Things to do & places to visit in Santillana del Mar, Cantabria, Spain

Santillana del Mar municipality in , Cantabria, Spain. Timezone: Europe/Madrid, current date and time: Wednesday, May 15, 2024, 17:48.

Santillana del Mar Weather Statistics view more »

Top things to do (13)

• Points of Interest & Landmarks
• Observation Decks & Towers
• Beaches
• Visitor Centers
• Speciality Museums
• Neighborhoods
• Zoos
• Historic Sites
• Historic Walking Areas
• Playgrounds
• Art Museums
• Churches & Cathedrals
• Horseback Riding Tours

Top places to visit (30 attractions) view more »

1. 5.0 Palacio Caja Cantabria (1 review)
   - Exposición de arte precolombino
   Wednesday: Speciality Museums • Art Museums
   Desconozco cuál es la tónica general.
   Actualmente hay una exposición de arte precolombino, no tengo conocimiento sobre éste tipo de arte, sin embargo me parece que el nivel es elevado con muchas piezas de diferentes culturas.
   También hay una exposición sobre mapas y su representación en libros
   Museística mente está muy bien, los espacios y la iluminación son apropiados. Todo con código QR y audioguia en tu móvil.
   Precio 2€.
   El personal profesional pero poco cercano.
   No es lo que esperas ver en Santillana pero creo que merece mucho la visita
   See more..
   
2. 4.5 Colegiata de Santillana del Mar (920 reviews)
   - Colegiata de Santillana del Mar
   Churches & Cathedrals
   
   
   The Collegiate church and cloister of St Juliana is a fine example of Romanesque architecture and can be found in the historic centre of Santillana del Mar. The building has a magnificent dome, transept, and tower. While the exterior has fine examples of archivolts not just on arches, but on windows too. Well worth a visit along with Museo de Altamira. It's just a shame the building is on the verge of falling into ruin due to lack of maintenance. See more..
   
3. 4.5 Plaza Mayor de Ramon y Pelayo (791 reviews)
   - Charming Plaza
   Neighborhoods
   
   
   One of the larger public squares in the town of Santillana del Mar, though not the historic centre. Some of the principal sites of the town including Torre del Merino, Torre de Don Borja and the Town Hall are located here. You’ll also find wonderful examples of charming Cantabrian architecture at the square. The only downside is that the square isn’t overly endowed with cafes, but it’s only a small town. See more..
   
4. 4.5 Ermita de Santa Justa (273 reviews)
   - Nice secluded beach.
   Points of Interest & Landmarks
   
   
   We came here from Santillana del mar as it was a very short drive and fell in love with this small secluded beach and the Ermita de Santa Justa. The waves come in hard against the rocks but are calm once they reach the sandy beach. The ermita is a very short walk up a hill on the opposite side of the beach. Very relaxing and very enjoyable. See more..
   
5. 4.5 Calle de Juan Infante (224 reviews)
   - Charming Street
   Historic Walking Areas
   
   
   A street linking the entrance into the town towards Plaza Mayor de Santillana del Mar. Many of the most significant landmarks of the town are on this street including Palacio Peredo Barreda, Casa del Águila and Casa la Parra. The street is charming, although you will have to run the gauntlet of tourist shops as well. See more..
   
6. 4.5 Paseos a Caballo La Robleda (53 reviews)
   - Una gran experiencia!!
   Wednesday: 10:00 AM - 8:30 PM Horseback Riding Tours
   
   
   Una preciosa experiencia. Caballos estupendos guiados por Delia, siempre pendiente de todos, muy atenta y simpática. Lo disfrutamos mucho! See more..
   
7. 4.5 Museo Diocesano Regina Coeli (29 reviews)
   - Plenty to see
   Speciality Museums • Art Museums
   
   
   We were taken aback by the amount of relics here, interesting and a lovely building. Not recommended for children. See more..
   
8. 4.5 Casco Histórico De Santillana Del Mar (13 reviews)
   - Charming Historic Town
   Historic Sites
   
   
   Charming historic centre of Santillana Del Mar with cobbled streets, traditional Cantabrian houses, the Collegiate Church of Santillana, some interesting landmarks and the obligatory tourist shops. There's a tourist office where you can get a map of the points of interest in the town. About 2km from the centre is the Museo de Altamira, which is definitely worth a visit. Be careful not to visit on a Sunday or Monday though as the museums are closed, which makes things less interesting. See more..
   
