# An anchovy weekend in Santoña and Laredo, 45 minutes from Bilbao One night by La Salvé to see anchovy factories in Santoña, cross the bay by boat, see the Caballo lighthouse from the sea and have lunch in the harbour. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/cantabria/santona-and-laredo/itineraries/anchovy-weekend-santona-laredo-from-bilbao · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Dónde: Santoña and Laredo Santoña and Laredo face each other across the mouth of the Asón, and in a weekend you can do both without moving the car: one has the canneries and Monte Buciero; the other, the Puebla Vieja and La Salvé beach. In between, from March to October, a boat crosses every ten minutes. From Bilbao it is three quarters of an hour along the A-8; from Santander, forty minutes. ## What does it cost? WhatHow muchNote Visit to Conservas EmiliaFreeNo booking; Monday to Saturday mornings Anchovy Art Gallery€9€7 for ages 5 to 12; factory on weekdays at 12:30 Puntal boat€3.50 returnMarch to October Boat to the Caballo lighthouse€16€8 for under-18s; 1 h Hotel El AnclaCheck its website100 m from La Salvé ## Where to sleep In Laredo, Hotel El Ancla, a classic house with a garden a hundred metres from La Salvé, with breakfast at any hour and pets on request. In Santoña, Hotel Juan de la Cosa, on the front line of Berria beach, with a heated pool and garage: better if you come by car and want to do the Buciero trail. ## With children The boat, the lighthouse boat with its captain's diploma and the anchovy museum, free up to age five, all work very well. La Salvé has calm water. The Buciero trail, with the lighthouse's 763 steps, is best left for teenagers. ## El plan ### Saturday · 10:00 · Arrival in Santoña Park in the Marismas industrial estate. At 11:00, a free visit to the Conservas Emilia factory. ### Saturday · 12:00 · Anchovy Art Gallery The Conservas Ana María museum, with live salting and a tasting, five minutes on foot. ### Saturday · 13:30 · Lunch at El Restaurante de Pilar In the fishing harbour, from 13:00 to 16:00. Book two days ahead. ### Saturday · 16:30 · Boat to Laredo From the Pasaje de Santoña to El Puntal in ten minutes; a walk along La Salvé to the hotel. ### Saturday · 19:00 · Laredo's Puebla Vieja The six medieval streets and the doorway of Santa María de la Asunción before dinner. Night at Hotel El Ancla. ### Sunday · 10:30 · Boat to the Caballo lighthouse Take the boat back to Santoña and join the one-hour boat trip to the Buciero cliffs. ### Sunday · 12:30 · Lighthouse trail or seafront walk If access to the lighthouse is open, the 12 km trail takes the whole afternoon; if not, walk to the Fuerte de San Martín. ### Sunday · 13:30 · Lunch and anchovies to take home Pilar also opens on Sunday at midday. Before you leave, Emilia's shop is open until 19:30. ## Un consejo más Book lunch at Pilar before you set off: it asks for two days' notice. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How long does it take from Bilbao? About 45 minutes along the A-8 to Laredo. ### Can I do it in winter? Yes, but without the boat or the lighthouse boat, which sail from March to October. The factories and the museum stay open. ### Where is it better to sleep, Santoña or Laredo? In Laredo if you want the beach and old town on foot; in Berria, in Santoña, if you are doing the Buciero trail. ### Can I walk down to the Caballo lighthouse? The town council has temporarily closed access because of landslides: check santona.es; the boat sees it from the sea. ## Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Hotel Juan de la Cosa**: Berria in front, the Buciero behind Number 14 on Berria beach is the Juan de la Cosa, on Santoña's open-sea beach: almost two kilometres of wide sand on the far side of Monte Buciero, about two kilometres from the town centre. The hotel is on the front line, with the sand in front. The building dates from the middle of the last century and was completely refurbished; its design won a national architecture competition in 1990. It is named after the cartographer born in Santoña who drew the oldest surviving map showing America. Six room types, and what each one sees The difference between rooms is in the view, so choose carefully: Standard: a double with views of the mountain and the Victoria and Joyel marshes. Standard with sea views: with a private terrace over the sea. Superior: with a terrace facing the mountain and the marshes. Superior with sea views: on the third floor, with a terrace over Berria. Junior suite with sea views: king-size bed, large bathroom and sitting room, with front and side views of the beach. Junior suite with terrace: terrace with views of the Cantabrian Sea and the mountain. The hotel has a heated pool, garage, wifi and a safe. The website does not publish prices or check-in and check-out times: you can see them in its booking engine or on 942 661 238. Apartments, dogs allowed too As well as rooms, it rents two types of apartment. The one-bedroom, on the first floor, sleeps up to four, with a living-dining room and equipped kitchen. The two-bedroom sleeps up to six, with two en-suite bathrooms and a kitchen, and it is the one that accepts dogs. In neither is a sea view guaranteed. Lobster from the tank The restaurant has its own tanks, from which the Cantabrian spiny lobster and lobster come, along with fish from Santoña harbour. The dining rooms look out to sea and seat more than four hundred people, so it is also a venue for weddings and banquets. There is a café, and the restaurant, café and wine menus are on the website. On foot from the door The Monte Buciero lighthouse trail passes through Berria, so you can join it from the hotel; the lighthouse, according to the hotel, is an hour's walk away. Towards the centre of Santoña are the Fort of San Martín and the harbour, where you can eat fish at El Restaurante de Pilar. If you prefer to see the cliffs from the water, the boat to the Caballo lighthouse leaves from Santoña's promenade. - **Hotel El Ancla**: A hundred metres to La Salvé About a hundred metres from La Salvé beach and about five hundred from the centre of Laredo, at Calle González Gallego, 10, stands El Ancla. In other words: you are on the sand in a couple of minutes and can walk to dinner in the centre without taking the car. The hotel occupies a distinctive building, with a garden in front that serves as a lounge in summer: that is where you have breakfast, an aperitif and let the conversation run on. Classic rooms and a breakfast without a clock The rooms are spacious and sunny, with classic decor, television, minibar, hairdryer and free wifi. The atmosphere is quiet. The website does not publish how many there are or the prices: ask on its booking page or on 942 605 500. What sets the house apart is breakfast with no time limit: you can come down whenever you like. The bar is open 24 hours, as is reception, and there is a wake-up call service, a shared safe and a formal lounge with television. No lift: ask for the ground floor The building has no lift. If stairs are difficult or you have a lot of luggage, ask when you book for one of the ground-floor rooms, which the hotel offers on request. Car, motorbike, bike and dog The hotel describes parking in the area as easy, and for motorbikes it has covered, supervised parking inside the building. It stores bicycles for pilgrims on the coastal Camino. Pets are accepted, but you must ask by phone when booking; do not take it for granted on an online booking. For groups or courses, the hotel has a meeting room with capacity for presentations and small conventions. Laredo on foot from the hotel From the door, along the sand or the promenade, you can walk to El Puntal, at the other end of the beach, where the ferry to Santoña leaves. Towards the harbour is the Old Town, with its six medieval streets. On the last Friday in August the Battle of Flowers fills the town: if you go on those dates, book well in advance. The hotel itself points out that surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing are practised in the area.