Weekend in Santander with excursions included
This weekend in Santander is organized so that you can make the most of your getaway. This weekend plan includes: 2 nights in a central hotel in Santander and an excursion to Santillana del Mar and the Altamira Museum. In addition, the excursions are at midday so you will have free time to enjoy the city of Santander, shop, walk at your own pace or dine quietly in its many restaurants and bars. Are you up for it?
Are you interested?
Experience Details
What is included?
Accommodation in the center of Santander
Excursion to Santillana del Mar and Altamira Museum with tickets included and hotel pick-up
What is not included?
Flights
Rental car
Other tickets not mentioned
Other transfers not mentioned
Any other service not included in the section "what is included"
What should you bring?
Comfortable shoes
Jacket or cardigan to visit the El Soplao cave, which is always at 12ºC
Umbrella or raincoat if you travel in the winter months
Complete your trip to Santander
If you want to add transport to get to Santander, if you need a rental car in Santander, if you want to add or remove days from the proposed experience or if you want to customize your trip, do not hesitate to contact us and we will find the option that best suits you.
Travel guide of Weekend in Santander with excursions included
Day 1:
Arrival in Santander and excursion to El Soplao
Once you settle into your hotel in the city center, get ready for the excursion to the cave of El Soplao it starts at 3:30 p.m. The pick-up will be from your accommodation. If you arrive early in the morning, you can take the opportunity to take a walk through the center of Santander and eat something in one of its many restaurants. You can try some of the delicious seafood dishes.
What will you see today?
El Soplao Cave
Did you know...
Why is it called El Soplao cave?
El Soplao cave owes its name to the mining jargon of those who discovered, exploited and respected it. It is called soplao to the current of air that is created when a mining gallery cuts a natural cave gallery. By drilling, the two galleries are connected and that blowing is created. This only happens once. Once this air current is out, it doesn't happen again.
Remember that...
The excursion to the cave of El Soplao begins at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Try to be prepared at your hotel where they will pick you up.
Day 2:
Excursion to Santillana del Mar and Altamira Museum
During the morning you can stroll through the Pereda Gardens and follow the promenade to Puertochico. On the way you will find the famous statues of Los Raqueros and the Botín Center. Climbing the stairs of the Botín Center is free and you will be rewarded with fantastic views. If you are interested in visiting the Botín Center and its art collection, let us know and we will arrange your entrance ticket.
In the afternoon at 3 pm you will be picked up at your hotel to start the excursion to Santillana del Mar and the Altamira Museum. On this tour, you will visit the beautiful town of Santillana del Mar and its Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana, where you will discover its beautiful interior and its cloister. In Santillana, you will also have free time for shopping or strolling at your leisure. Once you have visited this town, which is listed as one of the most beautiful villages in Spain, you will be taken to the Altamira Museum where you can enjoy a guided tour of the Neocueva, an exact replica of the original cave, which is no longer open to the public in order to preserve it. This replica shows the Upper Paleolithic cave paintings that were found in Altamira, the first site in the world where they were identified. Once the visit is over, you will be transferred back to your hotel.
What will you see today?
Santillana del Mar
Altamira Museum
Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana
The Raqueros
Gardens of Pereda
Centro Botín
Did you know...
The interior of the Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana
The facade and the entrance to the Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana is one of the most popular images of Cantabria thanks to it is imposing and great beauty. But did you know that its interior houses very important elements and great history? For starters, it has the relic Lignum Crucis, that is, pieces of wood from the cross on which Jesus Christ could have been crucified. These pieces of wood are kept in a medieval silver cross that protects them from theft and allows them to be seen through its glass interior. Although there are doubters, the truth is that science has corroborated that these small pieces of wood belonged to that time and place. This relic was donated by the abbot of Santo Toribio in 1425 so that pilgrims from Santillana del Mar would not have to travel to the Monastery of Santo Toribio, where there is a larger relic of the Lignum Crucis.
