Santander, Spain: Things to Do, Beaches, Day Trips and Where to Stay
Museum hours and admission, the city’s 13 beaches, the Altamira day trip, rainfall in inches month by month and the best areas to book, drawn from the city tourist office, Spain’s culture ministry and the State Department.
- 13 beaches listed by the city
- €9 Centro Botín ticket bought online
- 1.9 in of rain in July, the driest month
- Free hillside funicular, 6 am to midnight
Santander is the capital of Cantabria, a region on Spain’s Atlantic north coast, built around a sheltered bay. Its draw is a mix you rarely get in one compact city: surf and family beaches inside the city limits, a Renzo Piano art center on the waterfront and, in nearby Santillana del Mar, the museum of the Altamira cave paintings.
Opening hours here shift with the seasons, and most official pages are in Spanish. This guide pulls them together as published on October 13, 2026, from the city’s 2026 opening-hours map, the museums’ own sites and the airport operator, Aena, and notes where those sources contradict each other.
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- Is Santander worth visiting?
- Things to do: museums and sights
- Beaches
- Day trip to Altamira
- Weather by month
- Where to stay
- Airport and getting around
- Safety, entry and insurance
- FAQ
- Sources
Is Santander worth visiting?
Yes, if you want a beach city where museums are a short walk away and a car is optional. The tourist office lists 13 beaches within the municipality, six of them urban beaches with lifeguards. The tradeoff is rain: even July, the driest month, averages about 8 days with measurable rainfall, and November gets close to 15.
Three days covers the city plus Altamira. That also makes Santander an easy stop on a road trip along Spain’s north coast.
Things to do in Santander: museums and sights
Plan around Mondays: the Centro Botín (outside July and August), the Maritime Museum and the prehistory museum are all closed that day. Hours below are for October through May; summer hours run longer.
| Sight | Hours, Oct to May | Adult ticket |
|---|---|---|
| Centro Botín | Tue to Fri 10 am to 2 pm and 4 to 8 pm; weekends 10 am to 8 pm | €9 online, €10 at the door |
| Maritime Museum | Tue to Sun, 10 am to 6 pm | €10 |
| MUPAC (prehistory) | Tue to Fri, 10 am to 2 pm and 5 to 7:30 pm | €6 |
| Magdalena Palace | Guided tours only; times on the palace website | €7 |
| Cathedral | No visits during Mass | €2 |
| Cabo Mayor Lighthouse art center | Tue to Sun, from 11 am | Free |
- Centro Botín: the art center designed by Renzo Piano sits on the Albareda pier next to the Pereda Gardens. A ticket covers the permanent collection and the temporary shows. Admission is free on May 18 and October 12.
- Magdalena Peninsula: the palace is visited on guided tours. A small sightseeing train loops the peninsula daily, €5 for adults and €3.50 for ages 5 to 12, according to the tourist office.
- Maritime Museum of the Cantabrian Sea: on San Martín de Bajamar street. Last entry 4:30 pm from October to May and 5:30 pm from June to September.
- La Esperanza Market: the city’s food market, open 8 am to 2 pm Monday through Saturday, plus 5 to 7:30 pm on Thursdays and Fridays.
Where the sources disagree: the city’s 2026 hours map shows the Centro Botín closing from 2 to 4 pm every day between October and May, while the center’s own site lists weekends as open straight through. We follow the center’s site. The map’s cathedral schedule is hard to read, so check at the door.
Santander beaches: El Sardinero, the bay and hidden coves
- For calm water: Los Peligros, the closest beach to downtown; La Magdalena, with hardly any waves; and Bikini, reached through the Magdalena grounds.
- For surf and space: Segunda de El Sardinero, the city’s largest beach, which the tourist office calls the first surf spot in Spain. Next door, the Primera has been the place for therapeutic “wave baths” since 1847.
- For coves: El Camello, named for a camel-shaped rock and good for snorkeling, and Mataleñas, one of the busiest. Los Molinucos, El Bocal, Rosamunda, La Maruca and Virgen del Mar are quieter.
Urban beaches have lifeguards, showers and amphibious wheelchairs, the tourist office says, though it does not publish the dates of the lifeguard season.
