What to see in Santillana del Mar. You will have heard many times that it is the city of the three lies, because it is not holy, it is not flat, nor has sea, but what we are going to tell you is that this city is a place that deserves a visit and that surely will captivate you.
Indice:
What to see in Santillana del Mar in one day ?
Located in Cantabria, Santillana has all its old town has to offer, as well as the cave of Altamira, if you stay a night or spend a day in this beautiful city you will not regret it.
Where to stay in Santillana del Mar?
Although many take Santillana as a destination to spend the day, we decided to stay one night to enjoy it and tour it at our leisure.
We chose the Hotel los Infantes which is located at the entrance to the old town. A simple hotel in a beautiful period mansion, and that fulfills very well the function to spend a day of rest in such a beautiful city.
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What to see in Santillana del Mar ?
For this one-day tour we started in the Plaza Mayor. We found around them different buildings such as the Torre Don Borja, and the Merino tower, the houses of the Eagle and the Parra, used as an exhibition hall, and at their feet what caught our attention: the sculpture of a bison, work of the artist Jesús Otero, the same has an inscription “Santillana to the man of Altamira”, recalling the bison painted in the cave of Altamira.
A few steps further on in the Plaza del Mercado we find the Town Hall, an eighteenth century building and the Barreda Bracho house which today is the Gil Blas Parador.
Continuing the walk we reach the Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana. It was built in the eleventh century by a group of monks to contribute to the repopulation of the area, and created a small chapel to expose the relics of the martyr Juliana. It is considered one of the best examples of Romanesque architecture in Cantabria.
HOURS: September 1st to June 30th : Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 1.30 pm and from 4 pm to 7.30 pm. Mondays closed.
July 1st to August 31st : Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 1.30 pm and from 4 pm to 6.30 pm. Mondays closed.
ENTRANCE FEE: €3
And walking, getting lost in its streets, we will find mansions with their coats of arms, such as the house of the Abades (Museo del Barquillero), or the mansion of Quevedo and Cossío of the seventeenth century. We will also find buildings such as the Palace of Velarde, or the Convent of San Ildefonso, walking through Santillana is a walk through the past.
It’s all very close, you can do it in the day and still have time to visit the Altamira caves. Not before visiting the Diocesan museum, the torture museum and the Jesús Otero museum.
Altamira Caves
Considered the Sistine Chapel of rock art, it has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It was discovered at the end of the 19th century, and its cave paintings are thousands of years old.
We actually visited the Neocueva and the museum of Altamira, since the visit to the original cave is very restricted to avoid deterioration, only five people every Friday at 10.40 am, chosen randomly among the people who are visiting the museum between 9.30 and 10.30 that day. Anyway, visiting the museum and the neocave is very interesting, you leave with a lot of information and a good idea of what the cave and the paintings are like, it is a visit that we recommend.
OPENING HOURS: May/October Tuesday to Saturday from 9.30 am to 8 pm. Sundays and holidays from 9.30 am to 3 pm. Mondays closed.
November/April Tuesdays to Saturdays from 9.30 am to 6 pm. Sundays and holidays from 9.30 am to 3 pm. Mondays closed
ENTRANCE FEE :€3
Visit the official website of the National Museum of Altamira for more information about opening hours and entrance fees.
Where to eat?
There are many places to have breakfast, lunch or dinner in Santillana.
In the afternoon, the weather was rather cold so it lent itself to try some churros, there are many places that prepare them.
At night we dined at El Jardín del Marqués, in our case it was a good experience, the food was good, the service too, but in all cases I always advise you to look for reviews on Tripadvisor because obviously there you will find the opinions of many diners and on different dates, which will give you a better idea of the place, but I repeat, in our case it was a very good option.
Recommendation:
Santillana was a very good choice, not in vain it is called one of the most beautiful towns in Spain.
If you have more than a day and a night, it is also a very good option to visit the Soplao Cave, located 40 kilometers from Santillana, is another of the very interesting caves of Cantabria.
EXTRAS: MAP
NOTE: The information in this article is based on our own experience, being totally objective. This article contains affiliate links.
