Santander

Santander is the capital and largest city of the province of Cantabria on the north coast of Spain, with a population of 175,000 in 2025. Its beaches draw Spanish visitors; most international visitors are just passing through via the ferry port, but its churches and museums are worth a longer stay. The settlement grew up on the north bank of the Bay of Santander, with a good harbour sheltered by Magdalena headland from the worst of the Atlantic weather. It was never named for Saint Andrew: its Roman name of Portus Victoriae Iuliobrigensium metamorphosed by processes as convoluted as those that threw up the Cantabrian mountains behind. It was first chartered as a city in 1137, when it was two walled towns separated by the Becedo creek. The creek dried up by the 17th century and the towns grew together. Santander acted as the port for Castile and traded with the Americas. From the 1840s El Sardinero beach was developed into an upmarket resort to rival Biarritz, attracting royalty with their buckets and spades. The old town was damaged in 1893 when a ship carrying dynamite exploded at the pier, but its destruction came in Feb 1941, when a great fire raged for two days. This wrecked the Town Hall, cathedral and many other central buildings, leaving thousands homeless. Rebuilding was on modern lines with broad boulevards. Santander never had the heavy smokestack industry seen in Bilbao or Gijón, but remained a busy port with services around education, government and healthcare. The city’s best-known industry is Banco Santander, nowadays a vast multi-national finance company. 1 Oficina de Turismo Municipal, Jardines de Pereda, ☏ +34 942 203000. M 09:00-16:00, Tu-F 09:00-19:00, Sa Su 10:00-14:00. Friendly helpful place. (updated Apr 2026) Turismo de Cantabria is the regional tourist office, based in the ferry terminal. The city has a mild rainy climate typical of the Spanish north coast. Come in the height of summer when the Med is overcrowded and sweltering.

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Santander is the ending point of The coastal route from Bilbao to Santander and it’s a stopover point on Irun to Santiago de Compostela and From Bilbao to Santiago in one month. You can reach Santiago de Compostela in 24 days.