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Unique city just one hour from Bilbao Santander
Just one hour from Bilbao - ideal for a full day excursion - we can find one of the loveliest cities in northern Spain: Santander is located in the Bay of Santander, so its orography is very unique.
This city had its main boom in the 19th century, period that the “spa towns” had their heyday in Europe. And again, in the 20th century, when the Spanish King Alfonso XIII established his summer residence here. This urban development can be discovered by driving or walking along Avenida Reina Victoria, where you can see incredible palaces and mansions, as well as the Magdalena Palace where Alfonso XIII stayed.
The Palace is in the so-called Magdalena Peninsula, at the end of the bay you can find an open-air museum and zoo, as well as the Playa de los Bikinis, the name was given in the 1960’s when for the first women were seen at the beach wearing bikinis.
Undoubtedly the most famous beach is El Sardinero, where we can find the most representative hotels, which maintain a majestic style on their facades, such as the 5-star Eurostars Hotel Real, or the Gran Hotel Sardinero and the Silken Río Santander, both 4 stars.
Cantabrian gastronomy is closely related to Basque cuisine; reason why pintxos and tapas are also so popular in the local gastronomy, mainly in the Plaza de Cañadío and the streets that surround it, without forgetting the local products such as the anchovies and sobaos pasiegos.
In terms of culture, one of the main attractions of the city is the Botín Center, an art center located on the docks, designed by Renzo Piano and promoted by the Botín family, presidents of Banco Santander. Santander has always been a city with the rest of Europe, in fact, it still maintains the ferry lines that connect it with Plymouth (UK) and Portsmouth (UK) several times a week.
