North of Spain route. Day 5: towns of Cantabria

These are the chronicles of my road trip through the north of Spain with my cousins in the Spring Break of 2019. It is a 11 day itinerary that spanned from the French Basque Country to Asturias, including the way from and to Barcelona (where I currently live). On our fourth day we explored both coastal and mountain towns of Cantabria on our drive from Bilbao to Picos de Europa, seeing medieval villages, Royal castles, dramatic cliffs, green plains and snowed peaks.

On the 5th day of road trip we sadly had to leave the Basque Country. It wasn’t my first time there and it surely won’t be the last! Our plan for the day was to (quickly) explore some sites in Cantabria before heading to Picos de Europa, a wonderful mountain range.

Day 5: towns of Cantabria

1. Castro Urdiales

Our first stop when crossing the border from the Basque Country to Cantabria was Castro Urdiales, one of the most famous seaport towns of Cantabria made famous for its fish preservations, especially sardines and anchovies. Although it’s quite small, the population often doubles in the summer due to its beaches.

Although the city is quite industrial in aspect, the harbor area is really special. The first thing that draws attention is the Puebla Vieja (Old Town). It creates an interesting contrast with the proximity of the water and the fishing boats.

The Church of Santa María de la Asunción is a beautiful Gothic building built in the 13th century by King Alfonso VIII of Castile. It looks like it just came out of an episode of Game of Thrones.

You can see the beautiful northern Spanish architecture of the houses in the promenade, which gives hints of a rich past of the area. We had a little walk and a coffee at a terrace to enjoy the view of the Old Town and the sea.

After that, we took a little walk through the Old Town itself on our way to the car. The old quarter, though small, is quite charming. Some highlights are the City Hall, dating back to the 16th century, the 11th century church of San Pedro and many remains from the Roman settlement that originated the town in 74 AD.

2. Palacio de la Magdalena (Santander)

We continued our route towards Santander, the capital of the region, although we decided to skip it because of time. We went instead to Palacio de la Magdalena, a royal palace located in a peninsula north of the city.

The Palace of Magdalena was built in the beginning of the 20th century to house the Spanish Royal Palace during their seasonal visits. The palace is built in a comination of English, French and regional styles, and is currently used as a conference hall. It is the most visited place in Santander. The palace increased its popularity because of its appearances in the Spanish TV series Gran Hotel.

The entrance to the grounds of the palace are completely free, but if you want to visit inside, you have to arrange it through this website.

The grounds of the palace are actually much more interesting than the palace itself. The southern part of the small peninsula has priviledged views of the estuary where Santander lies as well as the mountains.

On the western tip you can see the Isle of Mouro, with its lighthouse that directs the boats towards the estuary of Santander. On the northern part you can see the lighthouse of Cabo Mayor, where we were headed next.

There is a strange sad zoo in the last part of the grounds of the palace with penguins, seals and sea lions but I don’t recommend visiting it because the animals do not look well taken care of. Also, the zoo really makes no sense there.

3. Faro de Cabo Mayor

This stop was not planned in our itinerary but we saw a lighthouse from Palacio de la Magdalena and we decided that we would visit, since it was quite close to the restaurant we had booked.

The lighthouse itself is not particularly impressive, but there is a small trail that leads to a beautiful viewpoint. In this area you can see rock structures similar to those that we saw in the beach of Itzurun in Zumaia.

We then drove through some really funny looking towns – that, if we had the time, we would have loved to explore more – to reach a restaurant that a friend of mine that is from the area recommended me. Restaurante Las Olas was a really pleasant surprise! Even though it is not central at all and you have to go out of your way to get there, their location is fantastic, in front of an estuary with views of hills with cows grazing afar… idylic! And the food was absolutely gorgeous (and with a great price too!). We first had a delicious lobster rice that they charged us at a price of a cheaper rice (only 13€ p.p.!!!) followed by a fantastic assorted grilled fish platter. I did not know some of the fishes but they were super tasty and cooked to perfection. Desserts were on point, wine was good and affordable and the staff was super charming. I really recommend going there if you are in the area, but make sure to book because it fills up quickly!

4. Suances and Playa de los Locos

Our next stop was Suances, one of the towns of Cantabria famous for its surf beaches. We skipped the town and went directly to the northernmost tip at Playa de los Locos (which literally translates to “Beach of the Crazies”). This beautiful beach was pretty much deserted other than a few surfers in the water.