Also, upon entering you will see the tomb of Santa Juliana, the martyr who gives the name to the Collegiate Church and, probably, to the town of Santillana del Mar since the old name of the monastery was in Latin, Sancta Iuliana, which would end up deriving in Santillana. Inside you will find information about his life and his merciless end. As to whether his remains are really there or not, is a mystery as many churches claim to have them in their possession. Similarly, the history of the saint is very interesting and the interior of the collegiate church, a wonder that you will discover on your visit included in your trip to Santander.
Where to eat
Where to eat in Santander
The gastronomy in Santander is amazing, from avant-garde restaurants with Michelin stars to traditional restaurants with a daily menu, the Cantabrians love to alternate which means going from local to local eating rations and having a drink.
Avant-garde restaurants: Querida Margarita, with a tasting menu option at a reasonable price. El Serbal, a restaurant with Michelin stars.
Tapas restaurants in the center of Santander: in the Plaza de Cañadío and in the streets Hernán Cortés, Daoiz y Velarde and Santa Lucía. These streets are connected and are full of lively bars and terraces with a great culinary offers. Do not miss their seafood rations among which the squid rings and anchovies stand out. To finish, some good Cantabrian cheeses and a Quesada.
Day 3:
Farewell from Santander and return home
On this last day in Santander, take the opportunity to have a butter cake for breakfast and take some home with you, they are delicious! Also, take the opportunity to go to the Town Hall Square and the Cathedral. The visiting hours of the temple on Sundays are from 10 am to 1:30 pm. This cathedral has impressive stained glass windows and giant shells used as a holy water font - beautiful! On the way out, you can go to the Plaza Porticada. These three stops are very close and easily reached on foot.
What will you see today?
Santander Cathedral
The Plaza Porticada
Santander Town Hall Square
Itinerary of the day
Did you know...
Curiosities of Santander
Under the Cathedral of Santander there are Roman remains.
In February 1941 there was a great fire in Santander that devastated the city center leaving only two relevant buildings intact: the Post Office building and that of the Bank of Spain. This fire is known as the Andalusian fire, because it started on Calle Cádiz and ended on Calle Sevilla.
In the Pereda Gardens there are specimens of each of the tree species that can be found in Cantabria.
Activities
Santillana del Mar & Altamira Museum Excursion
This half-day excursion departs from Santander and will take you to the Altamira Museum and its Neocave and Santillana del Mar. Once you are picked up from your hotel, the first stop will be the visit to the Altamira Museum Neocave, a scale replica of the original cave declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985 and now closed to the public to ensure its conservation. Here you will discover survival tools and Paleolithic cave art, figurative paintings up to 36,000 years old.
After this very interesting visit, the next stop will be Santillana del Mar, catalogued as the most beautiful town in Spain. Its cobbled streets and medieval buildings make Santillana del Mar one of the most visited places in Cantabria where you cannot miss the Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana, the most important Romanesque work in Cantabria.
Duration: 4 hours and 30 minutes.
Departures and times: Tuesdays and Saturdays at 3 pm.
Pick up: at your hotel or at the meeting point on Calle Castelar, when access to your hotel is not possible.
What will you do on this guided tour?
- Get to know Santillana del Mar.
- Visit the Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana from the 12th century.
- Have free time in Santillana to shop.
- Discover the Altamira Museum and its guided visit to the neocave.
- Learn about the history and cave art of the Paleolithic.
What is included?
- Private transportation by car, minivan or bus
- Pick up at the hotel the one from Santander or Torrelavega
- A guide to accompany you throughout the excursion
- Entrance to the Altamira Museum
- Entrance to the Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana
- Civil liability insurance
What should I bring?
Comfortable shoes since the streets are cobbled.
Languages
Spanish, English and Italian
Contact an expert
If you have any questions about this experience, if you want more details or if you want to customize your trip, don't wait any longer! Contact us and we will help you tailor your trip.
Contact us if you need to add flights, rental cars, transfers or events to your trip. We will solve all your doubts and we will help you finalize your reservation.