Cantabria travel guide

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Cantabria is a Spanish province and an independent community with its capital as Santander. Cantabria belongs to the Green Spain, the name given to the strip of land between the Cantabrian Sea and the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain. It is called green because it has a wet and moderate oceanic climate.

Cantabria is the richest region in the world in archaeological sites from the Upper Paleolithic period. The most significant cave painting site is the cave of Altamira, dated from about 16,000 to 9000 BC and is declared as one of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO with other nine Cantabrian caves.

Fast Facts

Much of the tourism that comes to the region head towards the summer holiday resorts to be found along the northern coastal strip.

• El Sardinero near Santander is one of the most popular beaches for visitors to the capital city. It can get busy along its 1.3km length during the summer months, but the wide walkway, which is one of the prettiest in Spain, runs the whole length of the beach and there is a good supply of hotels and eateries to choose from.

• At one end of the beach can be found Magdalena Park, which offers a beach playground, mini zoo and train circuit.

• The town of Comillas has a picturesque sandy beach with a fishing port at one end.

• The beach at Laredo is over 4km long and has fine golden sand overlooked by a long promenade. It also offers good conditions and lifeguard facilities for those interested in surfing.

• Cantabria has many national parks for those interested in the flora and fauna Spain has to offer. Cantabria has a good selection of Nature Reserves both within the mountainous areas and along its northern coastal stretch.

Dust off your bikini or pull on your board shorts and bathe yourself on Santander's glamorous beaches. El Sardinero is the largest and most popular. The Playa de Somo across the bay is a peaceful haven with a surfing school, while the Playa de la Magdalena has a water sports centre.

The Monte Castillo caves at Puente Viesgo have sheltered men, women and children for the last 150,000 years. Prehistoric wall paintings in black, red and yellow depict horses, bison, goats and deer alongside human figures.

Take the cable car from Fuente Dé up into the hills of the Picos de Europa. You'll be hauled to 1850 metres, and the view from the top is sensational.

Festivals

• La Folia(April) : - The statue of the Virgen de la Barquera is said to have arrived at San Vincente in a boat with no sails, oars or crew. Once a year, it is put in a fishing boat decorated with flags and flowers, which sails at the head of a procession to bless the sea. Groups of young girls, called picayos, stand on the shore singing traditional songs of the region in honour of the Virgin. La Folia usually falls at the end of April.


• Battle of the Flowers (last Friday of August) : - Floats adorned with flowers are paraded through this small resort. A flower-throwing free-for-all follows the procession.

• When it comes to nightlife, Cantabria is a rocking place with good drinks, great crowd, trendy and beautiful surfers.

The Cantabrian Sea supplies the region with its most characteristic food: the finest fish and seafood. The turbulent waters provide goose barnacles, all kinds of crab, clams, lobsters, crayfish and king prawns, not to mention squid of the highest quality, also sea bream, scorpion fish, anchovies and roast sardines (traditional in the region) served on a simple wooden dish. These waters also provide some of the most renowned Cantabrian dishes: hake in salsa verde, maganos encebollados, or baked clams.

The desserts are also particularly delicious, especially the "quesadas pasiegas" (cheesecakes). Pastries are also traditional and are given different names in different areas: Corbatas in Unquera; Polkas in Torrelavega; or Sacristanes in Liérganes.

One of the most popular items purchased by visitors is local pottery created in the area. This pottery reflects the modern handicrafts appreciated in Santander as well as the history of the area’s artistic expressions. One of the best places to buy pottery is located just outside of Santander. This place, the Santanilla del Mar, is approximately twenty miles outside of the city.

Other shops are also located just outside of Santander. There is a large shopping mall, the Central Comercial Valle Real, which is located just outside of the city.

♣ Rafting
Get ready for a soaking! White-water rafting in Cantabria provides you a thrilling experience which is simply unforgettable. Cantabria offers simple river trips to the excitement of major rapids.

♣ Wave Canoeing
Use the force of the sea to move and the paddles to steer, although you can also use them for propulsion in wave canoeing in Cantabria.

♣ Hang-gliding
Gliding on a simple rigid structure, whose movement control system is the weight of the pilot, is quite fun in the city of Cantabria.

♣ Walking
The pleasure of following a path, although not necessarily in the countryside, but still guaranteed to include elements of natural or cultural interest.

The best local transportation in Cantabria is buses. Buses are easily available all around the city. Buses over here are Mercedes, and all are air conditioned.

Also, taxis are widely available throughout the city. Bicycles can also be rented to roam around the city.

√ Santander Airport.
√ Narrow-gauge railway Santander-Oviedo.
√ Broad-gauge high-speed railway.
√ Santander-Torrelavega-Valladolid-Segovia-Madrid.
√ Ferry line Santander-Plymouth.
√ Port of Santander.
√ Cantabrian Motorway.