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The city starts at Somorrostro Hill, where
the cathedral stands and where the old walled city with its
castle once was. Here you will find some of Santander's most
famous buildings, such as Banco de España, Correos
(the post office building), Banco Santander, Plaza Porticada,
Iglesia de la Anunciación (Church of the Annunciation)
and the Ayuntamiento (city hall). Also nearby are the famous
Jardines de Pereda (Pereda Gardens), presided over by a sculpture
of the Cantabrian novelist himself. The cluster made up by
Paseo de Pereda and Calle Castelar, completed by the Paseo
Marítimo (promenade) that runs parallel to the sea
is something no visitor to Santander should miss.
This district is also characterized by its
commercial infrastructure. All along a series of streets,
some of which are pedestrianized and lined with shops on the
ground floor, you can buy nearly anything or simply indulge
in window-shopping. Those streets already mentioned, along
with some other parallel and perpendicular ones (Rualasal,
Juan de Herrera, San Francisco, Cádiz, Isabel II o
Lealtad) are jam-packed with people during the daytime.
A little further east, near Plaza de Cañadío,
there is a group of streets where most of the nightlife is
concentrated; in the summertime, El Sardinero also has lots
of nightlife. Streets such as General Mola, Hernán
Cortés, Daoíz, Velarde, Peña Herbosa,
Santa Lucía and Sol, as well as the surrounding ones,
are full of bars and cafés where you can stop for a
drink or some tapas, as well as numerous options if you want
to have a boogie until the wee hours.
Between the centre and El "Sardi"
(as locals call it) there is a transitional area, marked by
Avenida Reina Victoria. This classy residential area is sprinkled
with luxurious buildings like Casa Pardo and Hotel Real.
El Sardinero is the summer holiday area par
excellence, where there are endless accommodation options
(not in vain is there an avenue called Hoteles) as well as
an elite residential area. Magdalena Peninsula is on at one
end, with its park and Palacio Real (Royal Palace), and Cabo
Menor forms the northern border, with Mataleñas Park
at the top of the cape. Between the two is El Sardinero cove,
with four beaches called, from south to north, Camello, Concha,
Primera and Segunda. These are ideal for sunbathing, swimming
in the Cantabrian Sea and enjoying the beautiful and unbeatable
views of the coast. Other trips to be enjoyed while in town
are visits to Jardines de Piquío (Piquío Gardens)
and Mesones Park, a stop in at the Casino and strolling along
the endless strips of sand running out to the sea.
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