# Santillana del Mar and Altamira

A pedestrian medieval village with its Romanesque collegiate church and, 2 km away, the Neocueva de Altamira, free on Sundays. Half an hour from Santander.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/cantabria/santillana-del-mar · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Santillana del Mar is a village of stone houses, coats of arms and wooden balconies that grew up around a Romanesque collegiate church. Despite the name it has no sea: the coast is a few kilometres away. Two kilometres away is the Museo de Altamira, with the Neocueva, the exact reproduction of the bison cave. Both fit into a morning and an afternoon, and Comillas is twenty minutes away if you want to stretch it out.

## Can you go into the Altamira cave?

Not independently. The original cave admits five people a week, 260 a year, and those who enter come from a waiting list formed in 2002 that is now closed: no new applications are accepted. Be wary of anyone selling visits to the authentic cave. What you visit is the Neocueva, a full-scale three-dimensional copy of the mouth, the area where its inhabitants lived and the ceiling of the polychromes, inside the Museo Nacional de Altamira. It is toured in groups, in about 30 minutes.

Admission costs €3, and is free for everyone on Saturdays from 14:00 and on Sundays, and always for under-18s. The museum is closed on Mondays. Free tickets are given only at the ticket office on the same day; if you go on a summer Sunday, arrive when it opens, at 9:30.

## How to get there from Santander

It is 24 km, half an hour by car: the A-67 towards Torrelavega, exit for Suances and Santillana on the N-611 and, at the Barreda roundabout, the CA-131 to the village. From Asturias or from Bilbao, on the A-8, exit 234 towards Puente San Miguel and the CA-133. The museum is signposted from the motorway. Without a car, La Cantábrica runs buses from Santander and from Torrelavega; the nearest commuter-train station is Puente San Miguel, 6 km from Altamira.

## Where to park

In the two large car parks at the entrance to the village: the old town is toured on foot and it is not worth taking the car in. The Museo de Altamira has its own free, supervised car park, which opens at 9:30. To go from the village to the museum you can take the car again or walk the 2 km along the signposted route.

## How long do you need?

Half a day is enough for the Neocueva and a walk around the village. A whole day, to add the zoo if you are with children, or the Santa Justa beach in summer. Sleeping in the village has its reward: at night, when the buses leave, the streets are empty.

## When to go

Any month. In July and August the main street fills up by mid-morning: go early or in the late afternoon. In winter and spring the village is quiet, and the museum opens just the same, Tuesday to Sunday. If you want the Neocueva for free, go on Sunday morning; if you prefer fewer people, a weekday.

## What to see in the village

The walk around the village goes from plaza de Ramón Pelayo, with the town hall, the Torre del Merino and the Baroque house of the Parador Gil Blas, along calle del Cantón and calle del Río to the collegiate church of Santa Juliana. The collegiate church dates from the 12th century, on a monastery from the year 870, and its cloister of carved capitals is the best of Cantabrian Romanesque. Confirm the opening hours by phone before going.

