Santillana del Mar is in the Cantabria province of the Asturias and Cantabria region of Spain, about 30km from Santander. It is positioned slightly inland despite its name!
Santillana del Mar was once said by the French philosopher Jean-Paul Satre to be 'the most beautiful town in Spain'. It is officially classified as one of the "most beautiful villages of Spain".
Explore Santillana del Mar
Spain This Way Review: Santillana del Mar is a wonderful medieval town and one of the highlights of Cantabria.
Santillana del Mar is affectionately known as the town of three lies. It is not a saint "sant", it is not flat "llana" and it is not on the sea "del mar". However its name really comes from the Saint Juliana whose remains are buried in the collegiate church.
The collegiate church, the Colegiata de Santa Juliana, is at the heart of the town and was built to house the bones of Saint Juliana. It is a Romanesque church and was formerly a Benedictine Monastery.
The church has a lovely 12th century cloisters with beautifully carved chapters depicting mythical beasts . It costs about 3 euros to enter the cloisters.
The town itself is a delight. It is traffic free and its narrow streets are lined with beautiful medieval buildings.
The main plaza, Plaza Mayor is beautiful. One of the mansions on the Plaza is now a parador, the Parador Gil Blas, one of two in the town!
The parador is so named as the hero of the novel 'Gil Blas' by Alain-René Lesage which was set in Santillana del Mar. This parador is one of the best and so if you are looking to try some of these wonderful Spanish hotels this one is a good choice.
Also on the Plaza Mayor are the town hall, the 15th century Don Borja's tower and 14th century Merino's tower are all superb. The two towers are amongst the oldest buildings in the town.
Wandering through the streets of Santillana del Mar are many beautiful buildings. Amongst the mansions one of the best is the Casa de los Hombrones close to the Plaza Mayor, but there are many mansions and all have interesting details.
One of the best of the Renaissance palaces is the Velarde palace. This is open to the public and is decorated inside to reflect the history of the building. It includes an outside sculpture garden.
At the other end of the main street from the Colegiata is the Convent of the Poor Clares. This houses a collection of religious art.
There is a also a small museum of torture in the village, the Museo de la Tortura, full of instruments of torture.
Santillana del Mar is on the northern route of the Pilgrim's Way, the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. This route travels along the northern coast of Spain and is a bit quieter than the main route slightly further south. This route including the collegiate church of Santillana has been given UNESCO World Heritage status.
Places to visit nearby
As well as ambling through the town the coast is only 3 km away and the UNESCO World Heritage Caves of Altamira are only 2 kms away.
The lovely town of Comillas with its wonderful Gaudi building is just a few kilometers to the west of Santillana del Mar.
Also visit Santander which is the capital of Cantabria and is an elegant seaside resort.
You can find more local travel ideas in the Asturias and Cantabria guide.
Find Santillana del Mar (or elsewhere) hotels
Reserve excursions near Santillana del Mar
Photos of Santillana del Mar
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Map of Santillana del Mar and places to visit
Santillana del Mar places to visit
Altamira Caves
Some magnificent pre-historic art is in these UNESCO-listed caves. The wonderful paintings are amongst the best prehistoric paintings in the world.
Altamira Caves guide
Comillas
Comillas is a very good resort which has lots of Modernista buildings including the El Capricho designed by Antoni Gaudi.
Comillas guide
El-Capricho
El-Capricho is a stunning house designed by Gaudi in the modernist style in the lovely village of Comillas.
El-Capricho guide
Puente Viesgo
Puente Viesgo is a lovely village in a beautiful setting and has some excellent caves full of stalactites, stalagmites and lots of prehistoric paintings.
Puente Viesgo guide
San Vicente de la Barquera
San Vicente de la Barquera is an interesting town on the Cantabrian coast.
San Vicente de la Barquera guide
Santander
Santander is the lively capital of Cantabria and has a popular seaside suburb of El Sardinero.
Santander guide