Santander is consiered to be one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. It has been a popular summer holiday resort for Spaniards since the 19th century when king Alfonso XIII spent the sunniest season at the impressive Palacio de la Magdalena.
We spent a wonderful day in the capital of Cantabria and today I’m going to show you around. Here’s how to spend 24 hours in Santander, including what to see, do and eat,
The first thing we visited was Palacio de la Magdalena, Alfonso XIII’s former summer residence. We arrived early enough to play hide-and-seek around this magnificent building before swarming tourists arrived. Ever since I had seen a photo of this place, I had been obsessed with it. It did not disappoint. We explored every single corner and spent a lovely time here.
Even though Santander is a hilly city, we explored it on foot. The best workout! It reminded me of my beloved San Francisco.
After the Palace, we went down to the beach,
El Sardinero and visited the beautiful gardens overlooking the sea,
Jardines de Piquio.
The other main promenade of the city is
Paseo de Pereda where we found four sculptures which pay their respects to the city’s children that worked for a living at the docks:
Los Raqueros.
Our next stop was
Mercado del Este where they serve delicious pintxos like those in
San Sebastian.
We had made reservations to have lunch at Zacarias, a traditional restaurant with a modern twist. The decor is so original, the hanging umbrellas are so much fun!
We ordered a tasting menu which includes several starters, a main dish and dessert. The first thing we tried was an appetizer consisting of fish spread, salsa rosa (ketchup + mayonaise = pink sauce) and chopped tomato with olive oil. The first starter were anchovies (typical from Cantabria) and roasted peppers.
Next was the octopus, not our favorite one, it was a bit hard to eat.
The last appetizer was a slice of delicious tomato with tuna and onion, dressed with high quality virgin extra olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The main dish was fish for my husband and meat for me.
Desserts were delicious too: a very peculiar cheesecake -pictured below- and a tiramisu over a
sobao, the signature delicacy of Cantabria.
After this scrumptious lunch, we were stuffed but we had to keep exploring the capital of Cantabria. We continued walking around Paseo the Pereda and the nearby streets. We saw traditional architecture that contrasts with the striking modernist
Centro Botín, on the waterfront, from the top of which you can get spectacular views of the city.
There’s a building on the previous pic that the locals know as the dog upside down. Can you spot it?
The end of our visit was approaching just like the storm. Next, we walked along Reina Victoria Avenue, where grand elegant houses from the belle-époque line up.
Our last stop was the
monument to Cristopher Colombus, caravel ships just like those involved in the discovery of America.
By the time we reached the car we were exhausted but happy. For travelers like us, there’s nothing like the overwhelming sudden emotion you feel after a day well spent exploring a new place.
xo Cristina
Pin it!
NAUTICAL OUTFITS FOR NAUTICAL CITIES
This is an amazing place. I would love to just get to take a day to explore places like this.
This looks like a great trip. The pictures are to die for .. Just wow!!
What a marvelous place! Thanks for sharing your photos at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2018/05/opa.html.
I'm pretty sure I need to eat lunch again after reading this post!! Looked like a wonderful place! xo, Biana –BlovedBoston
WOW! This city is so beautiful. You did an amazing job recapping how to visit this city in 1 day!
Omgosh! The architecture, the spaces, food and water! OOH my! Beautiful place to explore!
Thanks for sharing such a beautiful place to visit.
Another amazing destination. I've always wondered what it was like! Thanks for the guide xx
Beautiful city and great food! Thanks for sharing!
https://4highheelsfans.wordpress.com/2018/05/09/livin-on-the-wedge/
I never realised there was quite so much to discover in Santander- I tend to associate it with being the port where ferries from the UK can reach Spain so it was so interesting to read about it as a destination in its own right. A delicious lunch too! Thanks for linking up with #citytripping
This looks like such a beautiful place!!Spain is the best!
Kim
http://trendkeeper.me
What a beautiful city to visit. I love the hanging umbrella decor too!
Wow! The architecture Andrew views are unbelievable! So gorgeous!
I hadn't considered Santander as a travel destination. Guess what's been added to our travel bucket list?!?
beautiful photos #citytripping
I have never heard of this city. Thanks for sharing! It looks indeed beautiful.
http://travelingbugwiththreeboys-kelleyn.blogspot.ae/2018/05/celebrations.html
What a beautiful city!! Your pictures are so beautiful and it sounds like you had a truly fun and satisfying day exploring…and eating! I have now added this city to my 'must see' list, thanks #citytripping
What a beautiful travel experience! I've never been to Spain, but it's on my list. =) Between the food, sights, and culture in your pictures, I want to hop on a plane to Santander right now!! Cheers.