## Where to eat

Celina Bonita, on calle de la Carrera, serves market cooking and is open on Sunday lunchtimes. The Sidrería Casa Miguel, next to the collegiate church, serves sharing plates with a terrace. The restaurant of the Parador Gil Blas serves cocido montañés, Santoña anchovies and quesada pasiega, and that of the Hotel Altamira has a set menu on the Cantón.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: Cantabrian Coast
- Cerca: Comillas (a 14.9 km), Costa Quebrada and Liencres (a 16.4 km), Cabárceno Nature Park (a 22.3 km), San Vicente de la Barquera (a 23.5 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Altamira Museum and the Neocave** (2 h · All ages · Desde 3 € general admission): The question everyone asks first: no, you cannot simply enter the original cave. The museum's Board limits visits to five people a week, 260 a year, and those people are now called from a 2002 waiting list that is closed. What you visit is the Neocave, a three-dimensional copy made with the same techniques and materials its makers used.
What you see
The Neocave reproduces Altamira as it was when groups of hunter-gatherers lived there, between 35,000 and 13,000 years ago: the mouth, the area where they lived and the Polychrome Ceiling, with its bison. It is toured in small groups, for about 30 minutes. The museum completes the visit with the permanent exhibition on Palaeolithic life and temporary exhibitions; until February 2027 the Espacio Vínculos has one devoted to inscribed material.
Opening hours
From November to April, Tuesday to Saturday, 9:30 to 18:00; from May to October, 9:30 to 20:00. Sundays and public holidays, 9:30 to 15:00. Closed every Monday, on 1 and 6 January, 1 May, 16 September and 24, 25 and 31 December. The ticket office closes half an hour earlier.
Price
General admission costs €3 and reduced €1.50. It is free for everyone on Saturdays from 14:00 and all day Sunday, and always for under-18s and over-65s with ID, among others. A ticket is needed for each person, including children.
How to get a ticket
At the ticket office, on the day, on a first-come basis from 9:30, or online at least a day ahead. The free tickets on Saturday afternoons and Sundays are given only at the ticket office that day. Advance tickets have a time: arrive 15 minutes early or lose your slot. In summer and on long weekends, buy online.
Getting there
The museum is 2 km from Santillana del Mar. From the A-8, exit 234 towards Santillana; it is signposted from Puente San Miguel and from the town. It has free, supervised parking within the grounds, which open at 9:30. By public transport, there are buses from Santander and Torrelavega to Santillana with La Cantábrica, and the Puente San Miguel commuter-rail station is 6 km away. You can walk from the town: it is one of the municipality's signposted routes.
- **Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana and its cloister** (45 min · All ages): What it is
The collegiate church gives the town its name: Santillana comes from Sancta Iuliana. According to tradition, a group of monks brought the relics of Saint Juliana, martyr of Nicomedia, and founded a monastery here in the 9th century; Turespaña dates it to the year 870. It became a collegiate church in the 11th century and in the 12th the original monastery was transformed into the present Romanesque collegiate church, Cantabria's great Romanesque ensemble: three naves, a dome, a transept, three semicircular apses and a tower. The transept and apses keep their original barrel vaults. Santa Juliana has always been a landmark on the Camino de Santiago, and the Cantabrian Government's leaflet on the town records that Saint Francis of Assisi passed through here between 1213 and 1214. The visit takes about three quarters of an hour, longer if you stop at each capital in the cloister.
What to look at
The portal. A round arch with archivolts, and above it a Byzantine-looking Christ in Majesty; higher up, Saint Juliana victorious, holding the devil on a chain. In front, an atrium flanked by two lions.
The cloister. This is what is most remembered of the visit and, for the Cantabrian Government, a magnificent example of Romanesque, with its carved capitals.
Inside. Medieval tombs and Romanesque reliefs of the 11th and 12th centuries; the Romanesque baptismal font; the tomb of Saint Juliana, with its late Gothic recumbent figure; and the Renaissance high altarpiece, by a Burgos master of the early 16th century, with a late Gothic predella added and a Baroque image of Saint Juliana between two Solomonic columns. On the high altar there is a 17th-century embossed silver frontal and, beneath it, a Romanesque one.
