Welcome to Santander
Santander is a wonderful city located in the north of Spain. The northern regions of Spain are often the less spoiled by tourism and also less know to foreign visitors, but the north of Spain keeps some of the jewels of the country: amazing landscapes and charming beaches, friendly peoples and nature preserves.
Santander is the main city of Cantabria (Spanish region), it has around 185.000 inhabitants and is a middle-large size city that spreads along the bay. There are several beaches and harbours limiting the city on the northern side, towards the southern part you’ll find the old city centre and a bit further the green mountains. We could say that Santander is between the blue and the green.
In the 19th century the city was a renowned tourist resort for Spanish politicians, aristocrats and for the upper class. The city still keeps wonderful palaces and promenades, a bay type architecture with white buildings, old cafés and its famous casino.
This is undoubtedly one of the Spanish cities that you cannot miss when travelling to Spain. Santander is still an important tourism destination in Spain , especially among Spaniards themselves. Besides its appeal as a holiday resort, the city is becoming an important centre for congresses and conferences. Additionally, the whole region of Cantabria has a wide range of opportunities and excursions for exploring the nature, with beautiful mountains, prehistoric sites, sky resorts, beautiful villages and world heritage sites.
You can reach Santander by train or bus from the main Spanish cities; there are also ferry boats from England arriving to Santander harbour. There is an airport in the region located 5 km from the city centre; you may hire a car at Santander if you plan to visit different Spanish cities.
Outstanding places near Santander in the region of Cantabria are: the Altamira caves with prehistoric paintings, the park of Cabarceno, the charming village of Santillana del Mar, Comillas with its University or Suances, famous for its beaches.