Day trip from Santander: the Altamira museum in Santillana del Mar
The National Museum and Research Center of Altamira, in Santillana del Mar, shows a replica of the cave and its paintings. Admission is €3, and it is free on Saturdays from 2 pm and all day Sunday.
- Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 9:30 am to 6 pm from November to April, to 8 pm from May to October; Sundays and holidays 9:30 am to 3 pm.
- Closed: every Monday, plus January 1 and 6, May 1, September 16 and December 24, 25 and 31.
- The original cave: open to five people a week, drawn from a waiting list that the museum says is closed to new requests. Plan on the replica.
Guided tours and day trips
If you would rather not drive, our partner GetYourGuide offers the tours below from Santander and around Cantabria. For an Altamira trip, check whether museum entry is included; on a Sunday it is free anyway. Examples listed on October 13, 2026: a one-hour cruise around the bay and a guided trip to Santillana del Mar and the Altamira museum from Santander.
See all Santander tours and activities on GetYourGuide
Santander weather by month
Expect mild, damp weather year-round. Summer afternoons peak in the low to mid 70s °F, winter lows stay in the upper 40s, and fall is the wettest season.
- Jan 4.3 in
- Feb 2.9 in
- Mar 3.0 in
- Apr 3.4 in
- May 2.8 in
- Jun 2.4 in
- Jul 1.9 in
- Aug 2.4 in
- Sep 3.5 in
- Oct 4.5 in
- Nov 6.0 in
- Dec 5.1 in
Average rainfall by month, 1991-2020 normals for the downtown station (see the table). Yellow: under 2.5 in. Light blue: 2.5 to under 4.5 in. Dark blue: 4.5 in or more.
| Month | Low / high | Rain (days) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47 / 56 °F | 4.3 in (13) |
| Feb | 46 / 56 °F | 2.9 in (10) |
| Mar | 48 / 59 °F | 3.0 in (10) |
| Apr | 50 / 60 °F | 3.4 in (12) |
| May | 54 / 64 °F | 2.8 in (10) |
| Jun | 59 / 69 °F | 2.4 in (9) |
| Jul | 63 / 72 °F | 1.9 in (8) |
| Aug | 64 / 74 °F | 2.4 in (9) |
| Sep | 61 / 71 °F | 3.5 in (9) |
| Oct | 57 / 68 °F | 4.5 in (11) |
| Nov | 51 / 61 °F | 6.0 in (15) |
| Dec | 48 / 57 °F | 5.1 in (13) |
About these numbers: Spain’s weather agency, AEMET, did not display its normals page to our tools. The table converts the 1991-2020 normals for Santander’s downtown station (elevation 210 ft) published by Météo Climat and cited on Wikipedia. Days in parentheses have at least 0.04 in (1 mm) of rain.
Where to stay in Santander: downtown or by the beach
Pick downtown if you are arriving by bus or train and want the museums close; pick El Sardinero or the Magdalena side if the beach is the point. Each hotel detail below names its source. We do not quote nightly rates, which we could not verify.
Downtown, by the stations and the Centro Botín
Hotel Bahía, at Calle Cádiz 22, is about 210 yards from the Centro Botín and 500 yards from the train station, according to its Trip.com listing, which also mentions paid parking that must be reserved.
Hotel San Glorio, on Calle Federico Vial, has 32 rooms beside the bus and train stations, per the Camino del Norte guide Gronze.
El Sardinero and Los Peligros: ocean views
Eurostars Hotel Real, a 123-room hotel open since 1917 at Paseo Pérez Galdós 28, faces Los Peligros beach a few minutes’ walk from Magdalena Palace. Gran Hotel Sardinero, at Plaza Italia 1, is across the street from Sardinero beach, next to the Gran Casino.
Before you book: if you are driving the coast, confirm whether the hotel has parking and whether it must be reserved in advance. The map below shows availability across the city for your dates.
Check recent prices and reviews for Santander hotels
From the airport, and getting around on foot
- Airport bus: Line 1, “Aeropuerto – Estación de Autobuses”, links Seve Ballesteros Airport with the Santander bus station and runs according to the flight schedule, Aena says. Times and fares are on the Transportes de Cantabria site.