Opening hours and entry
There is a ticket for the cloister and interior. The hours change with the season and the official sources we consulted do not publish them: confirm on 942 818 812 or 639 830 520 before going, or at the tourist office, at turismosantillana@cantur.com. If a service is under way, respect the Mass.
Getting there
It is in Plaza del Abad Francisco Navarro, at the end of the main street, next to Plaza de las Arenas. On foot from any of the car parks at the town entrance, along calle de Juan Infante and calle de la Carrera, which leads straight down to it. The cobbles are uneven: wear comfortable shoes.
What to combine
The collegiate church is the end of the walk through the town: arrive along calle del Cantón and calle del Río, or the other way round, start here and climb to Plaza Mayor. Afterwards, on the outskirts, the Altamira Museum and its neocave rounds off the day, and with children, the zoo. For an afternoon snack, milk with sponge cake, as the town's tradition demands.
- **A walk through the town of Santillana del Mar** (1 h 30 · All ages; the cobbles are awkward with a pushchair · Free): What it is
Santillana del Mar is a medieval and Baroque town of nobles' manor houses, coats of arms and wooden balconies, without a single building out of place. It grew around the monastery of Santa Juliana, and in the 15th and 16th centuries it was the capital of the Asturias de Santillana, with great influence at court. Having no port, it gradually lost weight, and when in the 18th century a new road diverted traffic to Castile via Torrelavega, it was left aside. Thanks to that it was preserved as it was: according to the Cantabrian Government, its historic centre has no buildings later than the 18th century and has been protected since the late 19th. You walk it in an hour and a half.
Where to park
Traffic inside the historic centre is restricted to residents, so the car stays outside. There are two public car parks beside the entrances: the one in Plaza del Rey, entering from the CA-133, and Rolaceña, beside the tourist office, entering from the CA-131. The whole historic centre keeps its traditional cobbles: wear comfortable shoes and forget high heels. With a pushchair it is possible, but awkward.
The route
Start along calle de Juan Infante, which leads into the historic centre. Soon you reach a fork: on the right, calle de la Carrera runs straight down to the collegiate church; continuing straight on, you reach Plaza Mayor, Ramón Pelayo's, which represents civil power. It is presided over by the Merino tower, the authority appointed by the king, and flanked by the Don Borja tower, the Águila and Parra houses, the Barreda-Bracho house and the town hall. The 17th-century Baroque manor house on the square is today the Parador Gil Blas. From there, along calle de Las Lindas, you pass into calle del Cantón, the shopping street, where the house of the Marqués de Santillana stands.
Then go down calle del Río, with its fountain and drinking trough, to Plaza de las Arenas and the Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana, at the far end. Notice the contrast between the sobriety of the late Gothic and Renaissance houses and the great Baroque coats of arms that families put up to show off.
When
First thing or in the late afternoon: by mid-morning in August the main street fills up. In winter the town is quiet and open. On 5 January the Three Kings parade sets out with characters in period dress, a festival of national tourist interest. The Águila and Parra houses host temporary exhibitions and close on Mondays.
What to taste and what to combine
The typical thing in Santillana is an afternoon snack of milk with sponge cake, which is made here in the traditional way, or sobaos pasiegos and quesada. On the outskirts you have the Altamira Museum and its neocave and, ten minutes' walk away, the zoo. The tourist office is at calle Jesús Otero 20, on 942 818 251.
- **Santillana del Mar Zoo** (3 h · Families with children · Desde 15 € child aged 4 to 12; adult €30): What it is
A medium-sized zoo on the outskirts of Santillana del Mar, about a 10-minute walk from the centre of the town. The Cantabrian Government's Santillana leaflet describes it as a 60,000-square-metre facility that stands out for four sections: the primates, the big cats, the tropical butterflies and the waterfowl, all surrounded by a botanical collection of more than 300 species. The zoo's website organises the visit into the Quaternary park, the butterfly garden, primates, big cats, aviaries, the aqua-terrarium and mammals.
