Cantabria & Asturias
Cantabria
Santander
Eastern Cantabria
Southern Cantabria
Western Cantabria
Asturias
Oviedo
Gijón
East Coast Asturias
West Coast Asturias
Inland Western Asturias
Picos de Europa
Western Picos
Central Picos
Eastern Picos
Surprises of the North
Wild Spain
Cantabria & Asturias
Why Go?
You can traverse either of these two regions from north to south in little more than an hour – but don’t. Cantabria and Asturias reward those who linger. The stunning coastline is a sequence of sheer cliffs, beautiful beaches and small fishing ports. Behind it, gorgeously green river valleys dotted with stone-built villages rise to the 2000m-plus mountain wall of the Cordillera Cantábrica, which reaches majestic heights in the Picos de Europa. The beauty is endless and ever-changing.
Cantabria’s and Asturias’ fertile landscapes also ensure that you’ll eat and drink well: on offer are quality meat, local cheeses and Asturias’ renowned cider, along with abundant local seafood. Meanwhile, travellers with a feel for history will be in their element: early humans painted some of the world’s most magnificent prehistoric art at Altamira and elsewhere, and it was at Covadonga that the seed of the Spanish nation first sprouted 1300 years ago.
When to Go
- May, Jun & Sep The best times to visit: higher temperatures, lower prices, fewer crowds.
- Jul Santander’s Semana Grande brings the summer fun.
- Oct Celebrate the apple harvest in Asturias’ heavily laden orchards and bustling sidrerías.
Cantabria & Asturias Highlights
1 Playa de Oyambre Hitting the exquisite silky sands lining Cantabria’s west coast.
2 Lagos de Covadonga Wandering among the Picos de Europa’s twinkling high-altitude lakes.
3 Santillana del Mar Letting this medieval beauty bewitch you with its charms.
4 Santander Getting lost in the tapas and surf scenes of this lively capital.
5 Cueva de Tito Bustillo Admiring exquisite cave art in seaside Ribadesella.
6 Oviedo Delighting in the grace of Oviedo’s cathedral and pre-Romanesque buildings and hitting el bulevar de la sidra, the heart of the Spanish cider scene.
7 Garganta del Cares Walking the length of Spain’s most famous gorge.
8 Playa de Torimbia Bathing at this secluded strand of golden sand.
Cantabria
For modern travellers, Cantabria offers a bit of everything. Verdant headlands and wild, cliff-backed beaches dominate the 150km-long coastline, interspersed with colourful fishing ports and sandy coves perfect for a summer day by the seaside (unreliable weather permitting). Just inland lie Cantabria’s strikingly green mountains – sliced up by deep, multibranched valleys connected by steep passes and culminating in the spectacular Picos de Europa. These interior landscapes, sprinkled with sleepy villages, prove a feast for the eyes, whether you’re driving the country roads or walking the trails.
Lively capital Santander provides a slice of urban life, with buzzing beaches and bodegas. Santillana del Mar and Comillas entice with their medieval and Modernista trappings; and the prehistoric art of Altamira, El Castillo and Covalanas caves is some of the oldest and finest in the world. With so much variety, you could easily spend your entire vacation here.
Santander
POP 171,951
The belle-époque elegance of El Sardinero aside, modern Santander is not the most beautiful of cities. A huge fire raged through the centre back in 1941, leaving little that’s old or quaint. Still, Cantabria’s capital is an engaging place, making the most of its setting along the northern side of the handsome Bahía de Santander, and the city’s forward-facing outlook is epitomised in the striking modernist Centro Botín, which opened on the waterfront in mid-2017.
Santander is a lively spot to spend a night or two, with fine urban beaches, busy shopping streets, a heaving bar and restaurant scene, plenty of surf, and some intriguing cultural attractions. It’s a popular summer holiday resort for Spaniards.
Santander
1Sights
4Sleeping
1Sights
oCentro Botín ARTS CENTRE
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; 
%942 22 60 72; www.centrobotin.org; Jardines de Pereda; galleries €8; 
h10am-9pm Tue-Sun Jun-Sep, to 8pm Oct-May)
Santander’s newest and splashiest landmark, this ambitious waterfront arts and cultural centre opened to great fanfare in June 2017. Designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, the distinctly modernist building encompasses 2500 sq metres of gallery space on two floors, along with futuristic upper-level viewing platforms that jut dramatically out over the Bahía de Santander. The welcoming ground-floor cafe (%942 04 71 50; www.centrobotin.org/el-muelle; Centro Botín; lunch menus €13-21; hcafe 9.30am-8pm Sun, Tue & Wed, to midnight Thu-Sat, lunch 1-4pm Tue-Fri, dinner 9-11pm Thu-Sat) has quickly become one of the city’s social hubs, as has the surrounding plaza, where everyone from skateboarders to seniors congregates.
There’s an admission fee for the 1st- and 2nd-floor galleries, which display rotating exhibits of international contemporary art. Access to the rest of the building is free of charge.
oMuseo de Prehistoria y Arqueología de Cantabria MUSEUM
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %942 20 99 22; www.museosdecantabria.es; Calle de Bailén; adult/child €5/2, Sun afternoon free; h10am-2pm & 5-8pm Tue-Sun Jun-Sep, 10am-2pm & 5-7:30pm Tue-Sun Oct-May)
Santander’s excellent, elegant prehistory and archaeology museum showcases Cantabria’s immense archaeological wealth, with explanatory matter in French, English and Spanish. The detailed, interactive multimedia displays range from early hominid remains to giant stelae (stone disks) carved by the pre-Roman Cantabrians, a replica Roman patio, prehistoric cave art and the medieval Spanish kingdoms of Asturias and León.
oPenínsula de la Magdalena PARK
(h8am-9pm)
At the eastern tip of the bay, this sprawling parkland is perfect for a stroll and popular with picnickers. Kids will enjoy the resident seals and penguins, the replica Spanish galleons, and the little train that choo-choos around the headland (adult/child €2.45/1.45). The views of nearby beaches across the crashing sea are sensational.
Palacio de la Magdalena PALACE
(%942 20 30 84; www.palaciomagdalena.com; Península de la Magdalena; tours €3; htours hourly 11am-1pm & 4-6pm Mon-Fri, hourly 10am-noon Sat & Sun, weekends only mid-Jun–mid-Sep)
The eclectically styled, English-inspired palace crowning the Península de la Magdalena was built between 1908 and 1912 as a gift from the city to the royal family, who used it every summer until 1930. Detailed 45-minute guided tours (in Spanish) lead you past oak floors, bronze chandeliers, surprisingly simple bedrooms, a carved chestnut-wood staircase and the king’s former study.
Visits are limited to weekends only in summer, when the palace hosts the Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo (www.uimp.es), a global get-together for specialists in all sorts of disciplines.
Jardines & Paseo de Pereda PARK, PROMENADE
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Pereda’s Gardens; Paseo de Pereda)
The pretty, recently refurbished Jardines de Pereda are named after 19th-century Cantabrian writer José María de Pereda. Scenes of mountain life described in the author’s seminal work, Escenas Montañesas, are sculpted here in bronze and stone.
The bayside promenade fronting these gardens continues east to Puerto Chico (Little Port), a marina. Half the city strolls or jogs here on summer (and, often, winter) evenings. Both Paseo de Pereda and Calle Castelar, opposite the Puerto Chico, are lined with grand buildings flaunting typical glassed-in balconies.
Mercado La Esperanza MARKET
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Plaza La Esperanza; h8am-2pm & 5-7.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-2pm Sat)
Housed in a 19th-century cast-iron structure behind Santander’s city hall, this bustling market offers an authentic slice of local life. Shoppers throng two levels of stalls laden with seafood, meat, cheese, fruit and orujo (firewater from Cantabria’s Liébana Valley).
Catedral de la Asunción CATHEDRAL
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %942 22 60 24; Plaza del Obispo José Eguino y Trecu; by donation; h8am-1pm & 4-8pm Jun-Sep, 8am-1pm & 5-8pm Oct-May)
Santander’s serene cathedral is composed of two Gothic churches, one above the other. The 14th-century upper church, off which is a 15th-century cloister, was extensively rebuilt after a 1941 fire, and contains the tomb of Marcelino Menéndez Pelayo (%942 23 44 93; Calle de Rubio 6; h10.30am-1pm & 5.30-8pm Mon-Fri, 10.30am-1pm Sat) 
F, a celebrated local scholar. Directly below lies the 13th-century Iglesia del Santísimo Cristo (MAP GOOGLE MAP; Iglesia Vieja; %942 21 15 63; Calle de Somorrostro; h8am-1pm & 4-8pm Jun-Sep, 8am-1pm & 5-8pm Oct-May), where you can view relics of Santander’s patron saints and catch glimpses of ancient Roman foundations through the glass floors.
1Beaches
Playa del Sardinero BEACH
El Sardinero’s 1.5km-long strand of gorgeous golden sand faces the open sea, north of the Península de la Magdalena. It’s backed by some of Santander’s most expensive real estate, including emblematic early-20th-century creations such as the Gran Casino. Surfers emerge in force along Sardinero when the waves are right, mainly in autumn and winter, when they can reach 1.5m. Buses 1 and 2 (€1.30) run east to Sardinero from the Jardines de Pereda in the centre.
Playa del Puntal BEACH
A 2km-long finger of sand jutting out across the bay towards Santander, roughly opposite the Península de la Magdalena, Playa del Puntal is idyllic on calm days (but beware the currents). A couple of popular chiringuitos (beach bars) open up here over summer. Weather permitting, passenger ferries (€4 return) sail over about every 30 minutes from 10.30am to 7.30pm, May to October, from the Estación Marítima Los Reginas.
Playa de Somo BEACH
Across the bay from Santander, and just beyond Playa del Puntal, Playa de Somo is a beautiful, gold-tinged beach with (usually) pretty good surf. A year-round ferry (one way/return €2.70/4.85, 30 minutes) runs to Somo from the Estación Marítima Los Reginas every 30 or 60 minutes, from 8.30am to 7.30pm.
WORTH A TRIP
BEACHES AROUND SANTANDER
Playas de Langre (Langre; 
p) The two gorgeously wild golden beaches of Langre are backed by cliffs topped with rolling green fields, and often have surfable waves. Most beach-goers head for Langre La Grande, although the smaller, adjacent Langre La Pequeña is more protected. It’s a 30km drive east of Santander: round the bay to Somo, then head east on the CA141 for 4km, then 2km north to Langre; the beaches (signposted) are another 500m northeast.
Playa de Valdearenas (Playa de Liencres; Liencres; p) Protected by the pine-filled Parque Natural de las Dunas de Liencres, this exquisite 3km-long, gold-tinged beach has a delightful natural feel and is hugely popular with surfers and beach-lovers alike. It’s a 16km drive west of Santander. Take the A67 west for 11km, then the CA231 north for 4km; it’s signposted.
CCourses
Escuela de Surf Sardinero SURFING
(%942 27 03 01; www.escueladesurfsardinero.com; Balneario de la Primera Playa del Sardinero; 2hr group class per person incl board, wetsuit & transport €35, board/wetsuit hire per day €25/12; hMar-Nov)
Perfectly placed in the middle of Playa del Sardinero, this well-organised surf school and shop offers surfing classes run in Spanish, English and French. Depending on the day’s conditions, sessions might run in Liencres, 10km west.
