Fort of San Martín and the canning history museum

The fort, built on a castle from the time of Philip II, closes off Santoña's seafront promenade and is the last remnant of the Carnot defensive system. Inside are the Museum of Santoña's Canning History and an immersive virtual reality experience room. Outside the season it opens only on long weekends: in 2026, from 5 to 8 December, from 10:00 to 14:00, with free entry until capacity is reached.

The canning history museum

It is not a museum of glass cases. The town council describes it as a mixed-reality space that blends historic pieces with technology, designed to tell how Santoña went from fishing port to capital of the anchovy. There is an interactive touchscreen, "From Yesterday to Today: A Panoramic Look", which reviews the evolution of the industry; a video game, "From Sea to Table", which follows the fish from the fish market to the tin; and interactive avatars, "Conversing with History", which gather real testimonies from women who worked in the canneries. The historic catalogue of tins and lithographs from the town's factories is also projected.

The 360-degree experiences take you to a Roman port, an Italian salting factory, an auction at the fish market and a panoramic flight over the bay. It is a visit that works well with children and teenagers.

The virtual reality room

In the immersive experience room you put on Meta Quest 3 headsets and choose between two tours: the descent to the Caballo lighthouse, with sessions every 15 minutes, and a historic voyage with Juan de la Cosa, the cartographer from Santoña, with sessions every 30 minutes. The virtual descent makes sense now that real access to the lighthouse is closed because of rockfalls. With open capacity, on long weekends it is best to go early to avoid waiting for a turn.

Opening times and entry

As part of the programme "Fort of San Martín: Off the Anchovy Season", the town council opened the fort on the Pilar and All Saints long weekends, and opens it again from 5 to 8 December 2026, from 10:00 to 14:00 without a break. Entry is free until capacity is reached, with no booking. On Saturday 5 December, at 12:00, there is a meeting with net-menders, anchovy-handlers and local residents, "The Hands of the Sea". For groups, arrangements go through the Santoña Tourist Office. The summer timetable has not been published yet; check there before you go.

Getting there and what to combine it with

The fort is at the end of Santoña's seafront promenade, a few minutes' walk from the centre, and from it starts the Monte Buciero lighthouse trail, the 12 km circular route along the cliffs. On the same promenade, next to the Juan de la Cosa monument, the boat trip to the Caballo lighthouse departs. To complete the anchovy theme, the Anchovy Art Gallery and the visit to the Emilia cannery show how the work is done today.