Behind it is the Fundación Zoo de Santillana, which takes part in conservation, research and recovery programmes, including the one for Sumatran orangutans. The zoo is a member of the Iberian and European associations of zoos and aquariums, AIZA and EAZA.
Price and hours
Adult, €30; child aged 4 to 12, €15; free up to age 3. The price is the same whether you go for half a day or the whole day, and the butterfly garden is included: it is not sold separately. There are discounts for large families, the unemployed, pensioners, people with disabilities and students, with proof. Groups of 20 or more organised by an association, school or town council have their own rate.
It opens every day of the year from 9:30; the website gives closing time as 18:00 and, in the FAQ, at dusk. You do not need to book: there are always tickets at the ticket office.
Getting there and parking
It is at Avenida del Zoo 2, at kilometre 2 of the CA-133 between Santillana and Puente San Miguel, about 20 minutes from Santander. From the motorway, take the exit for Santillana del Mar and follow the signs for the Altamira Museum, which also lead to the zoo. Some sat navs still have the old address, Avenida Antonio Sandi 12. There is free parking for customers, for cars and coaches, with more than 200 spaces. Phone: 942 818 125.
Worth knowing
Dogs are not allowed in. You can bring your own food and drink, or go out to the car to fetch them at lunchtime; there is a café, which needs no booking. The zoo has no architectural barriers, there are two parking spaces for people with reduced mobility and an adapted toilet at the entrance. For children, the website advertises activities such as keeper for a day, animal sponsorships and birthday parties, and an educational programme for schools. Allow half a day to see it all without rushing.
What to combine
A morning at the zoo and the afternoon in the town works very well with children: walk up to the walk through the town and the collegiate church. Very close, along the same road, is the Altamira Museum and its neocave. If the weather is good, Santa Justa beach is ten minutes away by car.
- **Santa Justa beach and its hermitage in the rock** (2 h · All ages · Free): What it is
The beach of the municipality of Santillana del Mar: a small cove at Ubiarco, hemmed in by cliffs, with a hermitage set into the rock wall above the sand. The Cantabrian Government's leaflet of driving routes explains that the beach takes its name from that hermitage, dedicated to Saint Justa and wedged into the cliff rocks. Ubiarco belongs to the municipality of Santillana del Mar, and this cove is its outlet to the sea, a few kilometres from the town. It is the lowest point of the municipality's signposted routes, at zero metres, at the end of the By the Sea of Santillana route.
Santa Justa is part of the coast that UNESCO declared in April 2025 the Costa Quebrada World Geopark: a shoreline of sedimentary rocks that the tectonic movements of the last 120 million years lifted from the sea floor and that wind and water have carved into cliffs and coves.
How to get there
By car from the town, along the Ubiarco road, about ten minutes, between meadows and with the sea getting closer. If you come from Suances, the CA-351 passes through Tagle and reaches Ubiarco. The car park is small: in summer it fills early. On foot, the By the Sea of Santillana route runs down from the municipality to the beach; the municipal routes and trails leaflet rates it as an easy walk, on wide, signposted paths, and asks for care on the stretches that cross roads, walking on the left and on the verge.
When
For swimming, June to September, when the water is less cold; the rest of the year, for walking and seeing the hermitage with the sea behind it. At high tide the sand almost disappears, so check the tide table and go at low tide if you want to be on the beach. In a heavy swell, the waves can reach the foot of the cliff: then look at the hermitage from above and do not go down onto the rocks.
Worth knowing
We have not found the beach's facilities, lifeguard cover or rules on dogs published: ask at the Santillana tourist office, at calle Jesús Otero 20, on 942 818 251. As there are no published facilities, bring water and whatever you will need, and take your rubbish with you: it is a small cove and it shows.
What to combine
From the beach, head up to the town for the walk through Santillana and the Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana. If you are with children, combine the beach with a morning at the zoo, or with the Altamira Museum and its neocave if the day turns grey. In Santillana the afternoon snack is milk with sponge cake, and there are always sobaos and quesada.