Escuela Cántabra de Surf SURFING
(%609 482823, 942 51 06 15; www.escuelacantabradesurf.com; Calle Isla de Mouro 12, Somo; board & wetsuit hire per day €20, 2hr group class per person incl board & wetsuit €30; h10.30am-8pm Mon-Sun mid-Mar–mid-Nov, weekends only rest of year)
Based in Somo, across the bay from central Santander, this well-established surf school has been leading surf-lovers into the waves for 25 years, with classes run in English, Spanish or Italian and a range of surf camps and courses. Also does SUP (stand-up paddleboard) group sessions (two hours €50).
zFestivals & Events
Festival Internacional de Santander MUSIC
(FIS; www.festivalsantander.com; hAug)
Santander’s sweeping summer musical season covers everything from opera, piano and jazz to ballet.
Semana Grande FIESTA
(www.semanagrandesantander.com; hJul)
Santander’s big summer fiesta runs for 10 days of fun around 25 July.
4Sleeping
Hostel Santander HOSTEL€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %942 22 39 86; www.hostelsantander.es; Paseo de Pereda 15; dm incl breakfast €24-29; 
a
W)
This excellent, modern, central hostel is built into an old townhouse fronting the Paseo de Pereda. Elephant-stamped cushions adorn the airy communal lounge, with tables, TV and sea views from its glassed-in balcony. The three dorms – simple, clean and fresh, with lockers – sleep six to nine; the back one overlooks the Plaza de Pombo.
Hostal La Mexicana HOSTAL€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %942 22 23 54; www.hostallamexicana.com; Calle de Juan de Herrera 3; s €41-50, d €57-65; W)
A welcoming, well-kept and well-run 38-room hostal (budget hotel) on a mostly traffic-free shopping street in central Santander. Rooms have a solid old-fashioned style full of florals, but they are perfectly comfy. There are interconnecting rooms for families. Breakfast (€3) is available.
oLos Balcones del Arte APARTMENT€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %942 03 65 47; www.losbalconesdelarte.com; Plaza del Príncipe 2, 5th fl; 1-bedroom apt €80-140, 2-bedroom apt €125-190; pW)
Four stunning contemporary-design apartments grace the top floor of this beautifully renovated, supercentral building, right beside the Plaza Porticada. Each is impeccably designed in its own elegant character, with antique furniture, fun fabrics, splashes of bold detail and fully kitted-out kitchens. Shimmery-blue snakeskin wallpaper decorates one-bedroom ‘Argenta’; four-person ‘Puerto’ features leopard-print cushions, a gold-themed bedroom and a sea-view balcony. Minimum five nights from July to mid-September; two nights at other times.
Le Petit Boutique Hotel BOUTIQUE HOTEL€€
(%942 07 57 68; www.lepetithotelsantander.com; Avenida de los Castros 10; d incl breakfast €65-168; aW)
Seven smart, individually styled rooms make attractive (if slightly snug) lodgings at this ultramodern boutique hotel near Playa del Sardinero. Each room is inspired by a different international location, with thematic touches including teak furniture (‘Bali’) and urban-panorama wallpaper (‘New York’); chic creams dominate the pretty ‘Paris’ suite. All have warm, tasteful decor, plus cushy beds and spotless, hairdryer-equipped bathrooms.
Jardín Secreto BOUTIQUE HOTEL€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %942 07 07 14; www.jardinsecretosantander.com; Calle de Cisneros 37; r €55-80; W)
Named for its little back garden, this is a charming, six-room world of its own, spread across a 200-year-old house near the city centre. It’s run by an on-the-ball brother-and-sister team, and designed by their mother in a stylish, contemporary blend of silvers, greys and pastels with exposed stone, brick and wood. Top-floor rooms 3 and 4 have tiny garden-facing terraces.
Hotel Bahía HOTEL€€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %942 20 50 00; www.hotelbahiasantander.com; Calle de Cádiz 22; r €80-194; paW)
Central Santander’s top hotel, opposite the UK ferry port, is hard to beat for location and amenities. Large, comfortable rooms are done up in sparkly silvers and creams, with elegant, minimalist style and rich floor carpets. Some have sea views; others overlook the cathedral. Cosy kids’ bunks are a nice touch for family rooms, and service is professional and friendly.
5Eating
oCasa Lita TAPAS€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %942 36 48 30; www.casalita.es; Paseo de Pereda 37; pinchos €2.60; hnoon-midnight Tue-Sun)
Pack into ‘the house of pinchos’ (snacks) amid crowds of stylish santanderinos and brick walls plastered with early-20th-century Santander posters. You’ll be lucky to score a table. Classic Iberian ham and local cheese raciones put in an appearance, while inventive contemporary creations, such as miniburgers and pumpkin-and-leek quiche, keep flavours exciting. There are even a few Cantabrian artisanal beers.
oAgua Salada FUSION€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %942 04 93 87; www.facebook.com/aguasaladasantander; Calle San Simón 2; lunch menu €14, mains €11-18; h1-4pm Mon, 1-4pm & 8pm-midnight Wed-Sun)
A labour of love for owners Carlos García and Pilar Montiel, this intimate corner bistro serves superb, reasonably priced market-fresh cuisine that walks the line between traditional and innovative. Indulge in a superb tuna tartare with English-mustard ice cream, grilled pork shoulder with homemade peach-ginger chutney, or wok-sautéed vegies with extra-virgin olive oil. The weekday lunch menu offers fantastic value.
oLa Conveniente TAPAS€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %942 21 28 87; Calle de Gómez Oreña 9; raciones & tablas €7-20; h7pm-midnight Mon-Sat)
This cavernous bodega has soaring stone walls, wooden pillars and more wine bottles than you’ve ever seen in one place. Squeeze into the tram-like front enclosure, line up for the vast dining room or just snack at the bar. The food is straightforward – tablas (platters) of cheese, embutidos (sausages), ham, pâtés – with generous servings. Arrive by 8.30pm for a table.
El Machi SEAFOOD, BREAKFAST€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; El Machichaco; %942 21 87 22; www.elmachi.es; Calle de Calderón de la Barca 9; mains €16-30; h8am-midnight Mon-Fri, from 9am Sat & Sun)
A welcoming, good-value seafood spot convenient to all transport terminals and the city centre. Go for tapas such as the Santander speciality rabas (deep-fried squid), their prize-winning seafood tortilla stuffed with pulpo a la gallega (Galician-style paprika-sprinkled octopus) or heartier choices such as seafood arroces (rices) and baked fish of the day. Also good for breakfast (even bacon and eggs).
Cañadío CANTABRIAN€€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %942 31 41 49; www.restaurantecanadio.com; Calle de Gómez Oreña 15; raciones €9-18, mains €18-25; h1-4pm & 9pm-midnight Mon-Sat; W)
A tastefully contemporary spot with art on the red walls, comfy booths and timber floors, Cañadío offers top-notch creative cooking with local inspiration. Hake is prepared in a variety of styles, the deep-fried goat’s-cheese salad is delicious and there’s usually a traditional Cantabrian special. Or you can join the crowds in the front bar for very tempting pinchos (snacks).
6Drinking & Nightlife
Plaza de Cañadío and Calles de Daoíz y Velarde and Hernán Cortés have plenty of popular bares de copas (bars), where you can chat over beer, cocktails, spirits and wine. Calle de Santa Lucía, Calle del Sol and, in particular, the upper half of Calle del Río de la Pila teem with more bohemian bars. Paseo de Pereda and its eastward continuation, Calle Castelar, are dotted with cafes.
8Information
Oficina de Turismo de Cantabria (%942 31 07 08; www.turismodecantabria.com; Calle de Hernán Cortés 4; h9am-9pm) Inside the Mercado del Este.
Oficina de Turismo Municipal (%942 20 30 00; www.santanderspain.info; Jardines de Pereda; h9am-9pm mid-Jun–mid-Sep, 9am-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-7pm Sat, 10am-2pm Sun rest of year) A summer branch operates at El Sardinero (%942 20 30 09; Primera Playa del Sardinero; h10am-9pm Jul–mid-Sep, 10am-9pm Sat & Sun Easter-Jun & late Sep).
8Getting There & Away
AIR
Santander’s Aeropuerto Seve Ballesteros (%942 20 21 00; www.aena.es; Avenida de Parayas) is 5km south of town, at Parayas. Half-hourly buses run to/from Santander’s bus station (€2.90, 10 minutes) between 6.30am and 11pm daily, leaving the airport on the hour and 30 minutes past the hour, and leaving downtown at 15 and 45 minutes past the hour.
Airlines and destinations:
Iberia (www.iberia.com) Flies to Madrid.
Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) Flies to Barcelona, Berlin (Schönefeld), Brussels (Charleroi), Budapest, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Edinburgh, London (Stansted), Málaga, Marrakesh, Milan (Bergamo), Rome (Ciampino), Tenerife, Valencia.
Vueling (www.vueling.com) Flies to Barcelona.
BOAT
Brittany Ferries (www.brittany-ferries.co.uk) runs three car ferry services each week, including one no-frills service, from Portsmouth, UK (24 to 32 hours), and one from Plymouth, UK (20 hours), to Estación Marítima in downtown Santander. Fares vary considerably. A standard return trip for two adults and a car, with two-berth interior cabins, booked in February, costs around UK£800 for travel in July or August, or UK£500 in October, from either UK port. Taking the no-frills Portsmouth ferry, a similar deal (also with two-berth interior cabins), costs approximately UK£600 for July and UK£400 for October.
In 2018, Brittany Ferries announced a twice-weekly service from Cork, Ireland, to Santander.
BUS
ALSA (%902 42 22 42; www.alsa.es) is the major company operating from Santander’s bus station (%942 21 19 95; Calle Navas de Tolosa).
| Destination | Fare (€) | Time (hr) | Min Frequency (daily) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bilbao | 6.65 | 1¼-1¾ | 16 |
| Madrid | 32-39 | 5-6¼ | 6 |
| Oviedo | 13-28 | 2¼-3¼ | 13 |
| San Sebastián | 13-30 | 2½-3 | 11 |
TRAIN
There are two train stations, beside each other on Calle de Rodríguez: FEVE (Renfe Ancho Métrico; %912 32 03 20; www.renfe.com/viajeros/feve) serves destinations along Spain’s northern coast, while Renfe (%912 32 03 20; www.renfe.com) runs to destinations to the south.
Bilbao (€8.90, three hours, three FEVE trains daily)
Madrid (€26 to €52, four to six hours, three to five long-distance Renfe trains daily) Via Reinosa, Palencia and Valladolid.
Oviedo (€16.35, five hours, two FEVE trains daily) Via San Vicente de la Barquera, Llanes, Ribadesella and Arriondas.
8Getting Around
BOAT
Regular ferries depart from the Estación Marítima Los Reginas (%942 21 67 53; www.losreginas.com; Paseo Marítimo), linking central Santander with the beaches of El Puntal (one way/return €2.80/4.10) and Somo (one way/return €2.80/4.95) on the opposite side of the bay.
BUS
Central Santander is easy to explore on foot, but urban buses 1 and 2 are handy for getting to/from El Sardinero (€1.30); they stop on Avenida de Calvo Sotelo near the main post office, and at the Jardines de Pereda.
Around Santander
There are several worthwhile attractions around Santander, all within easy reach of the city: beautiful surf-mad beaches, one of Spain’s finest wildlife parks and, in the sleepy little town of Puente Viesgo, some of the world’s oldest prehistoric cave art.
