A DIFERENT WAY TO VISIT SANTANDER



Santander offers a city atmosphere combined with the very essence of Cantabria: beaches, countryside, nature, gastronomy and culture. The city is built around a natural port, which has been used since before the occupation of the Roman Empire. The surrounding countryside is stunning, with wide open verdant areas and beaches, particularly Mataleñas, Sardinero and La Magdalena, where Alfonso XIII had his summer residence. A short distance from the city are the bay's south shore and the coastal strip that stretches to the mouth of the river Pas, boasting some of the region's finest beaches, which are extremely popular in summer, but practically deserted for those who happen to be in the region during the first few days of the beach season (May and June).

The rocky and steep coast to the north of the city has recently been converted into a natural park. During migration season, many bird watchers gather there to observe the migratory birds. Just a few kilometres away is the Dunas Liencres Natural Park, the most extensive dune system in the whole of the Cantabrian coast. To the south of the bay is the Peña Cabarga Park, and from the summit of Peña Cabarga itself you are treated to an impressive view of practically the whole of Cantabria. At the foot of the mountain is the Carbárceno Natural Park, the biggest zoo in Europe, where you can see tigers, elephants, giraffes, hippos and much more. The enclosures are so big it is almost as if the animals were in the wild.

Very little of Santander's old quarter remains; it was destroyed in 1941 in a fire that even consumed the cathedral. The temple, which has now been completely restored, is gothic in style, and characterised by its austerity. It was built on high ground, in a location which was, in antiquity, the port entrance, and was built on the ruins of a pre-Roman settlement, whose remains can still be seen in the Romanesque Chapel of Santo Cristo.