## Dónde comer
- **Celina Bonita** (Restaurant, Santillana del Mar, €€€). Qué pedir: something to share from the nibbles section, such as the potatoes a la importancia with baby squid, and whatever the kitchen suggests off the menu; the sobao torrija for dessert
- **Restaurant at the Parador de Santillana Gil Blas** (Restaurant, Santillana del Mar, €€€). Qué pedir: cocido montañés in winter; otherwise fried squid, Santoña anchovies and quesada pasiega for dessert
- **Hotel Altamira restaurant** (Restaurant, Santillana del Mar, €€). Qué pedir: the set menu, and if the weather is good, a table on the terrace
- **Sidrería Casa Miguel** (Cider house, Santillana del Mar, €€). Qué pedir: baby squid or black rice to share, and a cured meat board

## By car: By car, parking outside
Santillana is half an hour from Santander. The car stays in the car parks at the entrance and everything is done on foot; for Altamira, Santa Justa beach or Comillas you pick it up again.
Presupuesto orientativo: 70–130 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Parador de Santillana Gil Blas** (Hotel): The Barreda-Bracho house, on Plaza de Ramón Pelayo
The Parador Gil Blas occupies the former Barreda-Bracho house, a 17th-century Baroque mansion built in the manner of the homes of the mountain gentry. It is in the lower part of the Plaza de Ramón Pelayo, Santillana's main square, beside the Torre del Merino and opposite the town hall. A more recent building was added to the old one, and the two form the hotel. The name comes from Gil Blas of Santillana, the rogue in Lesage's novel.
Sleeping here means being inside the pedestrian old town: you step out of the door onto the square and walk down to the collegiate church of Santa Juliana in about five minutes, along the streets of El Cantón and El Río.
Wooden floors and fireplaces
The rooms have wooden floors and decoration in the Cantabrian mountain style, and some, a few, have a fireplace. The house also has terraces and lounges to stay indoors on rainy days. Paradores does not detail on that page how many rooms of each type there are or what price each has: compare it in its booking engine by date.
A word of caution when booking: Paradores has another establishment in the town, the Parador de Santillana del Mar. Check that you choose the Gil Blas if it is the mansion you are after.
Driving to a car-free old town
Santillana is 24 km from Santander. From the road that runs from Santander to Comillas, a cobbled street of about a hundred metres leads to the parador. The parking is outdoors and paid; ask the price when you book. Without a car, there are La Cantábrica buses from Santander and Torrelavega.
Eating without going out
The parador's restaurant cooks Cantabrian recipes: cocido montañés, rabas, Santoña anchovies and quesada pasiega. It is also open to those not staying. For something more informal, the Sidrería Casa Miguel is on Calle del Río, on the way to the collegiate church.
Bookings at Paradores
Book on the Paradores website, on 942 028 028 or at santillanagb@parador.es.
- **Hotel Altamira** (Small hotel): A manor house on calle del Cantón
The Hotel Altamira is in the very centre of the medieval town, at number 1 calle del Cantón, the shopping street that links Plaza de Ramón Pelayo with calle del Río and the collegiate church. It occupies a 16th-century Cantabrian manor house that belonged to Juan de Valdivielso, Santillana's notary. It is a hotel with a family feel, which presents itself as stately and quiet, and whose staff help organise your stay and excursions.
The rooms
There are 32, rural in style, with private bathroom and television. The website distinguishes five types:

Double and double for single use, rural in style.
Triple, with three single beds and a flat-screen television.
Quadruple and family, on the third floor: a double bed and a small sitting room with two beds, separated by a door. They are the option for families with children.

