What to See in Santander - Top Sights and Attractions

The beach of El Puntal is an extensive beach and sandbar that closes on its southern side the entrance to the bay of Santander. It is located in the town of Somo, belonging to the municipality of Ribamontán al Mar, in the Autonomous Community of Cantabria, and on its north side is called Las Quebrantas.

It is located in the northeastern part of the bay of Santander, just in front of the city, which has a nice view from it. The beach consists of a large sandy area of 4.5 kilometres with a dune system in its central area. The north side of the beach is open to the Cantabrian Sea and has frequent waves. On the other hand, the southern part is inside the bay of Santander and has calm, shallow waters.

In summer there is a boat service that connects Santander with this beach. The rest of the year can only be accessed by private boat or walking from the town of Somo.

In some areas, especially in the dunes, nudism is practiced.

The Pereda Gardens is a public park in the city of Santander, in Cantabria. They are located on land reclaimed from the sea that was used as a port dock in 1805 and were officially opened in 1905 to coincide with the celebration of the Exhibition of Arts and Industries. It is a very busy space due to its centrality and proximity to the promenade, as well as the Botín Art Centre.

The gardens were dedicated to the Cantabrian novelist José María de Pereda. The sculpture to his person, made by Lorenzo Coullaut Valera, stands out. The engravings that can be seen surrounding the bust of Pereda represent scenes from his works.

The gardens are characterised by the tree groves of more than 200 trees that serve as shelter from September to March for thousands of small starlings, typical of the Santander winter. There are magnolias, holly trees, palm trees, cedars, horse chestnuts, pines, boxwoods, yews, lime trees and flowering apple trees.

With the construction of the Botín Centre nearby, a renovation of the adjoining gardens was carried out by the landscape designer Fernando Caruncho, which was completed in 2014. After the renovation, the Pereda gardens doubled their previous surface area of 48,000 m², doubling the areas of seating and tripling the green areas, as part of the road traffic of the Pereda promenade was buried by means of a tunnel.

The Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria is an emblematic theatre in the city of Santander, in Cantabria. The building is located in front of the bay of Santander and its extensive facilities and technical infrastructure also allow the celebration of congresses, meetings and conventions of any kind. With a multidisciplinary vocation, this cultural center offers a continuous artistic program throughout the year, attracting relevant personalities of the scene, both national and international.

The predominant materials used in the building are marble and copper. Its main entrance is inspired by Greek theatres and its interior stands out for its successful acoustics.

The Palacio de Festivales has become an architectural and cultural symbol of 20th century Santander. Since 1952 the Plaza Porticada was used to host the Santander International Festival (FIS), but it was a temporary measure. It was not until 1990 when the Palacio de Festivales, designed by the Navarrese architect Francisco Javier Sáenz de Oiza, was completed and since then it has hosted the International Festival every summer, which until then had been held in the Plaza Porticada. In addition, throughout the year, all kinds of artistic performances are held in the Palacio de Festivales, as well as educational and pedagogical activities.

The East Market, also popularly known as Plaza del Este, is an old market located in the Cantabrian capital, Santander. It is currently occupied by various shops and catering establishments.

The construction of the new Santander market was promoted in 1839 by the mayor of Santander, José María López-Dóriga, with a design by the municipal architect Antonio Zabaleta. The market was built between 1839 and 1842, opposite the arches of López Dóriga, occupying two of the blocks of the Ensanche, the main area reclaimed from the sea by the town. This market is considered to be one of the first examples of "galleries" built in Spain for commercial use, as it is articulated as a network of streets laid out in the form of covered streets, clearly dividing the space occupied by the different stalls and passageways; in addition, the structure is designed to keep lighting and ventilation standards very advanced for spaces of this type at the time; so the value of this building lies not so much in its aesthetic value, as it is a simple building, but in its advanced design compared to the time in which it was built.

The Eastern Market was so named because it was located in the expansion area that at that time was advancing towards the east of the old town, and because of its position relative to the other major market in the city, the market of Hope, located behind the Town Hall of Santander, in the Plaza de la Esperanza.

The market has a single floor of rectangular geometry, 40 meters wide by 60 meters long, giving an area of 2400 m².

In 1986, the Mercado del Este was declared a site of cultural interest.

In 2000, the City Council carried out a controversial demolition and subsequent reconstruction of the market, preserving few original elements.

Today it houses various businesses related to the service sector. In addition to a tourist information office, there are several cafes, shops of various kinds (gifts, florist, delicatessen, etc.) and the Museum of Prehistory and Archaeology of Cantabria.