This tour is the perfect option to lose yourself in the streets of the city and experience the rhythm of the Cantabrian capital.
You can start by walking this monumental path in Puertochico, an old fishing port that concentrated marine activity during the s. XIX and beginning of the XX. Today, it is a place of great tourist attraction thanks to its views, leisure options and its offer of cafes and restaurants.
Nearby is one of the most typical streets and the busiest for the citizens of Santander, Hernán Cortés, surrounded by small shops where we are sure you will find something to buy.
A few meters from there, we arrive at Plaza de Cañadio, just behind Plaza Pombo. It is characterized for being one of the most popular squares in Santander, as it is one of the meeting points to enjoy the nightlife.
Next to this place is the eclectic-style Church of Santa Lucía, designed by Antonio Zabaleta. It was built between 1854 and 1868 and has a spectacular portico with large Ionic columns. In 1987 it was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest.
If we continue walking, we will arrive at Plaza Pombo, one of the most endearing in the city due to the number of childhood memories associated with it. Even today, the tradition of going on Sunday mornings to exchange trading cards is maintained. There we will find the Club de Regatas, also called Casa Pombo, it is the oldest recreational society in the city.
Between Plaza Porticada and Plaza Pombo we can see the Mercado del Este, behind its walls there is a wide range of restaurants where you can try the most typical pinchos that Santanderinos taste, specialized stores and even an exhibition hall.
In addition, you will be able to visit one of the most important museums in the region, the Museum of Prehistory and Archeology of Cantabria (MUPAC), a 2000m2 space with pieces from periods ranging from the Upper Paleolithic to the Middle Ages.
Parallel to the Mercado del Este, there are two of the oldest streets in the city, El Arrabal and Calle Del Medio. Some time ago they belonged to the Barrio del Mar, where fishermen and netters lived. Nowadays, many people from Santander go to have their favourites pinchos and some wines.
At the end of these streets, to the right, we can see the Neo-Gothic Church of the Sacred Heart. Inside, the colourful paintings by Heinrich Immenkamp and the twelve pillars that represent the twelve apostles stand out.
If we go down the slope, we arrive at the Plaza del Príncipe, under its foundations is an Air Raid Shelter. It will make you relive one of the darkest periods in our history and that few know about: the experience of the inhabitants of Santanderunder the air raids they suffered during the Civil War.
Continuing straight on we come to a huge square, Plaza Velarde, better known as Plaza Porticada. In 1952, it hosted the Santander International Music and Dance Festival for the first time, promoted by Ataulfo Argenta and José Manuel Riancho, the festival's first director. In this square, events of great importance are held, from concerts to exhibitions.
In the basement of the same, is the Archaeological Centre of the Medieval Wall, which collects the remains of the old walls that, in the s. XIII, separated the environment from the sea and served as a protective wall for the town.
Advancing towards the street in front we arrive at Plaza Alfonso XIII, known as the Plaza de las Farolas, it houses two of the most emblematic buildings of the capital: the Post Office building and the Bank of Spain.
Previously, the Bank of Spain, it was a castle from the time of King Alfonso VIII that survived until the 20th century with numerous changes. In that same century, the building known as the Bank of Spain was built.
If we continue in the direction of the Town Hall, on the left we will arrive at the Plaza de las Atarazanas, located at the foot of the Cathedral, originally built as the Abbey of San Emeterio. It was declared of Cultural Interest in 1931. In the lower part is the Church of the Holy Christ, inside which are the remains of the patron saints of Santander, the holy martyrs: San Emeterio and San Celedonio.
On the right, parallel to the Cathedral, we find Calvo Sotelo, Juan de Herrera and San Francisco streets, with a varied commercial offer.
At the end of these streets, we come to the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, very visited by tourists and one of the favourite meeting points for santanderinos (Santander citizens)
Behind the Town Hall, you can enter a very typical Santander market, the Mercado de la Esperanza, a modernist building dedicated to food and one of the largest in Cantabria.
Continuing straight on, in the direction in which we came to get to the Town Hall, leaving behind these essential buildings on your visit, we will find the Museum of Contemporary Art (MAS). Since it was founded in 1908, it has constantly evolved to become what it is today: a place for meeting and exchanging ideas. A museum that promotes knowledge of modern, contemporary and current art. It is currently closed for renovations.
Near the museum is the Menéndez Pelayo Library, which houses a total of 45,000 volumes of great importance and high historical and patrimonial value, such as the manuscripts of Quevedo, Lope de Vega and Menéndez Pelayo himself.
A few meters from there, is the Santander Image Documentation Centre (CDIS). Its objective is historical recovery through photographic heritage, which it restores and disseminates in its exhibition hall open to the public.
After this section of the most cultural and historical promenade, we suggest continue to Calle Burgos, a pedestrian street that was part of the now-defunct Alameda Primera where the first bullring was located. The street ends at Plaza de Numancia, where its 19th-century lampposts stand out with dedications in memory of famous people from the city. The Mies del Valle stream ran through here, which flowed into the Becedo estuary.
Along this small climb we arrive at Alameda de Oviedo. It offers a varied commercial and hotel offer. In this area you can taste snails, mussels and squid rings that make the Santander appetizer a tradition.
At the end of the boulevard you will reach Cuatro Caminos, a circular square in the form of a roundabout that is presided over by the sphere representing the signs of the Zodiac. Currently, it connects not four but seven roads: Valdecilla Avenue, Jerónimo Sáinz de la Maza street, Alta Street, San Fernando, Camilo Alonso Vega and Pedro San Martín Avenue.
If we go down Jerónimo Sáinz de la Maza street, we will see the famous bullring, also known as Coso de Cuatro Caminos. It was inaugurated in 1890 with a capacity of 11,700 people. Made by Alfredo de la Escalera, it is 51 meters in diameter and two stands. On the upper floor there is a Neo-Mudejar style arcade decorated with the 'irons' (Trademarks) of the main Spanish bull ranches.
Next to the bullring is the Mercado México, a food market that receives this name in homage to the Indianos who immigrated to Mexico in the 19th century.
Nearby, in one of the oldest areas of the city, we find the San Rafael Hospital. In 1987, at the end of the rehabilitation works, it became a Regional Parliament.
If we continue along Calle Alta, to return to the city centre, we arrive at Consolation church, built in the s. XVIII. It is part of the oldest buildings that are preserved in the city. With a classicist baroque style, the main doorway of its nave stands out, inside which the image of Santo Cristo de la Salud is kept and venerated.
To finish this walk, we continue straight ahead and leaving theConsolation church behind, on the right hand side, we will find the Bajada Sotileza, where there are two works that recall the maritime character of the Cabildo de Arriba, where the sea used to arrive. The first one is a mural painting and reproduces the first paragraph of a novel by José María de Pereda. The second is a ten-meter-high mast with the figure of a woman looking through a spyglass looking for the fishermen who are in the sea.