The website does not publish prices or sizes, or whether there is a lift to the third floor: ask when booking if you are travelling with lots of luggage or with older people.
Eating and parking
The hotel has a restaurant with set menu and à la carte of regional produce and dishes, in the dining room or on the terrace. Santillana's old town is pedestrianised: the car is left in the car parks at the entrance, and the nearest is 200 metres from the hotel. If you arrive without a car, La Cantábrica has buses from Santander and Torrelavega.
Who it is for
It suits those who want to sleep inside the town and walk it first thing or in the late afternoon, when it empties of visitors. The family rooms on the third floor make it practical for families. For couples looking for something smaller and tucked away, the Posada La Casa del Organista is on a quieter street; for a Baroque manor house on the square, there is the Parador Gil Blas.
What is nearby
On foot, the whole walk through the town and the collegiate church. According to the hotel, the Altamira Museum and the Neocave are 4 km away, the Santillana zoo 3 km, Comillas 17 km and the El Soplao cave 44 km. The nearest beaches it mentions are Los Locos, in Suances, 10 km away, and Luaña, in Cóbreces, 13; another option is Santa Justa beach. Bookings on 942 818 025 or on its website.
- **Posada La Casa del Organista** (Small hotel, desde 54 € / night): The organist's house
This 18th-century mountain manor house was for sixty years the home of the collegiate church's organist. Stonemasons and carpenters restored it to turn it into an inn, and today it presents itself as a small charming hotel. It is inside the town, at number 4 calle Los Hornos, a quiet street a few minutes' walk from Plaza de Ramón Pelayo. The façade is of stone, with a wooden gallery, and the terrace looks over the countryside surrounding Santillana.
The rooms and the house
Each room is different: the inn insists that no two are alike. All have a full bathroom with hairdryer and toiletries, heating and wifi. The website does not publish how many there are or their types, so if you are travelling as a family or need separate beds, say so when you book.
The house has breakfast and room service, a bar-café, a terrace and its own parking; elsewhere in the town the car stays outside the old town, in the public car parks at the entrance. It does not publish breakfast hours or price, check-in and check-out times, or whether it accepts pets: ask beforehand.
Price
The website advertises rooms from €54 a night. The real price depends on the dates and the room, and can be seen in its booking engine, which the inn presents as the best price. The offers shown on the rates page are from past seasons, so do not count on them; ask whether any is currently valid. Through an external platform it also sells electric bicycle routes that leave from the inn.
Who it is for
It suits couples and travellers who want to sleep inside Santillana, in a house with history, away from the bustle of the main street. Arriving by car is easy because it has parking; without a car, La Cantábrica has buses from Santander and Torrelavega. If you are looking for family rooms with two spaces, see the Hotel Altamira; for a Baroque manor house on the square, the Parador Gil Blas.
What is nearby
On foot, the walk through the town and the collegiate church. By car or bike, the Altamira Museum and the Neocave, the Santillana zoo and Santa Justa beach. For eating, in the old town you have the Sidrería Casa Miguel or the Parador restaurant. The inn's blog publishes plans and activities from the Altamira Museum for families each season.
Bookings on 942 840 352, at susanainfo@posadacasadelorganista.com or on its website.
### Servicios
- **Juan Infante Municipal Tourist Information Point**: Santillana del Mar municipal tourist information · Maps and walking routes
- **Car parks at the town entrance**: Two large car parks at the entrance · The old town is pedestrianised

