# Sunday in Santillana del Mar: the Altamira Neocave for free, the collegiate church and Comillas

The Altamira Neocave, free on Sundays, the stone village and its collegiate church, a market-cooking lunch and, in the afternoon, Gaudí's El Capricho in Comillas. Half an hour from Santander.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/cantabria/santillana-del-mar/itineraries/neocave-free-collegiate-church-and-comillas · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## El día
- 09:00 · Salida: 30 min by car (via the A-67 and the CA-131; at Altamira you park free inside the site)
- 09:30 · Altamira Museum and the Neocave (free on Sunday, box office only and first come first served; Neocueva in groups of 30 min)
  - 5 min by car, 2 km
- 11:45 · A walk through the town of Santillana del Mar (park at the entrance to the town and continue on foot)
  - 4 min on foot
- 12:45 · Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana and its cloister (confirm the hours by phone)
  - 5 min on foot
- 13:45 · Celina Bonita (market cooking · €€ · on Sunday, 13:30 to 16:00; booking) · Celina Bonita, €€€
  - 15 min by car, 16 km
- 16:15 · Gaudí's El Capricho, en Comillas (guided tour €10; book in season) · El Capricho de Gaudí, From €10 adult; children aged 7 to 12, €6
- 17:30 · Vuelta (in Santander around 18:30)

Santillana del Mar is half an hour from Santander and on Sunday it has a gift: the Altamira Museum does not charge admission. You start at the Neocave, the exact copy of the cave of the bison, walk through the village of manor houses to the Romanesque collegiate church, eat on calle de la Carrera and leave the afternoon for Gaudí's El Capricho, in Comillas, twenty minutes away.

## The day, hour by hour

9:00 · Set off. A-67 towards Torrelavega, exit for Suances and Santillana, and at Barreda the CA-131. The museum is signposted; park inside, free.

9:30 · Altamira Neocave. On Sundays admission is free and only given out at the ticket office, in order of arrival, from 9:30: arrive at opening. The Neocave is visited in groups of about 30 minutes; then the museum exhibition. The original cave is not visited.

11:45 · The village. Leave the car in one of the car parks at the entrance and walk in through Plaza de Ramón Pelayo, with the town hall, the Merino tower and the parador, and continue along calle del Cantón and calle del Río.

12:45 · Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana. 12th-century Romanesque and its cloister of capitals. The hours change according to the season: call beforehand on 942 818 812.

13:45 · Lunch at Celina Bonita. Market cooking on calle de la Carrera, open on Sunday from 13:30 to 16:00. Book.

16:15 · Gaudí's El Capricho. In Comillas, twenty minutes along the coast. A 45-minute guided visit for €10, or self-guided for €7. Park in a public car park in the village: the Capricho has none.

17:30 · Head home. In Santander around half past six.

## Cómo llegar

### By car
A-67 and CA-131 from Santander, half an hour. From Bilbao, A-8, an hour and three quarters.

### Without a car
La Cantábrica has a bus from Santander to Santillana; the museum is 2 km on foot from the village. For Comillas you need a car.

## Consejos

### Arrive at museum opening
The free Sunday tickets are given out at the ticket office until they run out.

### Book lunch and the Capricho
They are the two things that fill up at weekends.

## Cuándo no ir

A Sunday in August mid-morning on calle del Cantón: do the village before 11:00.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### Is the Altamira Museum free on Sundays?
Yes, all day (it opens from 9:30 to 15:00), with a ticket collected at the ticket office.

### Can you enter the original cave?
No: the waiting list is closed.

### Can you go with a dog?
In the village and in the Capricho gardens, yes, on a lead. In the museum and inside the Capricho, no.

### How long does it take from Santander?
Half an hour.