9. 4.0 Museo de Altamira (2.632 reviews)
   - Excellent Museum
   Wednesday: 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Speciality Museums
   
   
   This is a fantastic museum with exhibitions on the Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain. The museum also covers human evolution, stone age societies as well as the scientific study of prehistory. There’s English as well as Spanish labels and descriptions, but not for every exhibit. Anything really important will have both though. The finest exhibition in the museum is the replica cave and cave art, which sadly can no longer be visited for conservation reasons. The curators have done a superb job of recreating the sealed off caves. Totally worth the entrance fee. See more..
   
10. 4.0 Zoo de Santillana (908 reviews)
    - Great Zoo
    Wednesday: 9:30 AM - 7:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours Zoos
    
    
    Santillana Zoo is a 45 year old zoo where you will enjoy more than 2000 animals from all over the planet in a surface bigger than 6 football fields... You will enjoy the magic of the Butterfy house and 40 endangered species programmes like the Sumatran Orangutans', the European Bisons', the Sri Lanka Leopards' and many others that you will love as well. Come and visit us and you will find out a different Zoo indeed to enjoy with or without children See more..
    
11. 4.0 Museo de la Tortura (884 reviews)
    - A gruesome but interesting visit
    Wednesday: 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM Speciality Museums
    
    
    We went in on the off chance and were pleasantly surprised. The items were gruesome but well explained. It was reasonable at 4 euros. I would recommend this museum See more..
    
12. 4.0 Museo del Barquillero (220 reviews)
    - Trip back in time with toys and music
    Speciality Museums
    
    
    Strolling around the museum to the sounds of Loreena Mckennet is a great experience with old toys and music making adding a little magic to the day See more..
    
13. 4.0 Museo y Fundacion Jesus Otero (62 reviews)
    - has some excellent sculptures
    Spent < 1 hour Art Museums
    
    
    This museum founded and dedicated to Jesus Otero is just by the main church in Santillana del Mar. It is free to enter and we both enjoyed the visit. Before this visit we hadn't heard of this guy and liked much of the work on show there, most especially the wooden carvings of Christ in the main room. These are spectacular. Much of the rest is bas relief and again we enjoyed very much. It's also an attractive building and free, what's not to like! See more..
    
14. 4.0 Torre de Don Borja (27 reviews)
    - Landmark Building
    Spent < 1 hour Points of Interest & Landmarks • Observation Decks & Towers
    
    
    The Torre de Don Borja is a tower house located on the north side of the old market square in the historic centre of Santillana del Mar. The building is designed in a mix of Gothic, Romanesque and Cantabrian architecture. The most prominent portion of the building is the central tower, which is flanked by two wings with Catabrian balconies over Romanesque arcades. The tower is open for visits, although it’s not open on Mondays. An interesting landmark in this picturesque town. See more..
    
15. 4.0 Playa De Santa Justa (14 reviews)
    - Great secluded beach!
    Beaches
    
    
    Very nice laid back beach near Santillana and right beside the Ermita de Santa Justa. Great to just relax and chill without being overrun by masses of people. Nice white sand and has a small bar right beside it. Parking is extremely limited. See more..
    
16. 4.0 Miseo y venta de antiguedades (10 reviews)
    - Museo digno de ver en la localidad de Santillana del mar
    Points of Interest & Landmarks
    
    
    Gran museo particular que le ara retroceder en el tiempo Justo al lado tienda de productos de la región cantabra desde 1880 el cachuchin See more..
    
17. 4.0 Palacio Barreda Peredo (9 reviews)
    - This place is never open
    Spent 1-2 hours Points of Interest & Landmarks
    
    
    Why have this place as a local feature when the only time you can enter is when an exhibition is on. The gardens can only be accessed via the Palacio and it looks beautiful so why lock it away ? See more..
    
18. 4.0 Museo del tiempo (7 reviews)
    - The "Hall of Time"
    Points of Interest & Landmarks
    
    
    Full of wonderful clocks and timepieces from up to 700 years ago. Founded by Senora Gomes it is a small place but well worth a visit. See more..
    
19. 4.0 Museo Altamira Mitologica (2 reviews)
    - A good walk-by for kiddies or Lord of the Rings fans
    Playgrounds
    
    
    This is a VERY small garden (museum is a stretch) with some statues of myths, legends and mythological characters from Cantabria. It's a 5 -15 minute stop unless your child is just amazed. There's a dragon, a flying horse with what looks like a demoned rider, & pigs with accompanying plaquards to explain them. It is located inside the El Roblón bar, but you have to pay an entrance fee of € 3 per person to see it. OR just walk by to see the statue on the street--it looks very much like a LotR ENT (tree fighter). See more..
    