There is a fantastic walk that takes you to a viewpoint with priviledged views of the beach itself, a big part of the surrounding coastline as well as the mountains that we were headed to afterwards: Picos de Europa!

In the same viewpoint you can see La Roca Blanca, a beautiful rock formation with an intrincate grid structure and sea caves.

5. Santillana del Mar

Due to time we could only have a quick pit stop at Santillana del Mar, although we found it one of the most beautiful towns of Cantabria and will for sure come back. Santillana del Mar (roughly translating to “Holy Plane of the Sea”) is called the village of the three lies, since it is neither holy, nor flat nor it has a sea. The old quarter of the village (which is most of it) is beautifully made of cobblestone streets and medieval buildings.

The village is organized around the religious square where the famous Colegiata y Claustro de Santa Juliana, a collegiate church. This religious convent originated as a hermitage in the 9th century and was impulsed to an abbey in the 11th century by King Fernando I of Castile. The jump in importance of the abbey led to the establishment of a population surrounding it that later on would generate the village. It is actually from this collegiate where the village take its name from (Santa Juliana = Santillana). If you have time, I suggest you spend time in this beautiful town of Cantabria.

However, the first settlements in the region happened during Prehistory, and left some proof of it. The Caves of Altamira, one of the most important remains of paleolithic art in the world, are located very close to the village. The good preservation of the caves and the complexity of its paintings have earned it the name of The Sixtine Chapel of the Paleolithic. The caves have signs of habitation between 18,000 and 14,000 years ago, after which a collapse sealed the entry. The caves are now closed to the public on a preservation effort, but a mirror site can be visited. You can check it out here.

6. Potes

After Santillana del Mar we started our journey towards the mountains. The road itself is wonderful, following the river Deva and jumping back and forth through the border between Cantabria and Asturias. Here’s a little video:

We arrived to Potes quite late in the afternoon and it was slightly raining, so we just went for dinner. Potes is a small town of Cantabria located in the confluence of four valleys in the Liébana region, right on the foothills of the moutain range of Picos de Europa. This town has a very well preserved old quarter, having a maze of alleys and steps with a medieval atmosphere. We would have liked to have more time to explore it.

We had dinner at Terraza Lebaniega, a terrace restaurant that had nice views of the Bridge of San Cayetano. I have to say that the food was not particularly impressive but they had an affordable night menu. I wouldn’t recommend the place, but it was cheap and one of the few places that were open at the time.

7. Lon

We then moved to the teeny tiny village of Lon, where we were staying for the night at Posada Peñas Arriba. The town has a grand total of 77 inhabitants scattered around the hills and forests of the area. There are no special attractions, other than the church of Santa Eugenia, dating back to the 9th century. What was fantastic is to feel the peace of the countryside, watch the stars and wake up to this view:

How to get to Cantabria

While this post is part of a road trip through the North of Spain and we got there by car, you may want to travel directly here. In that case, you can fly to Santander’s international airport from many destinations.

Alternatively you can get there from many other cities in the country using Spain’s well developed train system or intercity buses:

Where to stay in Cantabria

Since this is quite a big region, I will not suggest specific hotels where to stay, but rather areas based on your tastes. If you want easy communications and all the ammenities, the best option is the capital of the region, Santanter. If you’re looking for quaint coastal villages, San Vicente de la Barquera, Comillas or Castro-Urdiales. For a medieval village, Santillana del Mar or Santoña are quite nice. For a beach or surf vacation, check out Suances. And if you want to explore the mountains and have a gateway to Picos de Europa, your best bet is Potes and around.

Booking.com

Closing statement

This is only the fifth day in our 10-day road trip through the north of Spain. Make sure you stay tuned for new and exciting posts about our journey.

Previous post: North of Spain route. Day 4: San Juan de Gaztelugatxe and Bilbao

Next post: North of Spain route. Day 6: Picos de Europa

Go to route: North of Spain route: Basque Country, Cantabria and Asturias

Meanwhile, you can read more about other destinations in Spain in some of our posts (check them out and you will find many subposts linked to them):

→ Top 10 things to do in Barcelona

→ ‘Game of Thrones’ locations that you can visit in Spain