Exploring España: Santillana del Mar

Having previously blogged about Santander and San Vicente de la Barquera, today I'm showcasing the final part of my trip – a visit to Santillana del Mar. I was in two minds about whether to go or not. On the one hand, it is billed as being "one of the prettiest towns in Spain", which sounded like something I'd want to see. On the other hand, its proximity to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Altamira meant that it would probably be crawling with tourists. In the end, prettiness won the day...

According to an old saying, Santillana del Mar is "The Town of the Three Lies", since it is neither saintly (santo), nor flat (llana), nor by the sea (mar). However, the saying is incorrect because the name does actually come from a saint, in this case Santa Juliana (Santa Illana), whose remains can be found in the former Benedictine monastery.

The historic town attracts countless visitors each year, most of whom use it as a point of access for the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Altamira. Having made the decision to visit Santillana del Mar, I was in two minds as to whether to visit Altamira, namely because the original has been closed since 2002, and all that is on offer is the so-called neocave. Reviews on Trip Advisor would have you believe that the replica is as good as the original. From bitter experience, I can tell you that this is absolutely NOT true. In some ways I wish I had gone to El Castillo instead to get my cave fix, but that would have meant missing out on the beautiful Santillana del Mar...

Of course when I arrived into Santillana del Mar, I had no idea what the neocave would be like. And since I was within striking distance, it made sense to go. So I jumped off the bus and headed purposely towards the sign we'd just passed saying 'Altamira'. From there it was a 2 km (1.2 mile) uphill walk. However, the scenery more than made up for the disappointment of the destination.


The road to Altamira

Why do donkeys always look sad?

Watching the world go by...

Looking down on the village

Centaurea nigra, also known as Common Knapweed

Cantabrian countryside

Back in the town, I went in search of food. Guided only by my rumbling stomach rather than any tourist information, I opted for the first nice-looking place I came across – El Pasaje de los Nobles – where €13.50 (£10.70/US$17) got me THE BEST menú del día I have ever had in Spain.

My favourite restaurant in Spain

I chose ensalada de queso de cabra con vinagreta de miel (goat's cheese salad with a honey vinaigrette), followed by merluza rellena en salsa de puerros (stuffed hake in a leek sauce) and finally mousse de limón. I apologise for the poor quality photos – actually eating the food took priority over photographing it!

The goat's cheese salad

Perfect presentation

A zingy and refreshing lemon mousse

The food was so good, I would revisit the town just to eat there again. And yes I am aware that Santillana del Mar is 408.5 km (254 miles) away from Madrid. It really was THAT good. In fact, had I done nothing else in Santillana del Mar, that meal alone would have made the trip worthwhile. Despite this, I did manage to do a little wandering, or rolling as the case may have been.

One of the main streets



A little further down



Flowers in the window

A quaint stone-fronted bar

Stone lion outside the church

Entrance to La Colegiata de Santa Juliana de Santillana del Mar



Cute 'rooms' sign

More flower bedecked windows

The beautiful Plaza de Ramón Pelayo, also known as Plaza Mayor



A closer look at the flowery house

The 15th century Torre de Don Borja

Let there be love

There were only two buses back to Santander, one leaving at 16:00 and the other at 19:00. Getting the first would mean cutting my visit short, while the second would mean having too much time on my hands. In the end, I opted for the earlier one thinking it better to have one hour too short in the town than two hours too long. After all, I'd had some fantastic food and seen some lovely sights – it would be greedy to ask for more.