Santoña and Laredo, anchovies, a ferry and the bay of the Buciero.

Santoña and Laredo face each other across the mouth of the Asón estuary. Santoña is the anchovy town: its canneries clean and pack the Cantabrian anchovy by hand, and some let you watch. Behind it is Monte Buciero, a limestone massif with Napoleonic forts and two lighthouses, and beside it the marshes, the most important wetland on the Cantabrian coast. Laredo contributes the medieval Puebla Vieja and La Salvé, a shell of sand more than four kilometres long. Between the two, from March to October, a ferry crosses in ten minutes.

How to get there from Santander or Bilbao

By the A-8. From Santander, towards Bilbao, Gama exit towards Santoña: about 40 minutes and 45 km. From Bilbao, in the opposite direction, about 45 minutes to Laredo. From Burgos, a little over two hours. Between Laredo and Santoña by road you have to go round the bay, about 25 minutes; the Puntal ferry does it in ten, from the tip of El Puntal to the Santoña promenade.

Where to park

In Santoña, next to the promenade and the port, at the foot of the ferry and the Fuerte de San Martín; the canneries are in the Marismas industrial estate, at the entrance to the town, where parking is easy. In Laredo, along the La Salvé promenade and in the El Puntal area for the ferry. Laredo's Puebla Vieja is best done on foot.

How long do you need?

A day is enough for the essentials: an anchovy factory in the morning, lunch at Santoña harbour and, in the afternoon, the ferry to Laredo, a walk around the Puebla Vieja and La Salvé. If you want the Buciero lighthouse trail, 12 km including the descent to the Caballo lighthouse, you need another day or a whole morning and some stamina. With a night, sleep on Berria beach or in Laredo.

When to go

There are two calendars. The Puntal ferry and the boat trip to the lighthouse sail from March to October; in November 2026 they have already stopped and come back in March 2027. The anchovy factories work all year and show the production from Monday to Saturday mornings: on Sundays there is no factory, although the gallery and shops open. Laredo holds the Batalla de Flores on the last Friday of August, a festival of national tourist interest, with lots of people.

What to do

In Santoña, the Galería de Arte de la Anchoa of Conservas Ana María, €9, with live salting and a tasting; on weekdays, the 12:30 session goes into the factory. Next door, the visit to Conservas Emilia is free and needs no booking. At the end of the promenade, the Fuerte de San Martín houses the museum of the canning history, and the lighthouse trail starts there. By sea, the Puntal ferry and the boat trip to the Caballo lighthouse. In Laredo, the Puebla Vieja and La Salvé.

Where to eat

El Restaurante de Pilar, in the Mirador de las Marismas building at Santoña harbour, serves seafaring, produce-led cooking and is open Wednesday to Sunday at midday; book two days ahead. To take anchovies home, the Conservas Emilia shop is open daily, including Sundays. At the tip of El Puntal, next to the ferry, is the Asador El Tiburón: call beforehand, because it does not publish opening hours.

Where to sleep

The Hotel Juan de la Cosa is on the front line of Berria beach, with a heated pool and garage. In Laredo, the Hotel El Ancla is a classic house with a garden a hundred metres from La Salvé, which accepts pets on request.