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As with the other neighbouring regions comprising ‘Green Spain,’ the principal attractions of Cantabria are essentially coastal and rural. The region’s rivers, beaches, cliffs, valleys, mountains and forests combine to create a mosaic of contrasting landscapes.
Cantabria’s climate is temperate. With relatively warm winters and summer temperatures rarely exceeding 25°C this is an ideal region of Spain to visit at any time of year, particularly for those wishing to avoid crowded cities and resorts. The entire population is only a little over half a million and getting on for half the population live in the region’s capital city, Santander.
Santander is a beautiful and elegant city with many public parks. Like San Sebastián further east along the coast, it has been a popular destination for many Spaniards since the mid 19th century when it became a fashionable bathing resort and the summer residence of the Spanish royal family. A particular feature of the city is the residential area of El Sardinero with its stretch of lovely beaches with fine sand.
24 km to the west of Santander is the remarkable little town of Santillana del Mar which, despite its name, is not actually on the coast. The entire town is a national monument and a living museum of a medieval 9th century village, although most of the town displays a variety of architectural styles ranging from the 14th to the 18th centuries.
Another major attraction, just 3 km from Santillana, are the Altamira Caves. Discovered in 1879 and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the caves are known throughout the world for their paintings made by early man during the late Paleolithic period some 14,000 years ago.
The cuisine of this region is of a high quality based on fresh products from its fertile farmland and, in the south of Cantabria, its excellent cattle-grazing land – not to mention boar and venison in the mountain villages during the hunting season. Particularly recommended are the traditional Cantabrian stews (cocido) – no additives, just fresh top-quality ingredients. Needless to say there is also a wide choice of sea food: clams and lobster figure prominently, while bass, hake, monkfish and red mullet are normally on most menus.
