5 days. Essential Cantabria with excursions included
If you are looking for nature, mountains, fairytale towns and tradition, with this 5-day plan you will see everything there is to see. This experience includes 4 nights of accommodation in a central hotel in Santander and excursions to the most essential places in Cantabria: Santillana del Mar and Altamira Museum, Cabárceno Nature Park, Picos de Europa, Santo Toribio Monastery and Potes. All these excursions are organized so that a vehicle will pick you up at your hotel and a person will accompany you throughout the visit. Also, if you travel by plane, you have the option of including transfers from the airport to the hotel and from your hotel to the airport. As you can see, everything is designed so that you don't have to worry about a thing. In addition, you will have time to explore the city of Santander, go shopping, walk at your own pace or have a quiet dinner in the many restaurants and bars. No need to rush! Vacations are to be enjoyed, not to be a marathon.
Are you interested?
Experience Details
What is included?
Transfer from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the airport
Stay in a central hotel in Santander
Excursion to Cabárceno Park
Excursion to Santillana del Mar and Altamira Museum
Excursion to the Picos de Europa and Potes.
What is not included?
- Flights (only included if selected in the search engine)
- Rental car
- Other tickets, transfers and services not mentioned
What should you bring?
Comfortable shoes
Umbrella or raincoat if you travel in the winter months
Complete your trip to Santander
If you want to add transport to get to Santander, if you need a rental car in Santander, if you want to add or remove days from the proposed experience or if you want to customize your trip, do not hesitate to contact us and we will find the option that best suits you.
Travel guide of 5 days. Essential Cantabria with excursions included
Day 1:
Arrival in Santander and first contact with the city
If you arrive by plane, a vehicle will pick you up at Santander Airport and take you to your hotel in the city center. Once you've settled in, it's time to explore the city. Start with a walk through Puertochico where you will see the famous statues of Los Raqueros. Continue walking through the Jardines de Pereda until you reach the Centro Botín, where you can climb the external staircase to admire the views of the bay. Today is also a good day to do some shopping in the small shops in the center. When lunch or dinner time approaches, in the surroundings of the Plaza de Cañadío you will find a wide variety of restaurants and bars where you can have tapas.
What will you see today?
The Raqueros
Centro Botín
Gardens of Pereda
Santander Cathedral
The Plaza Porticada
Santander Town Hall Square
Remember that...
Entrance to the inside of the Botín center
If you want to go inside the Botín Center to see its temporary and permanent exhibitions, let us know and we'll arrange your ticket.
Where to eat
Where to eat
Santander has a great gastronomic offer, from avant-garde restaurants with a Michelin star to traditional restaurants with a daily and an alternative menu, as the Cantabrians call going from one place to another to eat portions and have a drink. to alternate
Avant-garde restaurants: Dear Margarita, with a tasting menu at a reasonable price. El Serbal, a Michelin star restaurant.
Tapas restaurants in the center of Santander: in the Plaza de Cañadío and in Hernán Cortés, Daoiz y Velarde and Santa Lucía streets. These streets are interconnected and full of lively bars and terraces with a wide gastronomic offer. Do not miss their seafood dishes, among which the squid and anchovies stand out. To finish, some good Cantabrian cheeses and a quesada.
Day 2:
Excursion to Santillana del Mar and Altamira Museum
At 3:00 p.m., you will be picked up at your hotel to start the excursion to Santillana del Mar and the Altamira Museum. On this tour, you will visit the beautiful town of Santillana del Mar and its Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana, where you will discover its beautiful interior and its cloister. In Santillana, you will also have time to shop or stroll at your leisure. Once you have toured this town, labelled as one of the most beautiful towns in Spain, you will be taken to the Altamira Museum where you can enjoy a guided tour of the Neocueva, an exact replica of the original cave that is no longer open to the public in order to preserve it. This replica shows the Upper Paleolithic cave paintings that were found in Altamira, the first place in the world where they were identified. Once the visit is over, you will be transferred back to your hotel.
During the morning, take the opportunity to have some good sobaos for breakfast and take a walk through the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, the Plaza Porticada and see Santander Cathedral.
What will you see today?
Santillana del Mar
Altamira Museum
Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana
Gardens of Pereda
The Raqueros
Santander Cathedral
The Plaza Porticada
Santander Town Hall Square
Did you know...