Parque de la Naturaleza Cabárceno ZOO
(%902 21 01 12; www.parquedecabarceno.com; Obregón; adult/child €30/17; h9.30am-6pm Mar-Oct, 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, to 6pm Sat & Sun Nov-Feb; p)
This open-air zoo 17km south of Santander is a curious but successful experiment: a free-range home on the site of former open-cut mines for everything from rhinos, wallabies, gorillas, dromedaries and lynxes to endangered Cantabrian brown bears. You’ll need a car and about three hours to tour its 14km of roadways. Alternatively, enjoy 6km worth of aerial perspectives from the park’s two brand-new telecabinas (cable cars).
From Santander, take the N623 towards Burgos, then the S30 southeast, following signs to Cabárceno.
WORTH A TRIP
CUEVAS DE MONTE CASTILLO
Of these four Unesco World Heritage–listed caves (%942 59 84 25; http://cuevas.culturadecantabria.com/el-castillo-2; Puente Viesgo; adult/child per cave €3/1.50; h10.30am-2.30pm & 3.30-7.30pm Tue-Sun mid-Jun–mid-Sep, reduced hours & closed Tue rest of year; p) 27km southwest of Santander, two – El Castillo and Las Monedas – are open for 45-minute guided visits (in Spanish). Booking ahead is highly recommended, especially for the more spectacular El Castillo, which contains Europe’s most ancient cave art. As you explore 500m into the cave, you’ll see art almost as breathtaking as that of Cantabria’s famous Cueva de Altamira – and unlike at Altamira, this is the genuine article, not a replica.
Discovered in 1903, the 275 paintings and engravings of deer, bison, horses, goats, aurochs, handprints, mysterious symbols and a mammoth (very rare) found within El Castillo date from around 39,000 to 11,000 BC. A red symbol here, believed to be 40,800 years old, is the oldest known cave art in Europe. El Castillo also has some exquisite cathedral-like rock formations. Las Monedas contains less art (black animal outlines, from around 10,000 BC), but has an astounding labyrinth of shimmering stalactites and stalagmites.
Five to eight daily buses run from Santander to Puente Viesgo (€2.30, 35 minutes); from here, it’s a 2km uphill walk or taxi ride to the cave. With your own wheels, the cave’s parking lot is 40 minutes from Santander.
Eastern Cantabria
The 95km stretch of coast between Santander and Bilbao (in the Basque Country) offers citizens of both cities several seaside escapes. While the towns are less attractive than those on Cantabria’s western coast, some of the beaches are divine. Inland, a sea of green awaits in the Valles Pasiegos and the Alto Asón district of southeastern Cantabria.
Santoña
POP 11,004
The laid-back fishing port of Santoña, 42km east of Santander, is famed for its anchovies, which are bottled or tinned here with olive oil to preserve them. North of town lies the beautiful Playa de Berria.
1Sights & Activities
Playa de Berria BEACH
Head 2.5km north along the CA141 to Playa de Berria, a magnificent sweep of blonde sand and crashing surf on the open sea, linked to Santoña by frequent buses (€1.45, five minutes).
Parque Cultural Monte Buciero HIKING
(www.santona.es/turismo/monte-buciero-0)
The Parque Cultural Monte Buciero occupies the hilly headland rising northeast of Santoña. Explore by heading off on one of five hiking paths, including the relatively easy 12km Sendero de Faros y Acantilados (four hours), which loops around past lighthouses, cliffs and forts.
4Sleeping
Hotel Juan de la Cosa HOTEL€€
(%942 66 12 38; www.hoteljuandelacosa.com; Playa de Berria 14; s €65-98, d €70-138, q €104-185; hEaster-Oct; paW
s)
Hotel Juan de la Cosa may be in an unsympathetic-looking building, but about two-thirds of its spacious, blue-hued, maritime-inspired rooms have full-on beach views. It also offers a good restaurant with a seafood emphasis and plain, self-catering apartments designed for families.
8Information
Oficina de Turismo de Santoña (%942 66 00 66; www.turismosantona.es; Calle Santander 5; h10am-2pm & 5-8pm mid-Jun–Aug, 9am-4pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat Sep–mid-Jun) A summer information booth also opens on the seafront promenade from mid-June to August.
8Getting There & Away
BOAT
From March to November, Excursiones Marítimas (%637 584164; www.excursionesmaritimas.com; h9am-9pm mid-Jul–mid-Sep, 9am-7pm Mon-Fri, to 8pm Sat & Sun Mar–mid-Jul & mid-Sep–Nov) runs a shuttle ferry from Santoña across the estuary to the northwestern end of Laredo beach (one way/return €2/3.50). From June to September, they also offer one-hour bay cruises with commentary several times daily, stopping off in central Laredo and at the picturesque Faro del Caballo lighthouse (return €10).
BUS
ALSA and Autobuses Palomera (%942 88 06 11; www.autobusespalomera.com) serve Santoña’s bus station (Calle Marinos de Santoña). Sixteen buses run between Santoña and Santander (€4.25, one hour) Monday to Friday, with 10 on Saturday and eight on Sunday. There are also seven to 13 buses daily to Laredo (€1.80, 30 minutes), from where there are services to Castro Urdiales.
Castro Urdiales & Around
POP 31,817
Just 31km west of Bilbao (the Basque Country) and 26km east of Laredo, Castro Urdiales is a lively, attractive seafront town with a pretty harbour, a tangle of narrow lanes making up its medieval core and a dramatically Gothic church perched above. The town played an important part as one of the Cuatro Villas de la Costa, a group of four major medieval ports that were united in 1779 as Cantabria province (the others were Santander, Laredo and San Vicente de la Barquera).
Off the A8 motorway en route between Laredo and Castro Urdiales, you’ll find Playas de Oriñón and Sonabia, two golden beaches that are well worth a stop. Both are accessed by the same minor road; Sonabia (not signposted) is 1.7km beyond Oriñón.
1Sights
Iglesia de Santa María de la Asunción CHURCH
(h10am-1pm & 4-6pm Mon-Sat)
The haughty Gothic jumble that is the Iglesia de Santa María de la Asunción stands out spectacularly above Castro Urdiales’ harbour. It was built in 1208, but additions continued until almost the 20th century. The church shares its little headland with the ruins of what was, for centuries, the town’s defensive bastion, now supporting a lighthouse, and a much-reworked, one-arched medieval bridge.
Playa de Sonabia BEACH
(Sonabia)
About 14km east of Laredo, small, wild Playa de Sonabia is tucked into a rock-lined inlet beneath high crags, above which rare griffon vultures circle the sky. Drive through tiny Sonabia village and turn left directly after the church; you’ll have to park up above the beach and walk down. It is accessed by the same minor road used to reach Playa de Oriñón.
There are a couple of seasonal bar-restaurants by the car park above Playa de Sonabia.
Playa de Oriñón BEACH
(Oriñón)
This broad sandy strip, just off the A8 16km west of Castro Urdiales, is set deep behind protective headlands, making the water calm and comparatively warm. The settlement here consists of ugly holiday flats and caravan parks. An up-and-down 10km walking trail links Oriñón with Laredo via Playa de Sonabia and the even more isolated Playa de San Julián.
4Sleeping & Eating
Ardigales 11 BOUTIQUE HOTEL€€
(%942 78 16 16; www.pensionardigales11.com; Calle de Ardigales 11; s €48-56, d €68-88, q €98-120; aW)
Behind a solid stone exterior, on old-town Castro’s main bar street, hides this somewhat futuristic hotel, with 11 slick modern rooms decked out in tasteful blacks, whites and greys. Downstairs, soft neon lights brighten up the cosy lounge area, complete with its own bar.
oBar Javi TAPAS€
(%942 78 35 30; www.barjavi.com; Ardigales 42; pinchos €2.50-3; h11.30am-4.30pm & 6.30pm-midnight)
¡Advertencia! The warning on the napkins at this sweet local tapas bar says it all: ‘We take no responsibility for addiction to our pintxos’. Indeed, with daily specials ranging from delicately fried baby-squid croquettes to smoked turbot or codfish with braised mushrooms – all accompanied by reasonably priced glasses of top-quality wine – it’s hard not to get hooked.
8Information
Oficina de Turismo (%942 87 15 12; www.turismocastrourdiales.net; Parque Amestoy; h9am-9pm Jul–mid-Sep, 9.30am-2pm & 4-7pm mid-Sep–Jun) On the seafront.
8Getting There & Away
ALSA runs at least eight buses daily to Santander (€6.40, one hour) via Laredo from Castro’s bus station (%942 86 71 45; Calle Leonardo Rucabado 42).
IRB Castro (%942 86 70 26; www.bilbao-castro.es) buses to Bilbao (€2.75, 45 minutes) leave half-hourly from 6am to 10pm (hourly on Sunday), making various stops including at Calle La Ronda 52, half a block from the seafront.
There’s no public transport to Playas de Oriñón and Sonabia, so you’ll need your own wheels.
WORTH A TRIP
CANTABRIA’S EASTERN VALLEYS
Rich in unspoilt rural splendour, the little-visited valleys of eastern Cantabria are ripe for exploration. The following route could be taken after a visit to the Cuevas de Monte Castillo in Puente Viesgo, 25km south of Santander. Check weather conditions before setting off.
From El Soto, just off the N623 shortly south of Puente Viesgo, take the CA270 and CA142 southeast to Selaya. From here, signs lead to family-run Quesería La Jarradilla (%652 779660, 942 59 03 42; www.quesoslajarradilla.com; Barcenilla 246, Tezanos de Villacarriedo; htours noon Sat, shop 11am-2pm & 4.30-6.30pm Mon-Sat, 11am-2pm Sun), where you can taste, purchase and find out all about the soft, young cheeses of the Valles Pasiegos (the Pas, Pisueña and Miera valleys; www.vallespasiegos.org), one of Cantabria’s most traditional rural areas.
Continue south along the CA262 towards Vega de Pas, the ‘capital’ of the Valles Pasiegos; the views from the 720m Puerto de la Braguía pass are stunning. From Vega de Pas, head southeast on the CA631 into Castilla y León (where it becomes the BU570), before turning north again near Las Nieves. Follow the BU571 up over the 1240m Puerto de la Sía pass towards Arredondo, on the CA265, in Cantabria’s southeastern Alto Asón district (www.citason.com). The road is full of switchbacks, has a couple of mountain passes and takes you past the 50m waterfall that constitutes the Nacimiento (Source) del Río Asón. Alternatively, fork right at the junction just beyond the Puerto de la Sía pass to visit the Centro de Interpretación Collados del Asón (%619 892634, 942 67 73 71; www.facebook.com/colladosdelason; Barrio Lavín, La Gándara; h10am-3.30pm Wed-Fri, to 6pm Sat & Sun), which offers information on the area’s activities and has a marvellous lookout point high above the Río Gándara’s valley.
Alto Asón claims more than half of Cantabria’s 9000 known caves. You can go east from Arredondo or northeast from the visitors centre to Ramales de la Victoria, a valley town with two outstanding caves which you can visit. The Cueva de Cullalvera (%942 59 84 25; http://cuevas.culturadecantabria.com/cullalvera-2; Ramales de la Victoria; adult/child €3/1.50; h10.30am-2.30pm & 3.30-7.30pm Tue-Sun mid-Jun–mid-Sep, reduced hours mid-Sep–mid-Jun) is an impressively vast cavity with some signs of prehistoric art. The slim Cueva de Covalanas (%942 59 84 25; http://cuevas.culturadecantabria.com/covalanas-2; adult/child €3/1.50; h10.30am-2.30pm & 3.30-7.30pm Tue-Sun mid-Jun–mid-Sep, reduced hours mid-Sep–mid-Jun), 3km up the N629 south from Ramales, then 650m up a footpath, is on the Unesco World Heritage List for its stunning depictions of deer and other animals – which date to around 20,000 BC – rendered in an unusual dot-painting technique. Guided visits to either cave last 45 minutes; book ahead.
