Santillana del Mar

The land around Santillana has been occupied since prehistory. The most dramatic evidence is the Altamira cave, discovered in 1868 and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the archaeologist Henri Breuil called it the Sistine Chapel of Palaeolithic art. Roman-era ceramics and funerary stones have been found nearby, and a recently investigated Iron Age hillfort at El Cincho, in the Yuso quarter, points to earlier organised settlement.

The town itself grew up in the early Middle Ages around the abbey of Santa Juliana, said to have been founded by monks who brought the relics of Saint Juliana of Bithynia, martyred in what is now Turkey, to this spot. The monastery's foundation date is unknown, but its growth is linked to the repopulation movement under the successors of Alfonso I. Fernando I granted the town a fuero (charter of rights) in 1045.

By the later medieval period, religious and secular powers were in open conflict: in 1509 the abbot was forced to recognise the authority of the Marquis of Santillana only after armed confrontation. Outside the historic core, religious orders built their own complexes, including a Dominican convent, a pilgrim hospice, and two hospitals. The discovery of Altamira drew scholars and artists, leading to the founding of the Escuela de Altamira in 1948, an influential avant-garde movement.

The town was declared a historic-artistic monument in its entirety in 1889, and restoration work began in 1927.

The municipality has seven officially listed cultural assets. The Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana and its cloister is a protected monument, as are the Torre de Don Beltrán de la Cueva in Queveda, the Palacio de Viveda, and the Palacio de Mijares. The Altamira Cave holds the additional status of World Heritage Site.

The town as a whole is designated a historic ensemble, and the Collegiate Church's cartulary, its Rule Book, is listed as a protected movable asset. The medieval Torre de los Calderón de la Barca in Viveda is catalogued as a locally significant heritage site.

Santillana is 24 km west of Santander city and airport via the A-67. Cantabria buses run four times daily from Santander (40 min), continuing to Comillas and San Vicente de la Barquera. Alsa buses run roughly hourly from Torrelavega (20 min), which is 10 km east and well connected to Santander by bus and train (line C2 commuter trains also stop at Puente San Miguel, 4 km south, but with no onward bus).

The bus stop is on Av de Dorat at the east edge of town; tour buses park further along the same road. The village centre is small and traffic-restricted, walk. Two shops sit south of the main crossroads on Av del Alcalde Antonio Sandi: Supermercado Coviran Yayper (M–F 09:30–14:00 and 16:00–20:30, Sa 09:30–14:00) and deli Casa Cano (M 10:00–14:30, Tu–Su 10:00–22:00).

As of May 2026, the town and its approach roads have 5G coverage from all Spanish carriers.