The interior of the Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana
The façade and the entrance to the Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana is one of the most widespread images of Cantabria and it is not unusual as it is imposing and of great beauty. But, did you know that its interior houses very important elements and a great history? To begin with, it has the relic Lignum Crucis, that is, pieces of wood from the cross on which Jesus Christ could have been crucified. These pieces of wood are protected in a medieval silver cross that protects them from theft and allows them to be seen through its glass interior. Although there are unbelievers, the truth is that science has confirmed that these small pieces of wood belonged to that time and place. This relic was donated by the abbot of Santo Toribio in 1425 so that pilgrims from Santillana del Mar did not have to travel to the Santo Toribio Monastery, where there is a larger relic of the Lignum Crucis.
Furthermore, upon entering you will see the tomb of Santa Juliana, a martyr who gives the name to the Collegiate Church and, probably, to the town of Santillana del Mar since the old name of the monastery was in Latin, Sancta Iuliana, which would eventually lead to Santillana. Inside you will find information about his life and his ruthless end. As to whether his remains are really there or not, that is a mystery because there are many churches that claim to have them in their possession. In the same way, the history of the saint is very interesting and the interior of the collegiate church, a marvel that you will discover on your visit included in your trip to Santander.
Day 3:
Excursion to the Cabárceno Nature Park
The excursion to the Cabárceno Nature Park starts at 9 in the morning. The pick-up is at your hotel and you will enjoy the park until 2:00 p.m., where the driver will make the corresponding stops at the viewpoints of the park and will tell you some curiosities. On this visit, you will be able to see semi-free animals from five different continents: African elephants, giraffes, bears, pygmy hippos, lions, gorillas... In addition, the ticket includes a cable car ride where you can enjoy the park from the air. You will surely take hundreds of photos!
In the afternoon you will have free time to walk around Santander, lose yourself in the city and enjoy the local cuisine
What will you see today?
Cabarceno Nature Park
Did you know...
Cabarceno Park
The Cabárceno Park is neither a zoo nor a traditional park, but rather a large space of 750 hectares where 1,000 animals live in semi-freedom. This means that apart from being fed by park staff, the rest of their instincts remain free so it is not unusual to see males fighting during mating season or to see pups that have been born in the park. Did you also know that this beautiful park full of animals was an old mining operation? The beauty of the karstic landscape that you will be able to admire during your visit will surprise you.
Day 4:
Excursion to the Picos de Europa and Potes
At 9 am you will be picked up at your hotel or at the meeting point to take you to Fuente Dé where you can enjoy the landscape of the Picos de Europa. At the end, you will be taken to the Santo Toribio de Liébana Monastery where you can admire the fabulous Lignum Crucis relic, the largest preserved piece of wood from the cross of Christ. For icing on the cake, you will end the excursion in one of the most beautiful villages in Spain: Potes. There you will have time to eat and do some shopping for typical local products before returning to Santander.
What will you see today?
Potes
Cable car Fuente Dé
Monastery of Santo Toribio
Day 5:
Farewell from Santander and return home
On this last day in Santander, take the opportunity to have a good farewell sobao for breakfast and do some last-minute purchases in Santander.
If you wish, a vehicle will pick you up to take you to Santander airport.
Have a good trip home!
Did you know...
Curiosities of Santander
Under the Cathedral of Santander there are Roman remains.
In February 1941 there was a great fire in Santander that devastated the city center leaving only two relevant buildings intact: the Post Office building and that of the Bank of Spain. This fire is known as the Andalusian fire, because it started on Calle Cádiz and ended on Calle Sevilla.
In the Pereda Gardens there are specimens of each of the tree species that can be found in Cantabria.
Remember that...
If you travel by plane...
If you travel by plane, remember to arrive at least 2 hours in advance at the airport. If you have to return the rental car, you should even arrive with more time in case you find a traffic jam or queues. Better not risk it!
Activities
Santillana del Mar & Altamira Museum Excursion
This half-day excursion departs from Santander and will take you to the Altamira Museum and its Neocave and Santillana del Mar. Once you are picked up from your hotel, the first stop will be the visit to the Altamira Museum Neocave, a scale replica of the original cave declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985 and now closed to the public to ensure its conservation. Here you will discover survival tools and Paleolithic cave art, figurative paintings up to 36,000 years old.
