Santander Cruises
Located between Gijon and Bilbao on Spain’s north coast, Santander is an elegant city with impressive buildings set against a natural backdrop of sea and mountains. The city combines its heritage with modernity perfectly, and is best seen via the popular funicular railway that creeps up to the upper section of Santander, offering superb views across the bay. Close by are prehistoric caves, which contain some of the most important cave paintings of Quaternary art.
Top Experiences
Varying Landscapes
Surrounded by spectacular mountain ranges, green valleys and countryside, the streets of Santander wind up through the hilly landscape to afford fantastic views of the Cantabrian Sea. In addition to breathtaking landscapes, Santander has a number of beautiful beaches to offer visitors.
Caves and Palaeolithic Cave Art
The Cave of Altamira is renowned for its numerous parietal cave paintings, featuring charcoal drawings and polychrome paintings of contemporary local fauna and human hands, created during the Upper Palaeolithic. The earliest paintings in the cave were executed around 35,600 years ago. Altamira was the first European cave for which prehistoric origin of the paintings was suggested and promoted.
Although the Cave of Altamira has been closed to the public for several years for conservation reasons, an excellent replica is located nearby. Here you can learn more about the cave and its fascinating paintings.
Cruises to Santander
Exploring the Landscapes of Northern Spain • S2523
- Explore the lush landscapes of Spain's northern shores
- Embrace Spanish traditions of dance, pelota, Rioja and pintxos
- Enjoy the energy of Aste Negusia Basque festival
Exploring the Landscapes of Green Spain • S2622
- Discover the verdant, mountainous scenery of España Verde
- Sample local Rioja wine, Basque cheesecake, and pintxos
- Admire art at the Guggenheim and Bilbao Fine Arts Museum