In a tranquil, shady spot beside the Río Gándara in Regules, 10km southwest of Ramales, stands La Casa del Puente (%942 63 90 20, 645 820418; www.lacasadelpuente.es; Regulesabajo 3, Regules; r incl breakfast €86-154; pW), a beautifully restored casa de indianos (mansion built by a returned emigrant from Latin America or the Caribbean). Rooms follow a cosy, multicoloured, modern-rustic style, with exposed stonework, floral fabrics and, for some, a private spa. Top-floor rooms are attic-style, with sloping wood-beamed ceilings. You can enjoy good Cantabrian cooking in the glassed-in restaurant, and owner Emilio is a font of local knowledge.
South of Ramales the N629 climbs to the panoramic 920m Alto de los Tornos lookout, before continuing towards Burgos in Castilla y León.
Laredo
POP 11,347
Laredo, 46km east of Santander, is a ridiculously popular Spanish beach resort. Its sandy, 5km-long Playa de Salvé, across the bay from Santoña, is backed by ugly 20th-century building blocks. But at the eastern end of town, the evocative cobbled streets of the old Puebla Vieja slope down dramatically from La Atalaya hill, packed with busy bars and restaurants.
1Sights
Fuerte del Rastrillar FORTRESS
(h10am-10pm)
The dwindling remains of this 16th-century fortress crown La Atalaya hill above the Puebla Vieja, accessed by a steep but quick 500m track. From the Mirador de la Caracola here, you’ll enjoy sensational views of Laredo’s beach, the green-cloaked mountains behind and across the waves to Santoña.
Túnel de Laredo TUNNEL
(h10am-10pm)
Built in 1885, this cavernous 220m tunnel at the eastern end of town leads under La Atalaya hill to a rugged seafront lookout point. It was originally designed to reach a now destroyed port, but came in handy as a refuge during the Spanish Civil War.
Iglesia de Santa María CHURCH
(%942 84 03 17; Calle Santa María; €1; h10am-1pm & 4-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat)
A Spanish national monument since 1931, the impressive 13th-century Iglesia de Santa María sits at the top of the Puebla Vieja, housing a beautiful 15th-century Flemish retablo (altarpiece).
5Eating
Somera FUSION€€
(%942 60 30 19; www.divinocanalla.com; Rua Mayor 17; mains €12-20; hnoon-5pm & 8pm-1am Tue-Sun Jul–mid-Sep, 8pm-midnight Thu, 1-4pm & 8pm-midnight Fri-Sun rest of year)
Run by an ambitious, attentive young team, Somera specialises in highly creative Cantabrian-Asian fusion cooking full of local ingredients. Delicate starters include fried-egg and sushi-rice pinchos (snacks) and enormous crispy salads (such as king prawns, fruit and apple ice cream). Mains take a hearty turn with gourmet burgers and tuna tartare, and the one-mouthful bombón chocolate desserts top things off perfectly.
8Information
Oficina de Turismo (%942 61 10 96; www.laredoturismo.es; Alameda Miramar; h9am-9pm Jul–mid-Sep, 9.30am-2pm & 4-7pm mid-Sep–Jun) At the eastern end of town.
8Getting There & Away
BUS
ALSA runs at least 17 buses daily between Laredo and Santander (€4.25, 40 minutes) and Bilbao (€3.60, 50 minutes) from the bus station (Calle Reconquista de Sevilla 1). There are also at least 15 buses daily to Castro Urdiales (€2.15, 20 to 40 minutes).
BOAT
From March to November, Excursiones Marítimas offers regular boat crossings to Santoña (one way/return €2/3.50) from the northwestern end of Laredo’s beach. The same company also runs sightseeing cruises from central Laredo to Santoña several times daily (return €10) from June to September.
Southern Cantabria
Fine panoramas of high peaks and deep river valleys flanked by patchwork quilts of green await the traveller venturing into the Cantabrian interior. Every imaginable shade of green seems to have been employed to set this stage, strewn with warm stone villages and held together by a network of narrow country roads. The area’s major town is Reinosa.
Reinosa & Around
POP 9331 / ELEV 851M
Southern Cantabria’s main town, 70km south of Santander, is itself an unexceptional place, but Reinosa has plenty of curiosities nearby, including the remains of Cantabria’s most important Roman settlement, an impressive collection of rock-cut and Romanesque churches, and the source of one of Spain’s mightiest rivers, the Río Ebro.
1Sights
Nacimiento del Río Ebro SPRING
(Fontibre; p)
Spain’s most voluminous river, the Río Ebro, starts life at this serene tree-shaded spring 5km northwest of Reinosa. It’s a stunning, peaceful spot, with deep-turquoise water, a tiny shrine and a few ducks splashing around. From here, the Ebro meanders 930km southeast via Logroño (La Rioja) and Zaragoza (Aragón) to meet the Mediterranean.
Colegiata de San Pedro CHURCH
(%942 75 02 24; Cervatos; €2; h11am-1.30pm & 4-7.30pm)
The 12th-century Colegiata de San Pedro in Cervatos, 5km south of Reinosa, is one of Cantabria’s finest Romanesque churches, with rare erotic carvings on its corbels. If you’re keen on seeing the interior, call ahead to confirm current hours.
Julióbriga RUINS
(%942 59 84 25; http://centros.culturadecantabria.com; Retortillo; adult/child €3/1.50; h10.30am-2.30pm & 3.30-7.30pm Tue-Sun mid-Jun–mid-Sep, reduced hours mid-Sep–mid-Jun; p)
The remains of Julióbriga, Cantabria’s most significant Roman town, lie 5km east of Reinosa. Julióbriga peaked in the 1st and 2nd centuries, and was abandoned in the 3rd century. Guided visits (45 minutes, in Spanish), which start at 40 minutes past the hour, lead you through the Museo Domus, a full-scale recreation of a Roman house. You’re free to explore the rest of the site, including its 12th-century Romanesque church, independently.
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
TOURING THE EBRO’S ROCK-CUT CHURCHES
Spain’s most voluminous river, the Ebro, rises at Fontibre (5km northwest of Reinosa), fills the Embalse del Ebro reservoir to the east, then meanders south and east into Castilla y León. Its course is strung with some fascinating, picturesque stops. You can follow it on the GR99 long-distance footpath or on minor roads out of Reinosa.
From Reinosa, head east along the CA730 – visiting Roman Julióbriga en route, if you fancy – to Arroyo, where you turn south on the CA735 and follow signs to the Santuario de Montesclaros (%942 77 05 50; Carretera CA741, Montesclaros; hhours vary; p), a monastery with a fascinating pre-Romanesque crypt and a fine site overlooking the Ebro valley. From here, follow the CA741 southwest to Arroyal de los Carabeos (via the Mirador del Cañon, a fantastic viewpoint across to the monastery), then head south on the CA272 to a roundabout where it meets the CA273. Nine kilometres west on the CA273 is the remarkable Iglesia Rupestre de Santa María de Valverde (Santa María de Valverde; €1; h11am-6pm Tue-Sun Jul–mid-Sep, Mass 1pm Sun year-round). This beautiful, multiarched church, hewn from the living rock, is the most impressive of several iglesias rupestres (rock-cut churches) in this area, dating from probably the 7th to 10th centuries, the early days of Christianity in the region. Beside the church, the Centro de Interpretación del Rupestre (%942 77 61 46; Santa María de Valverde; adult/child €2/free; h10am-2pm & 4-7pm Tue-Sun Jul–mid-Sep, reduced hours rest of year; p) tells the story of the area’s curious rock-church phenomenon through photos, maps, video and multimedia – well worth a visit, even if you don’t understand Spanish, and full of useful information. From here, head back east to La Puente del Valle, where you can cross the river to the collection of anthropomorphic tombs at Ermita de San Pantaleón, then continue east to Campo de Ebro, where the tiny, rock-cut Ermita de Santa Eulalia is hidden behind a 17th-century church just off the main road. Just 3km further east lies Polientes, the area’s biggest village, which has a bank, petrol station (self-service; credit cards only) and a few places to stay, of which the pick is Posada El Cuartelillo Viejo (%942 77 61 51, 619 918281; www.elcuartelilloviejo.com; Carretera General 31, Polientes; incl breakfast s €34-37, d €60-70; hApr-Oct; W), in the centre of town.
East of Polientes, along the CA275, you’ll find the finest of the area’s other rock-cut churches. First comes a little rock-cut roadside church in Cadalso, then the dramatic two-level church at Arroyuelos. Across the Ebro from Arroyuelos, San Martín de Elines is well worth a detour for its exquisite Romanesque church. Finally, the small but wonderfully sited El Tobazo cave-church is part of a small group of caves towards the top of the Ebro gorge east of Arroyuelos. To find it, cross the bridge into Villaescusa del Ebro, 2.5km east of Arroyuelos, park your vehicle, and set off on foot, following a pretty track along the river’s south bank. A few hundred metres further on, a signposted trail for El Tobazo branches off to the right; from here you have a 700m uphill walk. A beautiful waterfall (appearing as a moss-covered, cave-pocked cliff after prolonged dry weather) comes into view about halfway up, with the cave-church just above it to the right.
Except for Santa María from July through mid-September, all these churches are usually locked (though they’re striking from the outside too). You’ll need to contact the helpful Oficina de Turismo de Valderredible (%942 77 61 46; www.valderredible.es; Avenida de Cantabria, Polientes; h10am-2pm Tue-Sun) in advance to arrange visits.
From Villaescusa del Ebro, the CA275 continues along the Ebro gorge to Orbaneja del Castillo in Castilla y León.
4Sleeping & Eating
Reinosa’s city centre offers half a dozen sleeping options. For a more peaceful and verdant village setting, head to Fontibre, 5km to the west.
Posada Fontibre INN€€
(%942 77 96 55; www.posadafontibre.com; El Molino 23, Fontibre; s €52-59, d €69-84; W)
A tranquil haven in the heart of Fontibre village, this old stone posada offers six well-kept rooms and a pleasant grassy yard just steps from the source of the Río Ebro. Decor is rustic, with beamed ceilings, stone walls, colourful rugs and chequer-tiled bathrooms. The adjacent riverside park is a delightful place to stroll.
La Cabaña CANTABRIAN€€
(%942 75 08 37, 637 798731; Calle de Juan José Ruano 4, Reinosa; mains €10-20, set menu €13.50; h1.30-4pm Mon, 1.30-4pm & 9-11pm Wed-Sun; 
v)
A Madrid-trained chef heads this friendly eatery specialising in fun, local-inspired concoctions that manage to be inventive without turning excessively modern. Lovingly created dishes focus on meat grills, huge salads and delicious homemade pastas (a rare find in these parts). The ravioli is a four-cheese extravaganza, with pungent Picos de Europa cheeses, while mushrooms arrive battered in local Orzales bread.
8Information
Oficina de Turismo (%942 75 52 15; www.surdecantabria.es; Avenida del Puente de Carlos III 23; h9.30am-2.30pm & 4-7pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-2.30pm Sat)
8Getting There & Away
BUS
At least six daily ALSA buses run between Reinosa’s bus station (%942 75 40 67; Avenida de Castilla) and Santander (€6.50, 1½ hours). Two daily buses head south to Palencia (€6.80, two hours), Valladolid (€9.25, 2¾ hours), Salamanca (€15.25, 4¼ hours) and Madrid (€30, five hours).
