Welcome to a brief travel guide and list of things to do in Santander, Spain.
Santander is the capital of the autonomous community and historical region of Cantabria. It is a port city on the northern coast of Spain. Está ubicado en una bahía, de cara al mar.
Historically, this city has a long history as a port of trade in goods and also as one of the five most important tourist destinations in Spain. During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the city was configured in two sections: Puebla Vieja, which included the castle and the Hill of Somorrostro, and Puebla Nueva, which included the convents of Santa Clara and San Francisco and was in a flat area. Both towns are communicated via a bridge Bridge on the Becedo River.
In addition to trade, shipbuilding was a major activity during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and today the facilities for this activity are a tourist attraction in the bay. Also, bronze sculptures perched on the edge of the main promenade of the city, called “Los Raqueros”, that have a local history of poor children who were cast into the water to collect the coins that were throwing into the water by rich people.
Santander today retains vestiges of an era in which he was the favorite destination of the bourgeoisie and royalty of Europe. Spas and beaches with clear spaces designed to meet rich people, but also the promotion as the preferred destination for medical tourism benefits for the kindness and Cantabrian Sea.
Without doubt, one of the most important sights of the city is its ability to recover from major tragedies constantly suffered throughout its history, including fires, explosions and pandemics, and left for Santander profoundly negative population balances.
Today there are several areas that are essential parts of any visit to this unique city. Beginning with its beaches and spas among which are: El Sardinero whose neighborhood (including the beach of the same name) has been declared a Historical Site, and the Magdalena Bay, where is located the castle of the same name where takes place every summer the International University Menéndez Pelayo Specialization Summer Courses. In the resort of El Sardinero there is a casino of the same name located in the Italy Square and was built in 1916. Furthermore, in the Palacio de la Magdalena, there are three models of the ships used by Christopher Columbus on his mythical exploration trips to America.
There is a building, the Palace of Festivals, located across the bay and designed by the architect Sáenz de Oiza that emulates the buildings of the old warehouses for shipbuilding which is shown as a tremendous structure and huge attraction for tourists. You can also visit the lighthouse at Cabo Mayor, which was the scene of curious facts during the Civil War.
If you plan to Santander, it is important to know that you can access the city by road, car or rail, with good connections from major cities in Spain and also from France. Furthermore, Santander has an interesting cuisine. The center of town offers good choices for any type of tourist and include an wide variety of fish dishes. If you like food tourism, you must begin your city tour from the Barrio Pesquero.