## Car-free: Without a car, by bus from Santander
The town is pedestrianised, and you reach it by bus from Santander or Torrelavega. Altamira is 2 km away: you can walk there along one of the municipality's waymarked routes.
Presupuesto orientativo: 60–110 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir without a car
- **Parador de Santillana Gil Blas** (Hotel): The Barreda-Bracho house, on Plaza de Ramón Pelayo
The Parador Gil Blas occupies the former Barreda-Bracho house, a 17th-century Baroque mansion built in the manner of the homes of the mountain gentry. It is in the lower part of the Plaza de Ramón Pelayo, Santillana's main square, beside the Torre del Merino and opposite the town hall. A more recent building was added to the old one, and the two form the hotel. The name comes from Gil Blas of Santillana, the rogue in Lesage's novel.
Sleeping here means being inside the pedestrian old town: you step out of the door onto the square and walk down to the collegiate church of Santa Juliana in about five minutes, along the streets of El Cantón and El Río.
Wooden floors and fireplaces
The rooms have wooden floors and decoration in the Cantabrian mountain style, and some, a few, have a fireplace. The house also has terraces and lounges to stay indoors on rainy days. Paradores does not detail on that page how many rooms of each type there are or what price each has: compare it in its booking engine by date.
A word of caution when booking: Paradores has another establishment in the town, the Parador de Santillana del Mar. Check that you choose the Gil Blas if it is the mansion you are after.
Driving to a car-free old town
Santillana is 24 km from Santander. From the road that runs from Santander to Comillas, a cobbled street of about a hundred metres leads to the parador. The parking is outdoors and paid; ask the price when you book. Without a car, there are La Cantábrica buses from Santander and Torrelavega.
Eating without going out
The parador's restaurant cooks Cantabrian recipes: cocido montañés, rabas, Santoña anchovies and quesada pasiega. It is also open to those not staying. For something more informal, the Sidrería Casa Miguel is on Calle del Río, on the way to the collegiate church.
Bookings at Paradores
Book on the Paradores website, on 942 028 028 or at santillanagb@parador.es.
- **Hotel Altamira** (Small hotel): A manor house on calle del Cantón
The Hotel Altamira is in the very centre of the medieval town, at number 1 calle del Cantón, the shopping street that links Plaza de Ramón Pelayo with calle del Río and the collegiate church. It occupies a 16th-century Cantabrian manor house that belonged to Juan de Valdivielso, Santillana's notary. It is a hotel with a family feel, which presents itself as stately and quiet, and whose staff help organise your stay and excursions.
The rooms
There are 32, rural in style, with private bathroom and television. The website distinguishes five types:

Double and double for single use, rural in style.
Triple, with three single beds and a flat-screen television.
Quadruple and family, on the third floor: a double bed and a small sitting room with two beds, separated by a door. They are the option for families with children.

The website does not publish prices or sizes, or whether there is a lift to the third floor: ask when booking if you are travelling with lots of luggage or with older people.
Eating and parking
The hotel has a restaurant with set menu and à la carte of regional produce and dishes, in the dining room or on the terrace. Santillana's old town is pedestrianised: the car is left in the car parks at the entrance, and the nearest is 200 metres from the hotel. If you arrive without a car, La Cantábrica has buses from Santander and Torrelavega.
Who it is for
It suits those who want to sleep inside the town and walk it first thing or in the late afternoon, when it empties of visitors. The family rooms on the third floor make it practical for families. For couples looking for something smaller and tucked away, the Posada La Casa del Organista is on a quieter street; for a Baroque manor house on the square, there is the Parador Gil Blas.
What is nearby
On foot, the whole walk through the town and the collegiate church. According to the hotel, the Altamira Museum and the Neocave are 4 km away, the Santillana zoo 3 km, Comillas 17 km and the El Soplao cave 44 km. The nearest beaches it mentions are Los Locos, in Suances, 10 km away, and Luaña, in Cóbreces, 13; another option is Santa Justa beach. Bookings on 942 818 025 or on its website.
- **Posada La Casa del Organista** (Small hotel, desde 54 € / night): The organist's house
This 18th-century mountain manor house was for sixty years the home of the collegiate church's organist. Stonemasons and carpenters restored it to turn it into an inn, and today it presents itself as a small charming hotel. It is inside the town, at number 4 calle Los Hornos, a quiet street a few minutes' walk from Plaza de Ramón Pelayo. The façade is of stone, with a wooden gallery, and the terrace looks over the countryside surrounding Santillana.
The rooms and the house
Each room is different: the inn insists that no two are alike. All have a full bathroom with hairdryer and toiletries, heating and wifi. The website does not publish how many there are or their types, so if you are travelling as a family or need separate beds, say so when you book.
The house has breakfast and room service, a bar-café, a terrace and its own parking; elsewhere in the town the car stays outside the old town, in the public car parks at the entrance. It does not publish breakfast hours or price, check-in and check-out times, or whether it accepts pets: ask beforehand.
Price
The website advertises rooms from €54 a night. The real price depends on the dates and the room, and can be seen in its booking engine, which the inn presents as the best price. The offers shown on the rates page are from past seasons, so do not count on them; ask whether any is currently valid. Through an external platform it also sells electric bicycle routes that leave from the inn.
Who it is for
It suits couples and travellers who want to sleep inside Santillana, in a house with history, away from the bustle of the main street. Arriving by car is easy because it has parking; without a car, La Cantábrica has buses from Santander and Torrelavega. If you are looking for family rooms with two spaces, see the Hotel Altamira; for a Baroque manor house on the square, the Parador Gil Blas.
What is nearby
On foot, the walk through the town and the collegiate church. By car or bike, the Altamira Museum and the Neocave, the Santillana zoo and Santa Justa beach. For eating, in the old town you have the Sidrería Casa Miguel or the Parador restaurant. The inn's blog publishes plans and activities from the Altamira Museum for families each season.
Bookings on 942 840 352, at susanainfo@posadacasadelorganista.com or on its website.
### Servicios
- **Juan Infante Municipal Tourist Information Point**: Santillana del Mar municipal tourist information · Maps and walking routes
- **Bus from Santander and Torrelavega to Santillana**: La Cantábrica lines from Santander and Torrelavega · Commuter rail at Puente San Miguel, 6 km from Altamira