TRAIN
Five daily Renfe trains run between Reinosa and Santander (from €8.10, 1¼ hours). A few daily trains go south to Palencia, Valladolid, Salamanca and Madrid.
8Getting Around
The best (and usually only) way to visit the main sights in the area is with your own vehicle.
NORTHERN WAYS: THE OTHER CAMINOS DE SANTIAGO
Around 65% of Camino de Santiago pilgrims reach Santiago de Compostela via the traditional Camino Francés, which marches 783km west across Castilla y León from Roncesvalles in the Pyrenees. In recent years, however, walkers looking for less beaten paths have set their sights on Spain’s northernmost reaches, where several other caminos wind through un-tramped country to the final spectacle of Santiago de Compostela and its glorious cathedral in Galicia.
Traversing the Basque Country, Cantabria and Asturias, these northern caminos reveal exquisite, green-cloaked landscapes unseen by the approximately 181,000 pilgrims, who, in 2017, reached the pilgrimage office in Santiago having made their way along the Camino Francés. In 2015, four northern ways joined the Camino Francés in its Unesco World Heritage status.
Camino de la Costa (Camino del Norte) The main Camino de la Costa – now chosen by around 6% of pilgrims – starts at Irún on the Spanish-French border, near San Sebastián. This wilder 815km route hugs Spain’s jagged northern coastline as it travels west, taking in San Sebastián, Bilbao, Santander and Asturias’ east coast, before splitting in two just before it reaches Oviedo. One branch heads southwest to Oviedo, but the Costa path continues along Asturias’ west coast via Gijón, Avilés and Luarca, then turns inland at Ribadeo (Galicia) to meet the Camino Francés just before landing in Santiago.
Camino Primitivo This beautifully rustic trail officially begins in Oviedo – long an important pilgrimage spot for the holy relics hidden inside its multispired cathedral, which include the Santo Sudario, a cloth that allegedly covered Christ’s face. The 321km path ventures on to Lugo (Galicia) and, in its final stretches, links up with the Camino Francés. The Primitivo is said to be Spain’s most ancient camino: after the 9th-century discovery of St James’ remains, Oviedo-based King Alfonso II of Asturias set off for Santiago in AD 829. In 2016, 4% of camino pilgrims – around 12,000 hikers – followed in his royal footsteps.
Camino Lebaniego This route travels from either Santander or San Vicente de la Barquera on the Cantabrian coast to the Monasterio de Santo Toribio de Liébana in the foothills of the Picos de Europa – a 120km walk from Santander. Though the Lebaniego isn’t technically a Camino de Santiago, the monastery contains a relic believed to be the largest surviving chunk of Christ’s cross, making it a major pilgrimage destination, and, like Santiago’s cathedral, offers pilgrims the possibility of plenary indulgence (the removal of punishment for all sins) in jubilee years (the next will be 2023).
Camino del Interior Vasco-Riojano The least-used trail tracks 200km southwest from Irún to meet the Camino Francés in Castilla y León.
Western Cantabria
Cantabria’s most exquisite (and most popular) villages are strung like pearls across the green-cloaked coastline west of Santander. First comes medieval beauty Santillana del Mar, with the prehistoric wonders of the Cueva de Altamira close by; then Comillas and its unexpected Modernista architecture; and, finally, handsome San Vicente de la Barquera, with its pretty port.
Heading inland, a whole new world opens up in the off-the-beaten-track valleys of western Cantabria. Here, tucked in among lush green mountains, you’ll find beautiful stone villages such as Barcena Mayor and Tudanca, where you can get a feel for rural Cantabria’s history and cultural traditions.
Santillana del Mar
POP 4154
They say Santillana is the town of the three lies: not holy (santi), flat (llana) or by the sea (del mar). This medieval jewel is in such a perfect state of preservation, with its bright cobbled streets, flower-filled balconies and huddle of tanned stone and brick buildings – it’s a film set, surely? Well, no. People still live here, passing their grand precious houses down from generation to generation. In summer, the streets get busy with curious visitors.
Strict town-planning rules were first introduced back in 1575, and today they include the stipulation that only residents or guests in hotels with garages may bring vehicles into the old heart of town. Other hotel guests may drive to unload luggage and must then return to the car park at the town entrance.
Santillana is a bijou in its own right, but also makes the obvious base for visiting nearby Altamira.
1Sights
Colegiata de Santa Juliana CHURCH
(Plaza del Abad Francisco Navarro; adult/child €3/free; h10am-1.30pm & 4-7.30pm, closed Mon Oct-Jun)
A stroll along Santillana’s cobbled main street, past solemn 15th- to 18th-century nobles’ houses, leads to this beautiful 12th-century Romanesque ex-monastery. The big drawcard is the cloister, a formid-able storehouse of Romanesque handiwork, with the capitals of its columns finely carved into a huge variety of figures. The monastery originally grew up around the relics of Santa Juliana (her name was later modified to become Santillana), a 3rd-century Christian martyr from Turkey whose sepulchre stands in the centre of the church.
4Sleeping
Posada de la Abadía GUESTHOUSE€
(%942 84 03 04; www.posadadelabadia.com; Calle de Revolgo 26; s €48-65, d €55-75; pW)
A small, friendly, family-run hotel set in a revamped 19th-century Cantabrian-style house, 200m south of the main road. The 10 pretty, spotless and perfectly comfy rooms all have bath-tubs, and they do decent breakfasts (included in room rates).
oCasa del Organista HOTEL€€
(%942 84 03 52; www.casadelorganista.com; Calle de Los Hornos 4; s €66-79, d €82-96; hclosed 1st half Jan; pW)
The 14 rooms at this elegant 18th-century house, once home to the Colegiata de Santa Juliana’s organist, are particularly attractive, with plush rugs, antique furniture and plenty of exposed oak beams and stonework. Some have balconies looking towards the colegiata or across red-tiled roofs. Expect a warm welcome and excellent breakfasts (€6.50).
There are several similarly styled places up this street.
oCasa del Marqués HISTORIC HOTEL€€€
(%942 81 88 88; www.hotelcasadelmarques.com; Calle del Cantón 24; r €99-199; hearly Mar–early Dec; paW)
Feel like the lord or lady of the manor in this 15th-century Gothic mansion, once home to the Marqués de Santillana. Exposed timber beams, thick stone walls and cool terracotta floors contribute to the atmosphere of the 15 sumptuous rooms (all different, some surprisingly modern). Three 1st-floor chambers overlook gorgeous gardens, where you can sip an afternoon tea or gin and tonic.
The owners are proud of their 700-year-old banister, made from a single tree. On-site parking (a rare commodity in Santillana) is available for €11 per day.
Parador de Santillana Gil Blas HISTORIC HOTEL€€€
(%942 81 80 00, 942 02 80 28; www.parador.es; Plaza Ramón Pelayo 11; r €135-205; W)
Sleep in an exquisitely preserved, centuries-old nobles’ home gazing out across Santillana’s cobbled main plaza. The 28 rooms – comfy, stylish and well equipped, yet full of historical character – tick your classic parador boxes, and service is superb. There are oodles of lavish tucked-away lounges to get lost in, complemented by an elegant walled garden where you can breakfast in summer.
5Eating
La Villa CANTABRIAN€€
(%942 81 83 64; www.lavillarestaurante.es; Calle La Gándara; menú €16.50; h1-4pm & 8-11pm)
La Villa’s three-course lunch or dinner menu, including a full bottle of wine, offers great value for touristy Santillana. Settle into the stone-walled garden courtyard and sample northern Spanish classics such as cocido montañes (Cantabrian stew with meat and beans) or veal entrecôte with Cabrales cheese from the Picos de Europa village of Sotres, followed by excellent rice pudding for dessert.
Restaurante Gran Duque CANTABRIAN€€
(%942 84 03 86; www.granduque.com; Calle del Escultor Jesús Otero 7; mains €15-20; h1-3.30pm & 8-10.30pm year-round, closed Sun dinner & Mon lunch Sep-Jun)
High-quality local fare is served in this stone house with noble trappings and decorative touches such as exposed brick and beams. There’s a reasonable balance of surf and turf options, including mariscadas for two (seafood feasts; from €50) and a decent menú del día (€19), available for lunch and dinner.
8Information
Oficina Regional de Turismo (%942 81 82 51, 942 81 88 12; Calle del Escultor Jesús Otero; h9am-9pm Jul–mid-Sep, 9.30am-2pm & 4-7pm mid-Sep–Jun)
8Getting There & Away
Autobuses La Cantábrica (%942 72 08 22; www.lacantabrica.net) runs three or more daily buses from Santander to Santillana (€2.65, 40 minutes), continuing to Comillas (€1.50, 20 minutes from Santillana) and San Vicente de la Barquera (€2.20, 40 minutes from Santillana). Buses stop by Campo del Revolgo, just south of the main road.
Altamira
Spain’s finest prehistoric art, the wonderful paintings of bison, horses, deer and other animals in the Cueva de Altamira, 2.5km southwest of Santillana del Mar, was discovered in 1879 by Cantabrian historian and scientist Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola and his eight-year-old daughter María Justina. By 2002, Altamira had attracted so many visitors that the cave was closed to prevent deterioration of the art, but a replica cave in the museum here now enables everyone to appreciate the inspired, 13,000- to 35,000-year-old paintings. These magical carbon-and-ochre illustrations are particularly special for depicting completely coloured-in beasts, rather than animal outlines (as in other Cantabrian caves).
Since 2014 the Altamira authorities have begun allowing five lucky visitors, randomly selected by lottery, to enter the real Altamira cave each Friday morning. People entering the museum before 10.30am on Friday will be offered an application form if interested; the drawing takes place at 10.40am.
WORTH A TRIP
TOURING CANTABRIA’S WESTERN VALLEYS
Generally ignored by holidaymakers, who focus on the Picos de Europa further west, the western Cantabrian valleys of the Río Saja and, next west, the Río Nansa, make a soft contrast to the craggy majesty of the Picos, and are a delight to explore.
A beautiful drive, starting from the eastern side of the Picos de Europa, is along the CA282, which snakes up high and eastwards from La Hermida on the Río Deva. The village of Puentenansa forms a crossroads. Fifteen kilometres north on the CA181 (turn east at Rábago and climb 7km) is El Soplao (%902 82 02 82; www.elsoplao.es; adult/reduced €12/9.50; h10am-9pm Aug, to 7pm Jul, 10am-2pm & 3-6pm Apr-Jun, Sep & Oct, 10am-2pm & 3-5pm Nov-Mar, closed Mon Oct-Jun; p), a 20km stretch of caves full of stalactites and stalagmites, and, until 1979, a lead and zinc mine.
The CA281 south from Puentenansa follows the Río Nansa upstream. Along the way, a 2km detour east leads to the attractive hamlet of Tudanca, dominated by the Casona de Tudanca (%942 59 84 25; www.museosdecantabria.es; Tudanca; adult/child €3/1.50, Sun free; h11.30am-2.30pm & 3.30-7.30pm Wed-Sun mid-Jun–mid-Sep, reduced hours rest of year), a brilliantly white, 18th-century rural mansion. The house, filled with centuries-old furniture, was built by an indiano (returned emigrant made rich in the Americas, in this case Peru). It also contains the 18,000-volume library of writer José María de Cossío, to whom it belonged in the 20th century. Guided visits last 45 minutes.
