Santander or Santillana Del Mar?

[Jacquie Cattanach]

For anyone that has done the Norte, I would like to ask your opinion... Given an extra day, would you spend it in Santander or Santillana Del Mar? Why? Muchas Gracias!

 

[peregrina2000]

Well, it totally depends on whether you would like to spend a day in a beautiful city with great restaurants, a cathedral that's worth a visit, some beautiful modernist architecture, nice mercado, and a museum filled with artifacts from the prehistoric cave dwellings all around the area. That would be Santander. Santillana del Mar is a restored stone village turned tourist mecca, filled with souvenir shope and a romanesque church with an absolutely amazing cloister. It is very pretty, lots of flowers, but there is no doubt that you are in a place where the tourist trade is the major lifeblood. From Santillana you could go up to the site of the Caves of Altamira, now closed to the public but with a replica nearby that many have enjoyed (since you won't be able to stand a day with no walking, having a 5 km round trip is better than nothing). It's also got a museum with some interesting stuff, but just as between the two museums, I would san the one in Santander is better. But of course in Santillana you have the replica of the cave itself.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I agree wholeheartedly with Laurie. Santillana makes for fabulous pictures, but it basically is a tiny pedestrian street. It has an albergue in a brautiful super old house at the entrance of the pedestrian street Cason Solar de Hilagos, and a restaurant with delicious menus del dias, Pasage de los Nobles, But in an hour, even less, it will be a matter of "been there done that". Arrive early-midday, hike up to Altamira, wait for your tour to start, visit the cave replica and ealk back down for dinner. OR... if you arrive on Friday am run up to Altamira to run a chance at winning the draw to visit the real cave!

Santander is a city that took a major hit during the civil war, so a lot of its architecture is mid-century, but a visit to the Magdalena, the royal family's former summer residence, and set of the series Grand Hotel is a nice visit. The muni albergue near the cathedral is a tight fit, hope the person is the bunk next to you has showered upon arrival.

 

[peregrina2000]

And how could we forget the beautiful Banco de Santander building?

 

[Anemone del Camino]

And how could we forget the beautiful Banco de Santander building?

And the exhibits at its Fundacion. Makes swallowing the recent scandals a bit easier.

 

[Jacquie Cattanach]

Thanks everyone for your information. It looks like the decision has been made to forfeit the extra night in Santanilla del Mar.

 

[Tia Valeria]

In Santander the Museum of Pre-History (access down the side of the market) is amazing. It takes about 2 hours to really see it all. Then there is the Cathedral and all the other sights, including the lovely Sardineros beaches etc......
If you decide to stop over in Santiallana too, or think you can time your arrival then you can buy a pre-timed ticket for the replica cave of Altamira from the Banco de Santander in Santander. You then miss the first queue at Altamira and are given a time for the replica cave at the second desk. Time to visit their museum while waiting.

 

[Castilian]

From Santillana you could go up to the site of the Caves of Altamira, now closed to the public

It was opened two years ago and it remains opened although chances to get in are slim. Visits are just once a week and you have to go to the museum before 10:30 a.m. the day visits are carried to enter in the draw (just for people over 16 years old) of the just 5 entries available. For more info: http://museodealtamira.mcu.es/PreparaLaVisita/visitaLaCueva.html

 

[oursonpolaire]

While I agree with the general direction of this thread, Santillana del Mar has a very impressive diocesan museum (http://www.santillanamuseodiocesano.com/), which I visited (it has its own sello). The quality of the musical events looks high, assuming that they update the website from 2013... Still, it would not justify an extra day, but the hour or so visiting it is worth the effort.