Wow! What a beautiful city! I've never heard of this one either before! I love the palace ad the incorporation of the timber-frame beams! Pinned! #CityTripping
Oh beautiful Spain is one country we haven't visited yet. Love everything old because it is so beautiful. Food look delicious.
Indeed it is beautiful! You have some delightful photos! Thank you!
What a gorgeous place. The food too looks amazing!
Wow, this looks gorgeous!! I would love to visit there someday! So beautiful!
It's wonderful to have you here again, Lor!
Yay! So glad you liked it, Katherine 🙂
It really was, Marysa!
Ah, Sevilla! IMO the most beautiful city in Spain!
Hope you can come, Natalie!
Yes, Cathy, apart from being a gorgeous city it's also an important port which I forgot to mention! Thanks for pointing that out.
Thanks, Amy!
Hahaha, great! So glad you liked it!
Thanks so much for your kind words!
I hope you can visit Spain soon!
Thanks a lot! I'm glad that you learnt something new and that you liked it!
I've never been to Santander but I would love to visit! So beautiful there!
Have a wonderful weekend, love!
xoxo, Vanessa
http://www.WhatWouldVWear.com
Santander is lovely, we've been a couple of times, when we have caught a ferry from the UK to tour Spain and loved it.
I was a little surprised by Santander, as occasionally a port town can lose its true essence, I really didn't expect it to be so elegant. Loved your post #farawayfiles
Wow! Your pictures are beautiful! I may have to add this to my travel list after reading through this post.
That's one gorgeous place. They have the perfect combination of the old and modern world. Also, food looks amazing!
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
Oh this looks absolutely stunning! The architecture, the beach, the food! I don't know which is my favorite but the Mercado looks the most yummy!
so many beautiful pics
What a stunning place to visit!
How beautiful! For only one day, you saw and did a lot! I would love to visit Spain someday too!
This looks like such a lovely day out and a wonderful place to visit! Your photos are beautiful. #citytripping
Beautiful photos, Cristina! I'm sorry I've been a little absent catching up on blogs lately! (I blame work!) Always a treat coming by the ol' blog!
~Lor
What a beautiful city!! The architecture is stunning & the food sounds absolutely delicious (and fresh!). I love the unique decor with the umbrellas & all the history that’s available for you to explore in one day! Adding this to my list! 🙂
This is gorgeous! I would love to get to visit for a nice vacay some day.
How scenic and beautiful – plus it looks like the weather is lovely too. I would love to visit Spain some day. And the food, too – it all looks like such a wonderful trip!
How beautiful. I loved my semester living in Spain and all that it had to offer. I went to school in Sevilla and traveled around the country but this is one place I did not go.
Holy gorgeous! This whole city looks amazing! I love that you walked it too. Definitely putting Santander on my list if I'm ever in Spain!
Santander looks absolutely incredible. I can't wait to tour Spain.
What an amazing place! Noted as an idea for a future place to travel to!
Thanks for joining us at the Travel Tuesday meme.
It looks like a wonderful day. Great architecture, food and lots to explore. Definitely my kind of place. Thanks for sharing with us on #FarawayFiles
Hi Cristina! – You're not the first person who's recently told me this 🙁 I was testing something out, and clearly, it's not working! lol…fear not…I feel another blog (non-private!) will be coming your way soon…. 😉
Lor, I got your invite but it asks me to get a WordPress account. Is it possible to visit your blog without having one?
Thanks, Jessica! I'm so glad that you learnt something new and that you liked it 🙂
I absolutely adore Santander! Considering I had never heard of it before, it was definitely a pleasant surprise. The food and views of the city are incredible! Looks like you lucked out with great weather as well (the days I was there, it was quite cold, overcast, and windy). Looks like you had an amazing meal at Zacarias, I'll have to remember it for my next trip. Thanks for sharing 🙂
This is what I love about #FarawayFiles, finding new gems to add to my travel wishlist! Good food, beautiful architecture (funny upside down dog buildings!) and all on the water – sounds soo perfect. Thank you for sharing your delightful day out in Santander.