After this very interesting visit, the next stop will be Santillana del Mar, catalogued as the most beautiful town in Spain. Its cobbled streets and medieval buildings make Santillana del Mar one of the most visited places in Cantabria where you cannot miss the Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana, the most important Romanesque work in Cantabria.
Duration: 4 hours and 30 minutes.
Departures and times: Tuesdays and Saturdays at 3 pm.
Pick up: at your hotel or at the meeting point on Calle Castelar, when access to your hotel is not possible.
What will you do on this guided tour?
- Get to know Santillana del Mar.
- Visit the Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana from the 12th century.
- Have free time in Santillana to shop.
- Discover the Altamira Museum and its guided visit to the neocave.
- Learn about the history and cave art of the Paleolithic.
What is included?
- Private transportation by car, minivan or bus
- Pick up at the hotel the one from Santander or Torrelavega
- A guide to accompany you throughout the excursion
- Entrance to the Altamira Museum
- Entrance to the Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana
- Civil liability insurance
What should I bring?
Comfortable shoes since the streets are cobbled.
Languages
Spanish, English and Italian
Excursion to the Cabárceno Nature Park
This half-day excursion will take you to Cabárceno and its Nature Park, a surprising place with animals from five continents in semi-freedom and an incredible karstic landscape. It is an easy and accessible visit for all as it is by car. Once the visit is over, you will be taken back to Santander.
Duration: 5 hours
Departures and times: Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Pick up: At your hotel in Santander. Otherwise, at the meeting point on Castelar Street, when access to the hotel is not possible.
What will you do on this guided tour?
- Go through one of the largest natural parks in Europe.
- Enjoy the karstic landscape.
- Contemplate the animals in semi-freedom from five different continents.
- Enjoy the park from the air by cable car.
- See a demonstration of birds of prey.
What is included?
- Private transportation by car, minivan or bus. (Depending on the participants)
- Pick up at your hotel in Santander
- Guide/driver who will accompany you throughout the excursion
- Entrance to Cabárceno Park
- Civil Liability insurance
What should I bring?
- Water
- Camera or mobile phone
Languages
Spanish, English and Italian
Accessible tour.
Excursion Picos de Europa and Potes
This day trip departs from Santander, Torrelavega and Unquera. Once you are picked up at your hotel, the driver of the vehicle will take you to Fuente Dé, where the cable car that takes you up to the Picos de Europa is located. The route will be through the famous Hermida gorge where by car you will enjoy a landscape surrounded by forests, rivers and small towns. Once in Fuente Dé, you will have free time to discover the area by walking or taking the cable car, if you feel like it. After the Picos de Europa, the next stop will be the Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana, one of the four holy places of Christianity since it houses the largest preserved Lignum Crucis (piece of the cross of Christ) .
After this interesting visit, the last stop on this excursion before returning to the hotel will be Potes, a town classified as the most beautiful town in Spain where you will take a brief guided walking tour and then Have free time to eat, have a drink and do some shopping.
Duration: 9 hours
Departures and schedule: Departures according to season. Time: 9:00 AM
Pick up: at your hotel in Santander or at an agreed meeting point, when access is not possible.
What will you do on this guided excursion?
- Get to know the Picos de Europa
- Admire yourself with the Lignum Crucis of the Monastery of Santo Toribio
- Visit Potes, one of the most beautiful towns in Spain
- Have free time in Fuente Dé to enjoy the landscape
- Have free time in Potes to eat and do some shopping
What does it include?
- Transportation by minivan or bus
- Pick up at the hotel in Santander, Torrelavega or Unquera
- Accompanying person throughout the excursion
- Civil liability insurance
Not included
- Tickets to the cable car
- Food and drink
What to bring?
Comfortable shoes since the streets are cobblestone.
Languages
Spanish, English and Italian
Contact an expert
If you have any questions about this experience, if you want more details or if you want to customize your trip, don't wait any longer! Contact us and we will help you tailor your trip.
Contact us if you need to add flights, rental cars, transfers or events to your trip. We will solve all your doubts and we will help you finalize your reservation.