Located just over 15 minutes by car from Santander, this park is the home to almost 150 species from all over the world. It is not a zoo, or a nature park, but rather a very large space where the animals live in semi-freedom. The grounds have all the services and offer activities for visitors, which turns it into an ideal place to spend a day.
Further information on the website: Parquedecabarceno.com
Declared a World Heritage Site in 2015, it links up to the Northern Santiago de Compostela Route. You don’t have to travel the 72 kms of the route; you can visit the Santo Toribio Monastery or any of the villages this Route passes through and steep yourself in the history of Cantabria.
Further information on the website: Caminolebaniego.com
This National Park extends through Cantabria, Asturias and León and it covers around 700 km2. Take advantage of your trip and take the Fuente Dé Cable Car that will take you up to an altitude of 1,823 metres. From the highest point you will be able to enjoy views the beauty of which will leave you speechless.
For further information, please call: 942 736 610
Around 40 minutes from Santander, the Valle del Pas is a setting that will delight nature-lovers and those who want to enjoy some incredible scenery.
Further information on the website: Vallespasiegos.com
These caves, qualified as the Sistine Chapel of cave paintings, are located 2.6 km from Santillana del Mar. They contain the most important prehistoric paintings in the world. Although currently visits to the original caves are restricted, you can visit the replica of the cave, located next to the Altamira museum.
Access museodealtamira.mcu.es for further information or to acquire tickets.
In the county of Saja-Nansa one of the marvels of Cantabria can be found: the cave of El Soplao. This cave has a high geological value and an archaeological heritage from the mining industry, which will not leave you unmoved.
If you want to know more about the cave of El Soplao, find out the opening times or buy tickets, enter its website.
In addition to the already mentioned Altamira Caves, there are another nine caves in Cantabria that are World Heritage Sites according to the UNESCO that should not be missed:
• Chufín Cave: located in Rionansa, in addition to cave paintings, you will find an archaeological site from the Solutrean era.
• Hornos de La Peña Cave: located in the village of San Felices de Buelna, it is famous for its engravings and for an anthropomorphic figure with a raised arm and a long tail.
• Monte Castillo Caves: These are the names given to the group of cavities located in Puente Viesgo: El Castillo, Las Monedas, Las Chimeneas and la Pasiega.
• El Pendo Cave: This very large cave is located very close to Santander, in Escobedo (Camargo).
• Covalanas Cave: Located in Ramales de la Victoria; inside it has many paintings.
You will find information about these caves on this web site
• La Garma Cave: Located in Omoño (Ribamontán al Monte); it is currently closed to the public, as studies are still being carried out in its interior.
A visit to this beautiful medieval village is a must. Historic-artistic site.
Click here and find out all the details.
Throughout this region, contact with nature is the greatest stimulation. In this very rugged landscape, the forests are not thick or extensive, with mainly Holm oaks and beech trees. In amongst the Montes de Valnera, Sierra del Hornijo and Montes de Cañoneros some of the most impressive landforms appear, with the fault where the Asón river is born standing out, with an incredible waterfall.
If you would like further information about the coastal strip between Castro Urdiales and Laredo, click here.
The valley of the Besaya river runs through the centre of Cantabria, where the traces of its first inhabitants may be found. The cave paintings of Altamira and Puente Viesgo show that the region has always been settled.
If you would like further information about this region, click here.
The southern valleys are the great unknown for tourists in Cantabria. The Ebro, Pisuerga and Nansa rivers are born from their snow, flowing into the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Cantabrian Sea.
If you are winter sports and adventure-lover, this is the perfect paradise for you, with a spectacular setting and a highly interesting cultural heritage.
Si quieres saber más acerca de los valles del sur de la región, haz clicIf you want to know more about the southern valleys of the region, click here.
It extends from Miengo to Comillas thanks to all its spectacular beaches of fine, golden sand. With a more populated surrounding area, the most visited in the summer are the beaches of Comillas and Suances.
If you would like more information about this area, click here.
With beautiful countryside and a mild micro-climate, it is one of the most famous holiday destinations in Cantabria. It is the perfect place for rural tourism, where you can find the mountain station of Fuente Dé with a cable car to feel the magnificent Picos de Europa mountains close up.
If you would like to know more about the Valle de Liébana, click here.
With its own personality and great ecological value, the region covers the Natural Park of Oyambre and the National Reserve of Saja. If you need peace and quiet, you will have it guaranteed here, thanks to the lush natural setting.
For further information about this region, click here.
From Somo to Santoña, the coastline along this region is divided into two. First, it reaches Ajo with many cliffs and then from the Quejo Cape to the Treto estuary with beaches that charm all your senses at first sight.
For further information about the coastline of this region, click here.
These are the perfect evidence of the most typical stereotype of Cantabria: intricate valleys, pastures that disappear behind the high mountains and reserved country people.
The most important towns in the region are Liérganes (declared a historic-artistic site), Villacarriedo and Selaya.
For further information about the Valles Pasiegos, click here.