- Long-distance buses: Alsa coaches to Bilbao, Gijón, Oviedo and Laredo stop at the airport only for passengers holding a ticket bought in advance.
- Hills: parts of the city sit above downtown. The free Río de la Pila funicular climbs toward the General Dávila area daily from 6 am to midnight, and the 1,150-foot Pombo pedestrian tunnel is open 7 am to midnight.
Is Santander safe? Advisory, entry rules and insurance for U.S. travelers
The State Department rates Spain at Level 2, “Exercise increased caution,” citing terrorism and unrest, in an advisory issued August 1, 2026. It singles out Ceuta, the Spanish city in North Africa, as a place to reconsider; Cantabria is not named.
- Passport: valid 3 months beyond your departure date, with one blank page per entry. No visa for stays under 90 days.
- Driving: you must carry an International Driving Permit to rent or drive a car; police can fine you on the spot without one.
- Emergencies: dial 112 and ask for an English-speaking operator. The U.S. Embassy in Madrid (Calle Serrano 75) takes after-hours emergency calls at +34-91-587-2200.
- Medical bills: you pay for care in Spain, even in public facilities, and most providers accept only cash. Medicare and Medicaid do not cover you abroad.
Because the State Department strongly recommends coverage that includes medical evacuation, look at SafetyWing Nomad Insurance Essential, from our partner. When we checked on October 13, 2026, the plan listed a $250,000 maximum for medical treatment and $100,000 lifetime for evacuation, with billing every four weeks. It excludes pre-existing conditions, maternity and cancer care, and coverage in the U.S. costs extra.
New SafetyWing customers can use the code ADVISEDTRAVELER on 28-day subscription or annual Essential plans to get the Electronics Theft add-on free for 8 weeks: tap the pink camera icon on the Nomad Insurance page and enter the code before signing up. The add-on then renews at its regular price. Readers who live in Europe can also compare Chapka Cap Assistance; it is not sold to U.S. residents.
To stay connected, compare your carrier’s daily international pass with a prepaid eSIM from our partner Yesim, and confirm a Spain plan is available on its site first.
Santander travel FAQ
What is Santander, Spain, known for?
Its city beaches, led by El Sardinero; the Magdalena Palace on its peninsula; the Renzo Piano-designed Centro Botín; and its proximity to the Altamira cave museum in Santillana del Mar.
How many days do you need in Santander?
Three days covers downtown and the Centro Botín, the Magdalena Peninsula and the beaches, plus a day trip to Altamira. Avoid putting a museum day on a Monday.
What is the best day trip from Santander?
The Altamira museum in Santillana del Mar, with its replica of the painted cave. Entry is €3 and free on Sundays; it is closed on Mondays.
When is the best time to visit Santander?
June through August are the driest months, with 1.9 to 2.4 inches of rain and highs around 69 to 74 °F. November is the wettest, at about 6 inches.
Do I need an International Driving Permit in Spain?
Yes. The State Department says U.S. drivers must have one before arrival to rent or drive a car in Spain.
More tours around Cantabria
Additional activities from GetYourGuide. For boat trips or coastal outings, read the bad-weather cancellation terms: October through December are the rainiest months here.
Sources
Each page below was read on October 13, 2026.
- Santander Tourist Office: 2026 map of opening hours and beaches.
- Centro Botín, plan your visit.
- National Museum and Research Center of Altamira (in Spanish): hours, admission, visits to the cave.
- Aena, Seve Ballesteros-Santander Airport, buses (in Spanish).
- U.S. Department of State, Spain international travel information (advisory of August 1, 2026).
- Weather: Wikipedia, Santander, Spain, 1991-2020 downtown normals from Météo Climat.
- Hotels: Trip.com, Hotel Bahía, Gronze, Hotel San Glorio (in Spanish), Eurostars Hotel Real, Oyster, Gran Hotel Sardinero.
- SafetyWing, Nomad Insurance.
Also on Advised Traveler: our Spain travel guide.
Researched and written by the Advised Traveler team from the sources above. Museum and beach schedules are reset every summer, so confirm them shortly before your trip. See something outdated? Send us a note.