A visit to beautiful Santander in Cantabria Spain

We went to Cantabria to visit friends and explore the area over a few days. One of the spots we explored was the city of Santander. Our first stop was the Palacio de la Magdalena. It is located on the Magdalena Peninsula which is a 69-acre peninsula located near the entrance to the Bay of Santander.

The palacio was built in 1911 and used as a summer residence for the Spanish Royal family until 1931. It was then used for summer courses for the Menéndez Pelayo International University.

Today the Palacio is the most visited place in the city of Santander and continues to be used as a conference and meeting hall.

Augustine, Alicia, Shelley and Ray on the stair of the Palacio de Magdalena

The views from the Palacio gardens were spectacular. Looking over the bay and towards the Cantabrian Sea.

View of the Cantabrian Sea and a Lighthouse in the distance.

The City of Santander is the capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria. It is a port city and located in the northern coast of the Iberian Peninsula, facing the Cantabrian Sea.

We walked through the downtown area exploring the beautiful architecture and streets.

The head office of the Santander Bank which the city is named after.

The Gran Casino del Sardinero in Santander

After exploring the area we decided to stop and enjoy some tapas and a drink at the Mercado de la Esperanza.

Main entrance to the Mercado de la Esperanza in Santander

Inside the mercado were many unique and interesting food stalls.

We walked along the rows until we found a nice spot to stop and enjoy some tapas.

Afterwards we walked along the waterfront exploring that area of the city. We came across some interesting monuments along the way.

The Raqueros statues along the pier in Santander.

These statues represent the era when children worked the pier to earn money to survive. The statues pay respect to the children that worked for a living.

Monument Fire Statue in Jardines de Pereda Santander

The Monument Fire Statue in Jardines de Pereda marks the devastating fire that occurred in February 1941 in Santander. The fire destroyed a large part of the historic center of the city,. Fortunately only one person lost their life however thousands of families lost their homes and businesses.

View of a section of the waterfront area of Santander.

We continued our walked along the waterfront and decided to take a break at the local marina. We had a great view and enjoyed a relaxing time watching the ships and boats.