Visit Santillana del Mar, Spain - a stunning medieval town

Visit Santillana del Mar

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 is a wonderful medieval town, once said by the French philosopher Satre to be 'the most beautiful town in Spain'.

Explore Santillana del Mar

Santillana del Mar is built of a golden sandstone and there are a wealth of churches and 14 to 17th century mansions to explore. If you can visit the town out of season (in the summer there are lots of tourists) it really is like stepping back in time. It is one of the best preserved medieval towns in Europe.

At the heart of the town is a monastery, 'La Colegiata' which was built to house the bones of Saint Juliana. The Colegiata de Santa Juliana is a Romanesque cathedral and contains lovely 12th century cloisters. It costs about 3 euros to enter the cloisters. The village of Sanillana grew up around this church and is named after it.

The main plaza, Plaza Mayor is a delight. 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.

The town hall and 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.

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. Of the Renaissance palaces one of the best is the Velarde palace.

At the other end of the main street from the Colegiata is the Convent of the Poor Clares. This houses a good art collection which started when the nuns were encouraged to collect and restore paintings abandoned during the Civil War in Spain.

There is 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.

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 unusual town of Comillas with its Modernista architecture is just a few kilometers to the west of Santillana del Mar.

Be sure to 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.

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

Puente Viesgo

Puente Viesgo is a lovely village in a beautiful setting and has some excellent caves full of stalagtites, stalagmites and lots of prehistoric paintings.

Puente Viesgo guide