The CA281 eventually meets the CL627, on which you can head south to Cervera de Pisuerga in Castilla y León or turn northwest back to the Picos.
Alternatively, heading east from Puentenansa on the CA182 takes you through Carmona, with fine stone mansions best viewed from the lookout point high above. When you reach the village of Valle de Cabuérniga and the Río Saja, track south on the CA280. The gorgeous, popular hamlet of Bárcena Mayor, 9.5km east off the CA280 along the CA871, is one of Cantabria’s oldest villages. It has a few casas rurales (village lodgings) and wonderfully atmospheric mesones (taverns), such as La Jontana (%942 74 12 11; www.lajontana.es; Calle La Larga, Bárcena Mayor; mains €9-16, menú del dia €12; h10am-late Wed-Mon; 
c) – perfect for trying the region’s beloved cocido montañés, served in huge sharing pots. It’s also a good base for walks in the dense beech forests, valleys and hills of the surrounding Parque Natural Saja-Besaya. The Centro de Interpretación Parque Natural Saja-Besaya (%608 065846; Carretera CA280, Km 13, Saja, Los Tojos; h10am-7pm Jul & Aug, 10am-7pm Tue-Sun Sep, reduced hours Oct-Jun), 6km south of the Bárcena Mayor turn-off on the CA280, offers maps, info and guided hikes.
From the Centro, the road winds past fantastic views all the way to Reinosa, in southern Cantabria, via the beautifully positioned Balcón de la Cardosa lookout and the 1260m Puerto de Palombera, with its roaming horses.
1Sights
oMuseo de Altamira MUSEUM
(%942 81 80 05; http://museodealtamira.mcu.es; Avenida Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola, Santillana del Mar; adult/child €3/free, Sun & from 2pm Sat free; h9.30am-8pm Tue-Sat May-Oct, to 6pm Tue-Sat Nov-Apr, to 3pm Sun & holidays year-round; pc)
The museum’s highlight is the Neocueva, a dazzling, full-sized re-creation of the real Cueva de Altamira’s most interesting chamber, the Sala de Polícromos (Polychrome Hall), which is covered in exquisite, 15,000-year-old ochre-and-black bison paintings created using the natural rock relief. Other excellent English- and Spanish-language displays cover prehistoric humanity and cave art worldwide, from Altamira to Australia. The museum is incredibly popular (288,000 visitors in 2017), so it’s best to reserve tickets ahead, especially for Easter, July, August and September.
4Sleeping
The most obvious base for exploring Altamira is beautiful, cobbled Santillana del Mar, 2.5km northeast, which has an excellent array of accommodation mostly set inside grand historical homes.
8Getting There & Away
ALSA runs four daily buses from Santillana del Mar to Altamira (€1.50, five minutes); schedules change seasonally. Otherwise, those without vehicles must walk (30 minutes via a paved path) or take a taxi (€5) to Altamira from Santillana, 2.5km northeast.
Comillas & Around
POP 2195
Sixteen kilometres west of Santillana through verdant countryside, Comillas is set across hilltops crowned by some of the most original and beautiful buildings in Cantabria. For these, the town is indebted to the first Marqués de Comillas (1817–83), who was born here as plain Antonio López, made a fortune in Cuba as a tobacco planter, shipowner, banker and slave trader, and then returned to commission leading Catalan Modernista architects to jazz up his hometown in the late 19th century. This, in turn, prompted the construction of other quirky mansions in Comillas. Adding to the town’s charms are a lovely golden beach, a tiny fishing port and a pleasant, cobbled old centre.
1Sights
oPalacio de Sobrellano HISTORIC BUILDING
(%942 72 03 39; http://centros.culturadecantabria.com; Barrio de Sobrellano; adult/child €3/1.50, grounds free; h9.45am-2.30pm & 3.30-6.30pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, to 7.30pm mid-Jun–mid-Sep, reduced hours Nov-Mar)
In hillside parkland stands the Marqués de Comillas’ fabulous neo-Gothic palace. With this 1888 building, Modernista architect Joan Martorell truly managed to out-Gothic real Gothic. On the 25-minute guided tour (in Spanish), you’ll see the grand lounge, featuring ornate wood-carved fireplaces with Gaudí-designed dragons; the elaborate dining room with its gold-wood artesonado (ceiling of interlaced beams with decorative insertions); beautiful stained-glass windows and vibrant original murals detailing the marquis’ story. Martorell also designed the marquis’ majestic family tomb (adult/child €3/1.50), next door.
oCapricho de Gaudí ARCHITECTURE
(%942 72 03 65; www.elcaprichodegaudi.com; Barrio de Sobrellano; adult/child €5/2.50; h10.30am-9pm Jul-Sep, to 8pm Mar-Jun & Oct, to 5.30pm Nov-Feb, closed 1 week Jan)
Antoni Gaudí left few reminders of his genius beyond Catalonia, but of them the 1885 Capricho de Gaudí is easily the most flamboyant. This brick building, one of Gaudí’s earliest works and originally a summer playpad for the Marqués de Comillas’ sister-in-law’s brother, is striped all over the outside with ceramic bands of alternating sunflowers and green leaves. The elegant interior is comparatively restrained, with quirky touches including artesonado ceilings (interlaced beams with decorative insertions), stained-glass windows and slim spiral staircases.
oPlaya de Oyambre BEACH
(p)
The 2km-long, soft-blonde Playa de Oyambre, 5km west of Comillas, is a sandy dream protected by the Parque Natural Oyambre. It has some surfable waves, a couple of year-round campgrounds and a dash of intriguing history as the emergency landing spot of the first ever USA–Spain flight, in 1929.
Fuente de los Tres Caños FOUNTAIN
(Calle de Joaquín del Piélago)
In the heart of town, this elaborate triple-tiered fountain and lamp post was created in 1899 by Modernista Lluís Domènech i Montaner and decorated with intricate floral motifs.
Antigua Universidad Pontificia ARCHITECTURE
(%630 256767; Calle de Manuel Noriega; adult/child €3.50/free, car €2; h10am-1pm & 5-8pm Jun-Sep, 10am-1pm Oct-May; p)
Modernista architects Joan Martorell, Cristóbal Cascante and Lluís Domènech i Montaner all had a hand in this complex 1892 former seminary, with Domènech i Montaner contributing its medieval flavour. It’s now an international Spanish language and culture study centre, the Centro Universitario CIESE-Comillas (%942 71 55 00; www.fundacioncomillas.es; group lessons per 1/2/3/4 weeks from €225/430/620/800). Visits to its elaborate interiors and patios are guided in Spanish; from June to September, the 6pm tour is in English. Access to just the grounds is free (unless you take a car in).
4Sleeping & Eating
Posada Los Trastolillos INN€€
(%942 72 22 12; www.lostrastolillos.com; Barrio Ceceño, El Tejo; d €90-120, ste €120-150; W)
At this peaceful rural retreat between Comillas and Playa del Oyambre, 10 guest rooms, including three spacious suites, are complemented by a sunny breakfast room, a comfy salón with wood stove, and a library and game room with cute wicker chairs for kids. Outside is a field full of cows, with distant vistas of hills, rocky headlands and the ocean.
Hotel Marina de Campíos BOUTIQUE HOTEL€€
(%942 72 27 54, 607 441647; www.marinadecampios.com; Calle del General Piélagos 12; s €75-105, d €90-160; hdaily Jun-Sep, Sat & Sun Oct-May; aW)
This bright-red, 19th-century house a few steps from Comillas’ central plaza has been revamped into a classy contemporary hotel with 19 boldly styled rooms, most sporting curtained beds, patterned walls and the names of famous operas. Out the back, there’s a lovely inner patio, with a piano bar and snack spot opening onto it. Breakfast costs €5. Outside summer the hotel opens only some weekends; check ahead.
Restaurante Gurea CANTABRIAN, BASQUE€
(%942 72 24 46; Calle Ignacio Fernández de Castro 11; mains €9-15; h1-3.45pm & 8.15-11pm, closed Tue dinner & Wed)
This friendly, elegant restaurant and social bar, hidden in a small street a few blocks east of the town centre, dishes up Basque-Cantabrian fare and can throw together excellent salads and raciones. You’ll find a variety of fixed-price menus, from the weekday lunch menu (€14.50) to the menú especial (€24, lunch or dinner) to ‘dinner for two’ (€50).
8Information
Oficina de Turismo (%942 72 25 91; www.comillas.es; Plaza de Joaquín del Piélago 1; h9am-9pm Jul–mid-Sep, 9am-2pm & 4-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-3pm Sun mid-Sep–Jun) Just off the main plaza.
8Getting There & Away
Autobuses La Cantábrica runs three to four daily buses between Comillas and Santander (€4, one hour), via Santillana del Mar. The main bus stop (Calle del Marqués de Comillas) is just west of the town centre.
San Vicente de la Barquera & Around
POP 4173
The fishing port of San Vicente de la Barquera, the final town on the western Cantabrian coast before you enter Asturias, sits handsomely on a point of land between two long inlets, backed by dramatic Picos de Europa mountainscapes. Together with Santander, Laredo and Castro Urdiales, it was one of the Cuatro Villas de la Costa, a federation of four dominant medieval ports that was converted into the province of Cantabria in 1779. The long sandy beaches east of town make it a busy summer spot.
1Sights
Playas El Rosal & de Merón BEACH
Along the coast east of town, these two beautiful beaches are basically one broad, 4km-long golden strand. Merón gets some surf, while El Rosal enjoys the prettiest San Vicente views around from its western end. Heed the warning flags: red means don’t swim, yellow means take care.
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles CHURCH
(%942 84 03 17; Calle Alta; adult/child €1.50/free; h10am-2pm & 4-8pm Tue-Sun Jul–mid-Sep, reduced hours rest of year)
The outstanding monument in San Vicente’s old town is the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles, commissioned by Alfonso VIII in 1210. Although Gothic, it sports a pair of impressive Romanesque doorways. Inside, the eerily lifelike statue of 16th-century Inquisitor Antonio del Corro (reclining on one elbow, reading) is deemed one of the best pieces of Renaissance funerary art in Spain. Behind the church, there are lovely views of the Río del Escudo estuary backed by mountains.
Castillo del Rey CASTLE
(Calle Padre Antonio; adult/child €2/1; h10.30am-2pm & 4.30-8pm Jul & Aug, reduced hours Mar-Jun & Sep-Dec, closed Jan & Feb)
San Vicente’s 13th-century medieval castle, one of Cantabria’s best preserved, tops the old part of town. Sights inside the castle are limited, and exhibits are Spanish-only, but on a clear day the views of the Picos de Europa, the Ría de San Vicente, the Atlantic Ocean and the town itself are spectacular.
CCourses
Escuela de Surf Costa Norte SURFING
(%609 282963; www.escueladesurfcostanorte.com; Avenida Francisco Giner de los Ríos 20; surfboard/wetsuit hire per hr €10/5, 2hr group class per person €30)
Based just back from San Vicente’s Playas El Rosal and de Merón, on the eastern side of the estuary, this popular surf school offers group classes (board and wetsuit included) and three- to seven-day surf camps of varied levels, along with surfboard and wetsuit hire and SUP (stand-up paddleboarding) sessions (€30).
4Sleeping & Eating
Hotel Luzón HOTEL€€
(%942 71 00 50; www.hotelluzon.net; Avenida Miramar 1; s/d/tr/q €45/70/95/115; hclosed Jan; W)
This centrally positioned two-star hotel occupies a stately, century-old stone townhouse, which still possesses an air of older times with its high ceilings, long corridors, ornate staircases and quiet drawing rooms. All 36 rooms are plain and simple, but most are spacious. Ask for a front room with broad views over town and water.
