Santander and Surroundings. Natural Elegance

Approximate distance: 60 km

Setting off from La Casona de los Güelitos towards Puente San Miguel, take the A-8 towards Santander, where this route begins. It will take you through Santander, Virgen del Mar, Liencres, Puente Arce, Peña Cabarga, Solares, and Cabárceno.

Santander, the capital of Cantabria, is an excellent destination for tourism. Compact, modern, and cosmopolitan, it offers visitors a wide range of themed routes—through its beaches, natural spaces, monuments, and cultural or leisure activities such as the Centro Botín.

Nearby, you’ll find charming places worth visiting, such as Virgen del Mar, known for its beach and its hermitage set on a small islet, dedicated to Santander’s patron saint. Also nearby are the spectacular beaches of Liencres—Canallave, Valdearenas, and Somocuevas—which form part of a dune system at the mouth of the Pas River, declared a Natural Park for its ecological importance.

You can also visit Puente Arce, a lovely village named after its beautiful bridge over the Pas River. Here, in addition to the Casona de Santillán and its medieval tower, you can explore the prehistoric El Pendo Cave, famous for its impressive painted frieze from the Paleolithic period.

Another highlight is ascending Peña Cabarga, where you can enjoy one of the most breathtaking views over the Bay of Santander, before continuing to Solares or visiting the Museum of Modern Art of Pámanes, located in the baroque Elsedo Palace.

Finally, don’t miss the Cabárceno Nature Park, a unique attraction set across 750 hectares just 15 km from Santander. In this spectacular landscape—once an open-pit iron mine—over a hundred animal species live in large, adapted spaces that closely resemble their natural habitats.

A route that blends city life, nature, and unforgettable views.