El Restaurante de Pilar
What to order: Pilar's croquettes and Santoña anchovies to start; then longline fish by weight or the tuna casserole
geocalia
Day itinerary · 43.44° N · 3.46° W
An anchovy day in Santoña: the factory, the harbour and the boat to Laredo.
You see how anchovy is made at a Santoña factory, taste another's at its museum, eat at the harbour and cross by boat to Laredo. 40 minutes from Santander and 45 from Bilbao.
Leaving from
Part of Santoña and LaredoCantabrian Coast
Add to my trip
Total time8 h
By car45 min each way
Walking1 h 30
DifficultyEasy
Cost€55–80 pp
Best timeMarch – October, Wednesday to Saturday
With childrenYes; museum free up to age 5
With a dogOn the boat, yes
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Santander 45 min by car
via the A-8, Gama exit; park in the Las Marismas industrial estate
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1
Visit to the Conservas Emilia factory
free and no booking; on Saturday, 11:00 slot
+34 942 663 232
- 5 min on foot
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2
Anchovy Art Gallery
Conservas Ana María · €9 · sobado (anchovy fillet-making) and tasting
+34 644 668 848
- 8 min on foot
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3
El Restaurante de Pilar
seafood cooking · €€€ · 13:00 to 16:00; book two days ahead
Edificio El Mirador de las Marismas, Puerto de Santoña, 39740 Santoña · +34 942 626 448
Restaurant €€€Book - 10 min on foot
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4
Puntal ferry, from Laredo to Santoña
Excursiones Marítimas · €3.50 return · every 10–15 min
+34 605 972 566
- 10 min on foot
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5
La Salvé beach
walk around El Puntal and La Salvé
- 10 min by boat
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6
Conservas Emilia Shop
back in Santoña, anchovies to take home; open until 19:30
Avenida de Carrero Blanco, 25, 39740 Santoña · +34 942 671 654
Market €€Book -
Back home
in Santander around 19:15; in Bilbao, around 19:20
Approximate cost
About €65–110 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Visit to the Conservas Emilia factory
Santoña smells of salting. In the Marismas industrial estate, at the entrance to the town, the canneries clean and pack Cantabrian anchovy by hand, and two of them open their doors. This day combines a factory in full production, the anchovy museum, a produce lunch above the harbour and the boat that crosses to Laredo in ten minutes. Do it on a Saturday or on a weekday: on Sundays you do not see anyone working.
The day, hour by hour
11:00 · Conservas Emilia. A free visit to the factory, no booking: you arrive on the hour and go in. On Saturdays there is a session at 11:00; on weekdays, every hour from 10:00 to 13:00.
12:00 · Anchovy Art Gallery. The museum of Conservas Ana María, €9: history of salting, a live sobado demonstration and a tasting. On weekdays, the 12:30 session goes into their factory.
13:30 · Lunch at El Restaurante de Pilar. In the Mirador de las Marismas building, above the fishing harbour: seafood and the day's fish. Book two days ahead; closed Monday and Tuesday.
16:00 · Puntal boat. From the Pasaje, opposite the Juan de la Cosa monument: €3.50 return, every ten or fifteen minutes.
16:20 · La Salvé. A stroll round El Puntal and the great shell of Laredo, with the Buciero opposite.
17:45 · Anchovies to take home. Back in Santoña, Emilia's shop is open until 19:30.
Time40 min
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Asador El Tiburón
What to order: ask what they have on the grill that day; it is next to the ferry, so it fits in with the return from Santoña
Takeaway and markets
Conservas Emilia Shop, Santoña
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Santoña and Laredo
Designed for a Saturday or a weekday from March to October: the factories do not show production on Sundays and the boat does not sail from November to February. El Restaurante de Pilar is closed Monday and Tuesday.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Choose the day carefully
From Wednesday to Saturday factories, museum and restaurant all coincide.
- 2Bring cash or a card for the boat
It is paid on board.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can it be done on a Sunday?
Partly: the gallery and the shop open, Pilar too at midday, but the factories do not show production.
How much does it cost to see an anchovy factory?
Conservas Emilia, free; the Anchovy Art Gallery, €9 for adults.
Does the boat run in winter?
No: from March to October.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/spain/cantabria/santona-and-laredo/itineraries/anchovies-museum-and-boat-to-laredo
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.