Santillana del Mar is the picture of medieval Cantabria. A listed historic-artistic site, cobbled streets, mansions bearing noble coats of arms and the imposing Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana — one of the high points of Cantabrian Romanesque.
The well-known line “ni es santa, ni es llana, ni tiene mar” (“it is neither holy, nor flat, nor by the sea”) sums up its contradiction with some humour: the name misleads, the visit doesn’t. You see the town on foot, with no cars in the old quarter, and it pairs well with a visit to Altamira — the museum and the “neo-cave” replica are 2 km away.
It’s 75 minutes from Alles on the A-8. It works well with Comillas, San Vicente de la Barquera or the Oyambre beaches for a day along the Cantabrian coast.
