Things to Do in Santander

Relive one of Santander's biggest catastrophes and how the city resurfaced after "El Siniestro", the great fire that changed everything forever that February 1941. February 15, 1941, night falls. Throughout the day a gale has risen that has grown to be almost a hurricane. A glow in the horizon of roofs begins to draw the attention of the population and the alarms in the streets sound ... The great fire of Santander has been unleashed, nothing will be the same again. Discover with Experienta the history of this event that changed Santander, in which much of the city was reduced to ashes and how this modified its structure and the way of life of the people of the place, to become as we know it today. Enjoy a different itinerary through the less known side of the center of Santander, through the most representative monuments and icons of the urban center, from a "catastrophic" point of view as well as instructive. Feel as if you were an inhabitant of the time under the explanations of a guide involved and willing to give you a fun visit in which nothing else you have to worry about enjoying the activity without risk of being devoured by the flames. We promise you that you will never see the city of Santander with the same eyes.

Thanks to our team's longevity, experience, and expertise, this is the perfect route to get your first taste of the capital of Cantabria , its history, its people, its traditions, and the guides with the orange umbrella: OFFICIAL, ACCREDITED, AND 100% CANTABRIAN. They won't take you "on a whim," but they'll teach you, entertain you, and excite you like no other. Get ready, not just to get to know Santander, but to experience it as if you were from here.


Welcome to Santander, known as the "most beautiful bay in the world."
That of the idyllic landscape, the beaches, the aristocracy of El Sardinero, the illustrious figures, the bank,... but also that of the seafaring life, the docks, sardine boats, fishermen, net makers and beachcombers.

A city of many faces and contrasts that has always been and always will be "The Bride of the Sea." Join us in this love-hate story, capable of overshadowing Romeo and Juliet, as you explore and discover every street and monument in one of the jewels of the Cantabrian Sea.

• Our tour will begin at the Town Hall Square , right in the city center, where we'll whet your appetite before heading to the La Esperanza Market to see a glimpse of daily life in Santander, as well as the local cuisine. You'll be tempted to eat it.

• With our mouths watering, and in case anyone has sinned, we'll go to Mass. Not literally, but we'll visit the Church of the Annunciation, Santander Cathedral , and their surroundings, to learn more about them, how Santander "married" the sea, and how this is reflected in the streets we walk. This city teaches us much more than meets the eye!!!

• But every relationship has its moments of crisis. With the Plaza de Alfonso XIII as our witness, we'll drop the bombshell on the most dramatic moments of the Santander - Mar couple. Moments when history has had some real shady moments... oh my!, like the Cabo Machichaco shack or that disastrous Valentine's Day that led to the Great Fire of 1941. They love each other, but sometimes they're at each other's throats!!!

• Not everything is drama here. The expansion is the result of this unusual couple's best and most beautiful moments. We'll visit the Pereda Gardens, the Porticada Square, the Pombo Square, and the Eastern Market , some of the places where the city's greatest growth and prosperity took place. Iconic places with a handful of illustrious figures as narrators.

• We're already learning a lot about Santander, but who better to get the inside scoop than lifelong locals? So we'll visit the El Arrabal neighborhood, home to sailors and net makers, one of the city's most traditional streets, where, if you close your eyes and concentrate, you can still hear the shouts, the salt spray, the waves, and the hustle and bustle of the boats.

• In the end, through its highs and lows, a long-standing relationship bears fruit. A tour of Santander's docks, along the Paseo Pereda , serves as the best spectacle of the city's relationship with the Cantabrian Sea and introduces the couple's children: the Raqueros . These little characters who, during the 19th and 20th centuries, were found among the machinas, birles, hurrias, and coles and who became an eternal icon.

What? Have you noticed? What are those words? A cuchus , gazuza, hurria, cole... ? Don't worry, don't let it get boring reading this. You'll understand, when you come with us, that we Cantabrians have a peculiar vocabulary and our words are truly authentic. Who better than a local guide, from La Tierruca as always, to provide subtitles for this film so you can understand every detail of our way of life.

What do you say, are you up for it? Doesn't all this make you a little faint ? We have so much to offer, for guiding you on this journey and for having the best time together, like pigs in a mud puddle.

By the way! Bring your furry friends to stretch their legs. We're 100% pet-friendly!

Learn all about the history, customs and traditions of the Cantabrian capital with this detailed tour of the central area of the city of Santander and its main points of interest.

We will begin our free tour with a visit to the Pereda Gardens , named after the Cantabrian writer José Mª de Pereda, located next to the city's expansions, where we will see the magnificent Banco Santander building and the internationally renowned modern art centre: “ Centro Botín ”.

We will continue with the explanation of the fire in Santander, explaining everything that was destroyed and what was saved and how, to continue with the exterior visit of the Cathedral of Santa María de la Asunción .

On this tour we cannot forget the traditional Mercado de la Esperanza , next to the Town Hall square. We will arrive at the Plaza Porticada , the former headquarters of the Santander International Festival, passing by the Church of “La Compañía” and ending at the Plaza de Pombo , which we will access after first visiting the Mercado del Este, a gastronomic reference point in the city and the spectacular building of the former Banco Mercantil .

Book now and don't miss a single detail of Santander, its history, its architecture and its anecdotes!