5 days. Route by car through the essentials of Cantabria

Once you arrive in Santander by car, we recommend that you leave your bags at the hotel and head to Santillana del Mar. Another option would be to start by exploring the center of Santander, but we recommend that you leave it for last, since you are staying there. Santillana del Mar is only 30 minutes by car from Santander. It is a beautiful cobbled municipality in which the Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana is located. Walking through its streets and visiting the collegiate church will not take you more than an hour, depending on whether you want to stop and have a good sobao or quesada con leche or buy something in its souvenir shops. When you finish visiting this town cataloged as one of the most beautiful in Spain, the next stop will be the Altamira Museum, a few kilometers from Santillana del Mar. This museum is a must-see as it replicates the cave and the cave art of Altamira, now closed to the public. The visit will take about 40 minutes since, in addition to the Neocave, there is an exhibition of Paleolithic tools and utensils.

When you leave the museum, if lunchtime approaches, you can stop by Yuso, a nearby municipality that has good restaurants with traditional menus. In the afternoon, on the way back to Santander, stop in Suances to see the coast and take the famous photo with the letters of the municipality at the Quinta del Amo viewpoint. Back in Santander, leave the car well parked until tomorrow and take a walk along the seafront promenade that includes the beautiful Centro Botín building, the Pereda Gardens and the Raqueros statue in Puertochico. Going up the stairs of the Botín Center you can get fantastic views of the Bay of Santander. If you like art, you can contact us to manage your entrance to the interior since access to the upper floor by the exterior stairs is free and free.

To end today, you can go to the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, the Cathedral of Santander and the Plaza Porticada. If you are looking for a place to dine, in the center you will find a wide variety of restaurants.

The Cabárceno Nature Park is only about 20 minutes by car from Santander. Once you get there, you will have to show your ticket at the box office at the access point. The visit to the park is by car where you will make different stops at the viewpoints that are well signposted and have a place to park to take photos and observe the animals in semi-freedom: giraffes, elephants, rhinoceroses, bears, pygmy hippos, reptiles, hyenas, lions... This ticket includes a full-day visit to the Cabárceno Natural Park and a cable car ride to see the park from the air. The visit usually lasts about 6 hours, depending on how long you spend taking pictures and if you are traveling with children.

In the afternoon, you can go to the beautiful town of Liérganes, on the way to Santander and just 20 minutes from Cabárceno. This municipality has a river and a beautiful stone bridge, the Puente Mayor, where you will find the statue of the fish man. We recommend that you get lost in its cobbled streets and, if you have time, sit down to have chocolate with churros, just like a local! before returning to Santander.

The first stop today will be the Fuente Dé Cable Car. To get there by car you will do it through the Desfiladero de la Hermida, a beautiful road where you can contemplate the Picos de Europa. When you arrive at the Fuente Dé Cable Car, park your vehicle in the dedicated car park. With the ticket you can go up the cable car to a height of more than 1,823 meters and in 4 minutes you will have reached the upper station where you can contemplate the Picos de Europa or have a hot drink in the cafeteria. There is also a well-signposted hiking trail going down, but keep in mind that it takes more than 4 hours... That depends on your time and your desire.

When leaving Fuente Dé, if you When lunchtime approaches, it is a good time to stop at one of the restaurants that overlook the road and try the typical Lebanese stew of this area.

Just 18 minutes by car, you will have reached Mogrovejo, a small town cataloged as the most beautiful town in Spain. where Heidi's movie was shot, an Indian adaptation to Bollywood cinema. This municipality can be seen in 15 minutes since it is tiny. Leaving Mogrovejo, go to the Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana. He is on his way to Potes and has to his credit a valuable relic, the Lignum Crucis. Specifically, the largest that any other Christian monastery or temple has. Admission is free.

After visiting the Monastery of Santo Toribio, a place of pilgrimage, the next stop will be Potes, a beautiful mountain town, the favorite of many travelers. As soon as you arrive you will see the Torre del Infantado, park there and continue the walk on foot. The church, the stone bridge and its little streets invite you to do so. In this town you will find shops with typical local products and souvenirs.

To end the day, return to your hotel in San Vicente de la Barquera, a 45-minute drive from Potes, rest and get ready to go to dinner at one of the charming restaurants by the sea.

Today it is recommended that you start your route early, around 9 am because before arriving at Comillas, you will pass through the Redwood forest of Cabezón de la Sal, the only one in Europe. The route is circular and is done in 30 minutes so it will not take much time but if you do not want to run into many visitors, it is better to go early. The itinerary continues with a visit to the beautiful town of Comillas, its famous Capricho de Gaudí and the Palacio de Sobrellano. The visit to this town will take you half a day as it has a lot to offer. At the entrance of the village, you will find a large free parking lot. Just in front, you will come across the beautiful Palacio de Sobrellano and the chapel-pantheon of the architect Joan Martorell. Start your visit by going to the Sobrellano Palace ticket office where you will be informed about the next guided tour. The entrance fee is very modest and the explanation of the interior of the palace and the Marquis of Comillas is most interesting. you will understand the history of the entire municipality and the great milestones that were achieved. The visit lasts about 40 minutes. If you do not want to go inside, although we strongly recommend that you do, access to the palace gardens is free. From up there you can see fantastic views of the Pontifical University and the giant Angel sculpted by the Marquis of Comillas and located in the Gothic cemetery of the town, facing the sea. The next essential visit is the Capricho de Gaudí, a modernist building designed by the great architect Antonio Gaudí, one of the few outside Catalonia. It is striking for its green tower which looks like a fairytale. The entrance is purchased on the premises and it is a very curious house. Beautiful, but impractical, a real folly! Once you leave the building, you can go to the fountain of the three spouts, in the center of Comillas, where you will find different restaurants where you can eat a menu or rations. If you feel like eating fish or good seafood, then save it for your next stop in San Vicente de la Barquera. Also, take the opportunity to do some shopping in the small stores in the area and, if you feel like it, before leaving this town you can go to the gothic cemetery and the coast in the car.

In the afternoon, it is time to follow the route to reach the fishing village that made the famous David Bustamante known, of which you can see photos in some of its establishments. In any case, San Vicente de la Barquera is a beautiful village that together with its colorful boats, its lighthouse and its monuments, make it a fantastic destination. As soon as you arrive in San Vicente, you will see the Puente de la Maza and how the tide goes down at sunset to the point that the bottom is in sight and the boats stop floating. In the surroundings, you will find the Castillo del Rey, the facade of an old hospital, the Church of Santa Maria de Los Angeles and the medieval walls from where you can see some great sunsets.

Finally, it is time to return to Santander, if you arrive in time for sunset, you can go to the coastal town of Suances, which is on the way.