20. 4.0 Oficina Turismo De Santillana Del Mar (1 review)
    - Helpful Tourist Office
    Spent < 1 hour Visitor Centers
    
    
    You wouldn’t think that a small town like Santillana del Mar would have a tourist office, but they do and it’s staffed by a couple friendly agents who also speak English. The office offers lots of information for places to see and sleep, especially for anyone using the town as a base. Since I was using Santander as my base, I was only here for a day trip and the office was able to provide me with a map of the town and points of interest. The office is located on Calle Jesús Otero, pretty much on the entrance into the town. See more..
    
21. 4.0 Ayuntamiento De Santillana Del Mar (1 review)
    - Working Town Hall
    Spent < 1 hour Historic Sites
    
    
    Located in the old market square of Santillana del Mar is one of the more prominent buildings in the town. The city hall building is a functioning civic building and has a charming romanesque arcade, below the balcony on the upper floor. The exterior has a coat of arms of the town featuring lions and sirens, and stamped by the crown of the marquisate. The building is open to the general public and there was no objection when I asked to wander up to the 2 upper floors. The lower floor is the reception area for the (Spanish) public, while the upper floors are mostly offices. Probably no more than you’d expect for a town hall for a small town. See more..
    
22. 3.5 Casa del Aguila y la Parra (11 reviews)
    - Visit the historical center of Santillana del Mar.
    Spent < 1 hour Historic Sites • Points of Interest & Landmarks
    
    
    The houses “Del Aguila and La Parra” are situated at the “Plaza Ramon Pelayo or Plaza Maior” which is in the middle of the historic canter of Santillana del Mar, just next door to the Town Hall, and in front of the “Casa de Barreda-Bracho” who serves actually as a “Parador” Normal: 3 € (mayores de 12 años). WC Acceso personas movilidad reducida See more..
    
23. 3.5 Torre del Merino (11 reviews)
    - Visit of the historical center of Santillana del Mar.
    Spent < 1 hour Points of Interest & Landmarks
    
    
    You will see this tower at the “Plaza de mercado”, today they call this location “Ramón Pelayo”, they thinks that the tower is being built into the XIV century, and is called like this due to the farm of the representative of the king in that time. It is almost completely original, just suffered a few transformations. See more..
    
24. 3.5 Salon del Tiempo (8 reviews)
    - Los relojes, que miden el tiempo
    Speciality Museums
    
    
    En este museo se encuentran clasificados los relojes según su funcionamiento y tipo de maquinaria. Existen cinco habitaciones.
    Los visitantes podrán mirar videos al respecto.
    El museo nació gracias a la iniciativa de María Luisa Gómez,. See more..
    
25. 3.5 Palacio De Los Velarde (2 reviews)
    - Local Palace
    Spent < 1 hour Historic Sites
    
    
    The Palacio de Los Velarde is a prominent building at the northern end of Santillana del Mar. Built in the 16th century by a local lord It was built by Alonso de Velarde in the Renaissance style. On the main façade, is a badly faded coat of arms featuring two lion rampant around a heraldic shield. It doesn’t seem to be open to the public, but it’s a nice landmark in the town. See more..
    
26. 3.0 Casa De Los Hombrones (1 review)
    - A Stop In The Historic Centre
    Spent < 1 hour Historic Sites
    
    
    This baroque house is another point of interest in the historic centre of Santillana del Mar. It's notable for the prominent sculpture in the centre of the building, which looks like a heraldic shield. The sculpture is known by the name of Los Hombrones because of the two soldiers who appear as tenants. See more..
    
27. 3.0 Palacio Peredo Barreda (1 review)
    - Point Of Interest In Historic Centre
    Spent < 1 hour Historic Sites
    
    
    One of the most prominent buildings is the Palacio Peredo Barreda located near the entrance to the Santillana del Mar. The palace has a substantially square floor plan with two levels and nice balconies with cursive supports. On the doorway of the palace is an iron balcony on a stone base and two doors with iron guards, with the shield with Peredo's coat of arms. See more..
    
28. Ermita de la Virgen de las Nieves (0 review)
    Churches & Cathedrals
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29. Ermita de San Jorge (0 review)
    Churches & Cathedrals
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30. Iglesia de Viveda (0 review)
    Churches & Cathedrals
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