Boga-Boga SEAFOOD€€
(%942 71 01 50; www.restaurantebogaboga.es; Plaza José Antonio 9; mains €11-24; h1-4pm & 8-11pm year-round, closed Mon dinner & Tue Sep-Jun)
Despite its less than stunning exterior, this popular seafood spot has a warm, maritime feel, its walls decked with Spanish warship insignia. Try the Boga-Boga hake, cooked in a clay pot with oil and garlic, the marmita de bogavante (seafood stew with European lobster) or unusual northern sea creatures such as centollo (spider crab) or cabracho (scorpion fish).
8Information
Oficina Municipal de Turismo (%942 71 07 97; www.sanvicentedelabarquera.es; Avenida del Generalísimo 20; h10am-2pm & 4-8pm Jul & Aug, 9.30am-2pm & 5-8pm Sep, reduced hours rest of year)
8Getting There & Away
BUS
San Vicente’s bus station (%942 71 08 33; Avenida Miramar), next to the Puente de la Maza, is served by ALSA, Autobuses Palomera and Autobuses La Cantábrica.
| Destination | Fare (€) | Time (hr) | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gijón | 10.90 | 2½ | 4 daily |
| Oviedo | 9.10 | 2 | 5 daily, some via Llanes, Ribadesella & Arriondas |
| Potes | 3.80 | 1¼ | 2 daily |
| Santander | 5.15 | 1¼ | 6 daily, some via Comillas & Santillana del Mar |
TRAIN
San Vicente’s train station is at La Acebosa, 2km south of town. Two FEVE trains stop here daily on their way between Santander (€5.15, 1½ hours) and Oviedo (€11.15, 3½ hours).
ASTURIAS
‘Ser español es un orgullo’, the saying goes, ‘ser asturiano es un título.’ ‘If being Spanish is a matter of pride, to be Asturian is a mark of nobility.’ Asturias, the sole patch of Spain never conquered by the Muslims is, some claim, the real Spain: the rest is simply tierra de reconquista (reconquered land).
This gorgeously green northern region has many similarities with Cantabria, its eastern neighbour. The jagged coast is wildly dramatic, strung with colourful fishing ports, such as Ribadesella and Cudillero, and more than 200 beaches. Inland, the mountains (including much of the Picos de Europa) soar high, the valleys run deep and the villages are delightfully rustic. For architecture lovers, Asturias is the land of the pre-Romanesque, most strikingly expressed in early medieval survivors such as the exquisite Iglesia de San Salvador de Valdediós or in the Unesco World Heritage monuments of Oviedo, Asturias’ cultured capital.
Oviedo
POP 220,301 / ELEV 232M
The compact but characterful and historic casco antiguo (old town) of Asturias’ civilised capital is agreeably offset by elegant parks and busy, modern shopping streets to its west and north. Oviedo is a fun, sophisticated city, with a stash of intriguing sights, some excellent restaurants and a lively student population. Out on the periphery, the hum and heave of factories is a strong reminder that Oviedo is a major producer of textiles, weapons and food.
Oviedo
1Top Sights
1Sights
4Sleeping
5Eating
3Entertainment
7Shopping
1Sights
oCatedral de San Salvador CATHEDRAL
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %985 21 96 42; www.catedraldeoviedo.com; Plaza de Alfonso II; adult/senior/student/child €7/6/5/free; h10am-8pm Jun-Aug, 10am-7pm Sep, 10am-1pm & 4-6pm Mar-May & Oct, 10am-6pm Nov-Feb, closed Sun year-round)
Spanning nearly a millennium of architectural styles, Oviedo’s stunning cathedral complex is the city’s spiritual and artistic centrepiece. While the majority of the structure was built in Gothic and baroque styles between the 13th and 18th centuries, its origins and greatest interest lie in the 9th-century Cámara Santa, a pre-Romanesque chapel built by Alfonso II to house exquisite holy relics. Enshrined in 1998 as a Unesco World Heritage site, the chapel now contains several key symbols of medieval Spanish Christianity.
oMuseo Arqueológico de Asturias MUSEUM
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %985 20 89 77; www.museoarqueologicodeasturias.com; Calle de San Vicente 3-5; h9.30am-8pm Wed-Fri, 9.30am-2pm & 5-8pm Sat, 9.30am-3pm Sun) F
Partly within a restored 16th-century monastery, Asturias’ fascinating archaeology museum makes the most of the region’s archaeological riches through video and informative artefact displays. Subject matter ranges from prehistoric cave art to castro (pre-Roman fortified village) culture, Roman times and the medieval Kingdom of Asturias. On the top floor, keep an eye out for relics from Oviedo’s unique pre-Romanesque buildings and limestone-carved heads of medieval nobles. Explanatory details are in Spanish only, but staff will lend you an English or French guide booklet.
oMuseo de Bellas Artes de Asturias MUSEUM
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %985 21 30 61; www.museobbaa.com; Calle de Santa Ana 1; h10.30am-2pm & 4-8pm Tue-Sat, 10.30am-2.30pm Sun Jul & Aug, reduced hours rest of year) F
Oviedo’s Fine Arts Museum, housed in two of the city’s finest palaces, has a large, rewarding and growing collection, featuring paintings by Spanish and European greats such as Goya, Zurbarán, El Greco, Ribera, Titian and Brueghel the Elder. The museum’s sparkling-white 2015 Ampliación (accessed from Calle de La Rúa) hosts an impressive series of 19th- to 21st-century Spanish art, with works by Picasso, Miró, Dalí and Sorolla, and Asturians Evaristo Valle and Darío de Regoyos.
DON’T MISS
PLAZAS & STATUES
One of Oviedo’s greatest pleasures is exploring the old town’s corners. The Plaza de Alfonso II (MAP GOOGLE MAP), home of the cathedral, and the neighbouring Plaza de Porlier (MAP GOOGLE MAP) are fronted by elegant 17th- and 18th-century mansions. The Plaza de la Constitución (MAP GOOGLE MAP) occupies a barely perceptible rise at the heart of old Oviedo, capped at one end by the 16th-century Iglesia de San Isidoro (MAP GOOGLE MAP; hMass 8pm Mon-Fri, noon & 8pm Sat & Sun) and bordered by the 17th-century ayuntamiento (MAP GOOGLE MAP; Town Hall). Just south, past the colourful Mercado El Fontán (MAP GOOGLE MAP; %985 20 43 94; www.mercadofontan.es; Plaza 19 de Octubre; h8am-8pm Mon-Fri, to 3pm Sat) food market, the arcaded Plaza Fontán (MAP GOOGLE MAP) has a couple of sidrerías and passages leading in under pretty houses from surrounding streets.
Other attractive squares include the Plaza de Trascorrales (MAP GOOGLE MAP), with its milkmaid statue, and the Plaza del Paraguas (MAP GOOGLE MAP). The latter got its name from its inverted-umbrella design, which once accommodated an open-air market; today a giant concrete umbrella protects people from the elements.
Wandering around central Oviedo, you’ll run into an array of striking, modern, open-air sculptures, such as Eduardo Úrculo’s Culis Monumentalibus (MAP GOOGLE MAP; Calle Pelayo), a pair of legs topped by a pair of large buttocks; Mauro Álvarez Fernández’ La Regenta (Plaza de Alfonso II), a tribute to Leopoldo Alas’ Oviedo-inspired, 19th-century novel La Regenta, outside the cathedral; and a statue of Woody Allen (Calle de las Milicias Nacionales), who expressed a particular affection for Oviedo when filming his 2008 film Vicky Cristina Barcelona here, describing it as ‘a fairy tale’.
zFestivals & Events
Fiestas de San Mateo FIESTA
(hlate Sep; c)
Oviedo’s biggest fiesta is that of San Mateo, celebrated in the third week of September and peaking on 21 September. For nine days, the city’s plazas and concert halls buzz with live music, theatre, fireworks and a wide-ranging line-up of kids’ events.
4Sleeping
Hotel Favila HOTEL€
(%985 25 38 77; www.hotelfavila.es; Calle Uria 37; s €32-45, d €40-59; W)
It’s certainly not the Ritz, but this little hotel has two big things going for it: dirt-cheap prices and an ultraconvenient location a stone’s throw from Oviedo’s train station. Rooms are perfectly passable, with dependable wi-fi, and there’s a cafe-restaurant downstairs where you can grab breakfast in the morning.
oBarceló Oviedo Cervantes HOTEL€€
(%985 25 50 00; www.barcelo.com; Calle de Cervantes 13; r €75-170, ste from €260; pa
iW)
Comprising a revamped century-old mansion and two modern smoked-glass wings, the Barceló is just two blocks northwest of the central Campo de San Francisco. Impeccably contemporary style runs right through it, from the reception’s suspended mirrored orbs and the shiny, club-like lobby bar to the 72 spacious, luxurious rooms, with their chain curtains, masses of mirrors and glass-partitioned bathrooms.
Hotel Fruela HOTEL€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %985 20 81 20; www.hotelfruela.com; Calle de Fruela 3; s €57-110, d €79-140; paW)
With an attractive contemporary style, original art, professional yet friendly service and a cosy, almost intimate feel, the 28-room Fruela is easily the top midrange option in central Oviedo. Behind its gorgeously maintained late-19th-century facade, business-oriented rooms are bright and welcoming, with desks, dangling lamps and plenty of plugs for gadgets. Breakfast and tapas are available in the ground-floor cafe-restaurant.
Hotel de la Reconquista HISTORIC HOTEL€€€
(%985 24 11 00; www.eurostarshoteldelareconquista.com; Calle de Gil de Jaz 16; r €130-190, ste €240-480; paiW)
Oviedo’s swishest lodgings, two blocks northwest of the Campo de San Francisco, was once an 18th-century hospice. The 142 rooms, in all shapes and sizes, frame two patios and are perfectly balanced between tradition and comfort, with timber furniture, tumbling curtains and floor-to-ceiling windows. Spanish royalty and other luminaries hang out here during the annual Príncesa de Asturias prizes jamboree.
5Eating
Veintiséis Grados CAFE€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %985 73 83 31; www.facebook.com/veintiseisgrados; Calle del Rosal 13; breakfasts €2.10-4.50, mains €8-12; h8am-11pm Mon-Thu, to midnight Fri, 9am-midnight Sat, 9am-5pm Sun; W)
Insanely popular at all times of day, this cosy modern-rustic cafe and bakery with a semi-open patio-style entrance and murals on the walls is a particularly good bet for breakfast, coffees, pastries and sandwiches or even brunch. People type away on laptops and there’s a fun city-life buzz.
oTierra Astur SIDRERÍA, ASTURIAN€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %985 20 25 02; www.tierra-astur.com; Calle de la Gascona 1; mains €9-33, menús €11-28; h1-4.30pm & 8pm-midnight; W)
A particularly atmospheric sidrería-restaurant famous for its prize-winning cider and ridiculously good-value menú del día (€10.80, lunch Monday to Friday). People queue for tables, settle for tapas at the bar or just buy traditional products for home. Try enormous salads, Asturian cachopo (stuffed breaded veal), giant grilled-veg platters, tortos (fried maize cakes) with a million toppings, or local cheese raciones.
