- A list of 5 Top Fives from a local!

Originally published April 25, 2020. Updated July of 2023

All images are courtesy of the Spain Less Traveled team, unless otherwise stated.

Cantabria Spain inspiration from an expert

Cantabria is part of Spain’s off-the-beaten path north. It is full of hidden gems and beautiful nature, which often surprise visitors who make the effort to visit this special land in the north.

Here at Spain Less Traveled we love helping our clients visit this very special part of Spain. Read on for inspiration and if you are interested in personalized tips and help to make Cantabria part of your Spain travel itinerary, be sure to check out the professional Spain travel services that we offer.

We’d love to help you plan your Spain bucket list trip to Cantabria and beyond!

For this blog, we enlisted the help of Spain Less Traveled travel planner (and architect) Carlos Casuso. From a Cantabrian family, Carlos is a true expert on Cantabria’s rich history, culture, art, and architecture. We are grateful to him for sharing some of his local insider knowledge and favorite spots in the region where he has his roots.

Where is Cantabria Spain?

Cantabria Spain is located in the north of Spain, on the Bay of Biscay (Cantabrian Sea) between Basque Country and Asturias. (In yellow on the map above)

There are regular trains and buses from Madrid as well as flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Valencia and more.

Once in Cantabria getting around is best explored with a car.

Cantabria Spain basics

Cantabria is one of its less known regions (or Comunidades Autónomas in its official Spanish name) among visiting foreigners. With a bit more of 5.300 Km2, it amounts to only 1% of Spain total surface so it’s a surprise to find such a huge array of different landscapes, towns and experiences in Cantabria.

(For more basic information about traveling in Spain be sure to check out our Spain travel checklist!)

Here is my list of five top fives for travelers wanting to visit Cantabria Spain:

Five beautiful landscapes of Cantabria Spain

Cantabria has a dual quality, it’s both a maritime and mountain land (It’s nicknamed “La montaña”). You can drive from the highest mountain peaks to one of its beautiful beaches in less that 50Km. So you can find many different landscapes to enjoy:

In the heart of Picos de Europa, Fuente Dé stands out for its jaw dropping cable car. In an almost vertical lift of 723 meters in just 4 minutes, cabins take passengers up to Mirador del Cable, an amazing viewpoint surrounded by mountains. From there, visitors can also engage in different hikes. Fuente Dé also has one of Cantabria’s three Paradores.

With so many mountains, it’s logical that Cantabria has many caves. Cuevas de Puente Viesgo caves are very impressive and little visited. They combine amazing geological formations, with prehistoric art examples. Among the caves open for public visit, we recommend the two in the town of Puente Viesgo: El Castillo and Las Monedas. It’s advisable to book online the tickets for these and other caves in Cantabria.

Nacimiento del Asón is where River Asón is born by jumping from a rock directly into air, turning into a 70 m waterfall. Visitors can behold the spectacle from a nice viewing platform. The nearby Cascadas del Gándara make for a great double feature.

Fall can’t get more spectacular that in the Bosque de Ucieda forest. A 13 km walking circuit takes visitors through thousands of oaks, small rivers and waterfalls. In the nearby towns you can experience Cocido Montañés, the region most famous (and sturdy) dish.

And finally the sea. The town of Liencres offers in its surrounding coast many beautiful beaches, las Playas de Liencres. From sandy Las Dunas, to rocky Arnía, visitors can find their favorite one. Big crowds are not expected, not even in the summer.

(Be sure to check out some of our favorite natural landscapes of Spain.)

Five stunning seaside towns in Cantabria Spain

Cantabria Spain has more than 220 Km of coastline, so it’s logical you’ll find many beautiful towns.

The regional capital Santander is nested in one of the most beautiful harbors in the world. Although its historical center was devastated by a fire in 1941, Santander kept its charm intact, with lovely architecture, gorgeous urban beaches, and lively cultural and nightlife. It is one of the best cities in Spain for its art scene too! It’s also one of the ‘smartest’ cities in Europe. And don’t miss Mercado de la Esperanza (Central market). Its fish section is a paradise for seafood lovers.

Closer to Bilbao than to Santander, Castro Urdiales has become a commuter town to the former. But luckily it keeps the charm of its old town, with its extravagant ‘Neo-Florentine’ town hall, a lighthouse fortress and the biggest gothic church in Cantabria Spain. And some great urban beaches as a bonus.

Comillas became a trendy tourist destination for the rich in the early 20th century, so it has a big Modernist heritage. The University, the Palacio de Sobrellano, or El Capricho (a house designed by Gaudí himself) are some fine examples. According to Tripadvisor, Comillas has the worst restaurant in Spain, but you’ll find much better options to eat.

(Note: outside of Barcelona and Cataluña, Gaudí’s only other works are in Cantabria and León, making Comillas truly special and unique)

If a town summarizes the dual quality of Cantabria it’s San Vicente de la Barquera. You can view the nearby snowy mountains sitting in a port deck. Besides it keeps a 1960s summer resort feel, when vacations were slow & crowds scarce.

