Sat and Sun at7.30 pnm. Journey
time: 40 minutes, price: € 2.25 single (December 2009).
- Autobuses Garcia C/H.Alcalde del Rio, 2 Bajo,
Torrelavega, tel 942891640 fax 942891104 operate bus services from
Santillana del Mar to Torrelavega.
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