For longer hours and excellent grilled meats, head one block down the street to their sister restaurant, Tierra Astur Parrilla (MAP GOOGLE MAP; %984 84 66 24; www.tierra-astur.com/parrilla; Calle Gascona 9; mains €13-33; h1pm-1am).
oGloria ASTURIAN€€
(%984 83 42 43; www.estasengloria.com; Calle de Cervantes 24; tapas €4.50-6, raciones €12-18; h12.30-6pm & 8.30pm-1am Mon-Sat, 12.30-6pm Sun; W)
Two-Michelin-starred Asturian chef Nacho Manzano brings his culinary genius to Oviedo with this elegant casa de comidas (food house). Exquisitely prepared traditional dishes come as tapas, medias raciones or raciones, and there’s a €20 weekday lunch menu. Lounge at the bar, or dine among suited professionals in the sultry, black-clad dining room with candlelit tables and leather booths. Bookings recommended.
Sidrería El Fartuquín SIDRERÍA, ASTURIAN€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %985 22 99 71; www.restauranteelfartuquin.es; Calle del Carpio 19; mains €11.50-22, menús €10-16; h1-4pm & 8pm-midnight Mon-Sat)
The Fartuquín’s busy little dining room offers an excellent range of well-priced Asturian meat, fish and seafood, plus a great-value set menu (€10), including wine, available at lunchtime Monday to Friday. There’s a fancier €16 menú for Saturday lunch. Ovetenses (people from Oviedo) pack into the front bar for evening tapas.
Mar de Llanes SEAFOOD€€€
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %984 29 22 84; www.mardellanes.es; Calle Águila 11; mains €22-25; h1.15-3.30pm & 8.15-11.45pm Tue-Sun)
All of the seafood served at this friendly, family-run eatery is freshly caught by the owners in Llanes. Appetizers of rabas (fried squid) and main courses of perfectly grilled merluza (hake) or salmonete (red mullet) come accompanied by sautéed vegetables, potatoes, crusty bread and superb olive oil in a simple, unpretentious dining room with sturdy wood tables and white linen tablecloths.
6Drinking & Entertainment
For sidrerías head to Calle de la Gascona. On weekends, the old town’s narrow pedestrian streets are packed with party-goers. The main axis is Calle de Mon, with wall-to-wall bars, and its extension Calle Oscura, as well as adjacent Calles del Carpio and Postigo Alto and Plaza del Sol. Weekdays, old-town bars generally open until 1am and can be quiet. On Friday and Saturday, they’re busy until at least 3am.
oLa Leyenda del Gallo COCKTAIL BAR, CLUB
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; %984 84 06 84; www.facebook.com/laleyendadelgallo; Calle de Altamirano 9; h1-4pm & 8pm-2.30am Tue, to 3.30am Wed & Thu, to 5.30am Fri & Sat)
A keen young team has transformed this old-town house into Oviedo’s hottest party spot. Inside, it’s all mosaic floors, low lights and stone walls. Try one of the divine, expertly mixed, original cocktails – perhaps a gin-based basil-bramble sling. Book well ahead to taste inventive Spanish-international dishes (€10 to €19). At midnight, tables disappear and the place morphs into party mode.
Per Se CAFE, BAR
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; Calle de la Canóniga 18; h5pm-1am Sun & Mon, to 2.30am Tue & Wed, to 3.30am Thu, to 5.30am Fri & Sat; 
#)
This wonderfully comfy, cave-like cafe-bar is crammed with fairy lights, chunky mirrors, open-stone walls, tropical-print cushions and rattan lounge chairs. Kick back over coffee, homemade cakes or cocktails served in artsy jars. The vibe is friendly, mellow and (partly) studenty. There are regular swing-dance classes and poetry events.
Ca Beleño LIVE MUSIC
(MAP GOOGLE MAP; www.facebook.com/cabeleno; Calle de Martínez Vigil 4; h4.30pm-1am Sun-Wed, to 3.30am Thu-Sat)
Oviedo’s first craft-beer bar has five home-brews on tap and is also a well-established venue for Celtic music, whether of Asturian, Galician or Irish extraction. Live jams get going at around 10pm Thursday.
DON’T MISS
PRE-ROMANESQUE OVIEDO
Largely cut off from the rest of Christian Europe by the Muslim invasion, the tough and tiny kingdom that emerged in 8th-century Asturias gave rise to a unique style of art and architecture known as pre-Romanesque.
The 15 buildings (six of which constitute a World Heritage site) that survive from the two centuries of the Asturian kingdom are mostly churches; they take some inspiration from Roman, Visigothic and possibly Carolingian French buildings, but have no real siblings. They are typified by straight-line profiles, semicircular Roman-style arches, and a triple-naved plan for the churches. In many cases the bases and capitals of columns, with their Corinthian or floral motifs, were simply cannibalised from earlier structures. The use of lattice windows as a design effect owes something to developments in Muslim Spain.
Some of the best of the genre are found in and near Oviedo, including the cathedral’s Cámara Santa . The Iglesia de San Julián de los Prados (Iglesia de Santuyano; %687 052826, 607 353999; Calle de Selgas 1; adult/child €2/0.50; h10am-1pm Mon, 9.30am-1pm & 4-6pm Tue-Fri, 9.30am-12.30pm & 4-6pm Sat Jul-Sep, reduced hours rest of year), 1km northeast of the town centre, just above the A66, is the largest remaining pre-Romanesque church, and one of the oldest, built in the early 9th century under Alfonso II. It’s flanked by two porches – another Asturian touch – and the inside is covered with wonderfully preserved geometric, floral and other frescos.
On the slopes of Monte Naranco, 3.5km northwest of central Oviedo, the tall, narrow Palacio de Santa María del Naranco (%638 260163; Monte Naranco; adult/child incl Iglesia de San Miguel de Lillo €3/2, Mon free; h9.30am-1pm & 3.30-7pm Tue-Sat, 9.30am-1pm Sun & Mon Apr-Sep, 10am-2.30pm Tue-Sat, 10am-12.30pm Sun & Mon Oct-Mar) and the restored Iglesia de San Miguel de Lillo (Iglesia de San Miguel de Lliño; %638 260163; Monte Naranco; adult/child incl Palacio de Santa María del Naranco €3/2, Mon free; h9.30am-1pm & 3.30-7pm Tue-Sat, 9.30am-1pm Sun & Mon Apr-Sep, 10am-2.30pm Tue-Sat, 10am-12.30pm Sun & Mon Oct-Mar) were built by Ramiro I (842–50), and mark an advance in Asturian art. An outstanding decorative feature of the beautifully proportioned two-floor Santa María (probably originally a royal hunting lodge) is the sogueado, the sculptural motif imitating rope used in its columns. Some of its 32 medallions are copies of ancient Iranian motifs, known here through Roman contact. Of the original San Miguel, only one-third remains (the rest collapsed centuries ago), but what’s left has a singularly pleasing form. In particular, note the one-stone lattice windows.
Just below, the Centro de Interpretación del Prerrománico (%902 30 66 00, 985 18 58 60; www.prerromanicoasturiano.es; Monte Naranco; h10am-2pm & 3.30-7.30pm Jul & Aug, 10am-1.30pm & 3.30-6pm Wed-Sun Feb-Jun & Sep-Dec, closed Jan; p) F has informative displays in English, Spanish and French. To get here, take bus A2 (€1.20), hourly from around 9.30am to 8.30pm, northwest from the Uría Norte stop at the northern end of Calle de Uría near the train station; bus A1 runs back down. By car, park 300m below Santa María and walk up.
From these two churches, you can hike, bike or drive the final 3km up to the Monumento al Sagrado Corazón (Monte Naranco; p), a 30m-high, 1981 stone sculpture of Christ, adorned with Asturias’ Cruz de la Victoria (Cross of Victory), which crowns Monte Naranco. The views are sensational, with Oviedo sprawling below between often snow-topped peaks and the Bay of Biscay twinkling to the north.
Visits to San Julián, Santa María and San Miguel are guided (in Spanish), except on Monday when visits are without a guide.
8Information
Oficina de Turismo de Asturias (%902 30 02 02, 984 49 35 60; www.turismoasturias.es; Plaza de la Constitución 4; h9am-7pm Jun-Sep, 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat & Sun Oct-May) Covers all of Asturias.
Oficina de Turismo El Escorialín (%985 22 75 86; oficina.turismo@oviedo.es; Calle del Marqués de Santa Cruz; h10.30am-6pm) Oviedo’s municipal tourist office, at the Campo de San Francisco.
8Getting There & Away
AIR
The Aeropuerto de Asturias (%902 40 47 04; www.aena.es; Santiago del Monte) is 47km northwest of Oviedo and 40km west of Gijón. Direct hourly buses leave Oviedo’s bus station for the airport (€8, 40 minutes) from 7am to 8pm, plus 9.30pm, returning hourly from 7am to 7pm, plus 8.30pm, 10pm and 11.20pm.
Airlines and destinations include the following:
Air Europa (www.aireuropa.com) Mallorca and Tenerife.
EasyJet (www.easyjet.com) Geneva and London (Stansted).
Iberia (www.iberia.com) London (Heathrow) and Madrid.
Volotea (www.volotea.com) Ibiza, Málaga, Seville, Valencia and Munich.
Vueling Airlines (www.vueling.com) Barcelona and London (Gatwick).
BUS
ALSA (%902 42 22 42; www.alsa.es) is the major company operating from Oviedo’s bus station (%985 96 96 96; www.estaciondeautobusesdeoviedo.com; Calle de Pepe Cosmen), 700m north of the central Campo de San Francisco.
| Destination | Fare (€) | Time | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avilés | 2.55 | 30min-1hr | every 15-30min, 6.30am-11pm |
| Cangas de Onís | 7 | 1½hr | 7-13 daily |
| Gijón | 2.45 | 30min | every 10-30min, 6.30am-10.30pm |
| Llanes | 10.75 | 1¼-2¾hr | 10-11 daily |
| Madrid | 34-59 | 5-7hr | 12-13 daily |
| Ribadesella | 8.05 | 1¼-2hr | 6-8 daily |
| Santander | 13-29 | 2¼-3hr | 9-12 daily |
| Santiago de Compostela | 30-43 | 4½-6¾hr | 3-4 daily |
TRAIN
Oviedo’s one train station (%912 43 23 43; Avenida de Santander; W) serves both train companies: Renfe (%912 32 03 20; www.renfe.com), for destinations to the south, and FEVE (Renfe Ancho Métrico; %912 32 03 20; www.renfe.com/viajeros/feve), on the upper floor, for destinations along Spain’s north coast.
Cudillero (€3.30, 1¼ hours, three direct FEVE trains daily)
Gijón (€3.30, 35 minutes, half-hourly or hourly Renfe cercanías 6.25am to 10pm)
León (€10 to €20, two to 2¾ hours, five to six Renfe trains daily)
Llanes (€8.55, 2¾ hours, three to four FEVE trains daily) Via Arriondas (€5.15, 1¾ hours) and Ribadesella (€6.65, 2¼ hours).
Luarca (€7.40, 2½ hours, two FEVE trains daily) Continuing into Galicia as far as Ferrol (€24.10, 7¼ hours).
Madrid (€33 to €55, 4¼ to 7¼ hours, six to eight Renfe trains daily)
Santander (€16.35, five hours, two FEVE trains daily) Via Arriondas, Llanes and Ribadesella.
8Getting Around
Bus A2 (€1.20) runs up to the Monte Naranco monuments from the northern end of Calle Uría, near the train station; bus A1 runs back into town. Transportes Unidos de Asturias (www.tua.es) is a handy source for Oviedo’s urban buses.