The two towns of Laredo & Santoña face each other across a bay. Laredo was one of the most important ports of Spain from 15th century so it has a charming old fishing town. Its sister city has a more modern look, & claims to produce the best anchovies in the world. You’ll find many small informal restaurants to enjoy seafood while sharing tables with other customers.

And now for my top five non-coastal towns

Leaving the coast, and going into the mountains, Cantabria Spain offers multitudes of beautiful small towns. Cantabrial architectural tradition uses thick solid stone walls, small windows, elaborate wooden balconies and rustic roof tiles, a signature you will find in all of these small towns.

Santillana del Mar is a gorgeous medieval town was voted the second most beautiful town in Spain in a poll organized by El País newspaper. And justly so, its wonderfully preserved houses line narrow cobblestoned streets leading to the impressive collegiate church. It becomes too crowded in summer weekends, but if you can go in a Winter weekday, you can have the full town for yourself. World famous Altamira cave, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site is just 3 km from the town. You can’t enter the original cave, but the replica built nearby is well worth the visit.

Next, the town of Liérganes, full of beautiful buildings with ivy covered walls, that create narrow alleys leading to the river. In the town there is a decadent hot springs spa, and it’s the most popular town in Cantabria to try ‘chocolate con churros’. Watch out for the “Hombre Pez”, a legendary merman that is supposed to live in the river, and has its own monument.

The town of Carmona is very remote, so the crowds stay away from it most of the time. It’s located at the bottom of the valley, with beautiful houses that show with pride their balconies. (Note: don’t confuse Carmona in Cantabria with Carmona in Seville! They are totally different.)

Some say that renovations killed the charm of Bárcena Mayor, and they may be right, but this beautiful town has enough charm left to justify the visit.

On the way from Potes to Fuente Dé, Mogrovejo perches on the mountain allowing amazing views of the surrounding peaks from its medieval tower. ‘Cocido lebaniego’, a stew with garbanzos and different meats is a must to have in the area, and a signature dish of Cantabria Spain.

Five Romanesque Churches

The Moors, that occupied Spain for more tan 700 years, never reached the north, meaning that you can find the best examples of Romanesque architecture in Asturias and Cantabria

The church of Santa María de Lebeña was built around 925, yes almost 1100 years ago. The impressive interior, with Arab style arches, rivals in beauty with the surrounding mountains.

Santa María de Piasca was completed in 1172 and has a lovely front façade with a beautiful arched portal.

The biggest and most important Romanesque churches (in this case Collegiate) in Cantabria Spain can be found in Santillana del Mar. It stands out for its charming cloister. Not easy to visit as it has the weirdest and unpredictable opening times, it shows the best during the fall, when the ivy leaves that cover many of the arches turn orange and red.

Castañeda collegiate church sturdy exterior makes it look like a fortess, but hides a beautiful and delicate interior space.

Located close to Reinosa, Cervatos is famous for its sculpted capitals with erotic, and sometimes kinky, motives. Besides that it has also a very beautiful tower.

Five Museums to visit in Cantabria Spain

Cantabria has a rich history, so it offers many museums to show not only its heritage, but also its vision for the future. 

Julióbriga Roman City and Domus Museum. Close to Reinosa, Julióbriga was an important Roman city in its time. It took Romans many years to submit the brave Cántabros. This museum is a reconstruction of a Roman Patrician villa, complete with furniture and paintings. Fake but fascinating.

Casa de Velarde is a beautiful 15th century house is the birthplace of Pedro Velarde, a hero of Spanish Independence War against Napoleon. In 1966 it became Cantabria’s Etnographic Museum, showing the traditional ways of living in the region.

This small but gorgeous Baroque palace, Palacio de Elsedo, in the town of Pámanes houses a great collection of Spanish modern art, including works from artists such as Sorolla, Picasso and Miró and Cantabrian painters like María Blanchard (one of the best female cubist painters in the world) and José María Cossío.

Housed in a beautiful modern building by Italian architect Renzo Piano, Centro Botin is located in Santander’s sea promenade and it floats over the sea, offering new views of the city. It shows temporary exhibitions by world class modern artists.

Laberinto de Villapresente, the biggest garden maze in Spain opened a few years ago, after almost twenty years in the making. It can get very tricky to exit, so a phone number is provided to call if you need to be rescued.

In summary, few regions in Spain offer as many options to visit and enjoy that this small but beautiful land. I hope that you will make Cantabria Spain part of your Spain travel itinerary.

More about Carlos

Cantabrian rooted Carlos Casuso is an architect and travel planner for Spain Less Traveled living and working in Madrid since 1991. Specialized mostly in retail design he recently created his own studio: Amanece – Design on the Rise.

Among his many projects, he designed the Rainbow Honor Walk, in San Francisco, California. It’s a set of plaques all over the city, honoring LGBTQ individuals who made a difference in the world and helped to advance the cause of rights. You can see the designs, and donate for its future expansions at www.rainbowhonorwalk.org 

Casuso is also an active traveller, having visited 70 countries around the world. And of course, all his family comes from Cantabria. A photographer as well, all images used in this post were taken by him.

He also helps run our Travel Spain! community.

Carlos works with our clients through our exclusive Spain travel itinerary service. He can help you plan your trip to Spain too!

If you loved this, you might like our other in depth guides by region.

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