## As a family: Bison, big cats and a car-free town

Santillana works for families because the best of it is done on foot and close by: the Neocave in the morning, the town at midday and the zoo or the beach in the afternoon.

### What works best
The Altamira Neocave: free for under-18s, about 30 minutes

The zoo, on the outskirts: €15 for children aged 4 to 12

The walk through the town, from the square to the collegiate church

Santa Justa beach, in summer

### Sleep
Hotel Altamira, with triple and family rooms

### Eat
Portions at the Sidrería Casa Miguel

At the zoo you can bring your own food

### Worth knowing
The cobbles are not comfortable for pushchairs: a baby carrier is better

The Altamira Museum is closed on Mondays

### Qué hacer as a family
- Altamira Museum and the Neocave
- Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana and its cloister
- A walk through the town of Santillana del Mar
- Santillana del Mar Zoo
- Santa Justa beach and its hermitage in the rock

## With young children: A short morning and an afternoon of animals

With small children, the plan is short: the Neocave first thing, which lasts half an hour, and the zoo afterwards.

### What works best
The Neocave: short, dimly lit and with the bison ceiling overhead

The zoo: free up to age 3, with no architectural barriers

The square and the fountain on calle del Río

### Sleep
Hotel Altamira, with two-space rooms

### Eat
Bring food to the zoo: it is allowed

### Worth knowing
A baby carrier is better than a pushchair in the old town

Dogs are not allowed in the zoo

### Qué hacer with young children
- Altamira Museum and the Neocave
- A walk through the town of Santillana del Mar
- Santillana del Mar Zoo
- Santa Justa beach and its hermitage in the rock

## Consejos

### Sunday morning at Altamira
Free entry and hours from 9:30 to 15:00. Arrive at opening.

### Buy online in summer
A day ahead at least; tickets are timed.

### Park outside and don't go back to the car
The whole old town is done on foot, and the collegiate church is at the end.

### Ask about the collegiate church's hours
They change with the season; call beforehand.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### Can you visit the original Altamira cave?
Not independently: five people a week, from a closed waiting list. You visit the Neocueva, an exact replica.

### How much does the Museo de Altamira cost?
€3. Free on Saturdays from 14:00, on Sundays and for under-18s.

### Which day is Altamira closed?
Mondays.

### Where do you park in Santillana?
In the two car parks at the entrance to the village; the museum has its own free car park.

### Can you go without a car from Santander?
Yes, by La Cantábrica bus. For Altamira, 2 km on foot from the village.

### Can you go with a dog?
In the village, on a lead. They are not allowed in the zoo.