Santillana del Mar is a tiny town with old palaces and cobbled alleys. It is located on the Cantabrica cornice, in northern Spain.
It is popularly known with the nickname of the town of the three lies, since according to the popular saying «it is not holy (Sant), nor flat (Llana), nor has a sea (Mar)» although its municipality does.
The center of Santillana del Mar is unusual, since it is open only to pedestrians. You won’t find any cars. Enjoying the rich cider of the region and delicious dishes of the cuisine of the north.
It is a special destination because it means going back in time and re-encounteering the first human presence on the Cantabrian coast dating back 200,000 years (Paleolithic) making your visit very special indeed.
In Cantabria there are more than 6,500 caves. Nine of the caves are within the UNESCO declaration of World Heritage under the denomination Cave of Altamira and paleolithic cave or rock art of northern Spain.
The most famous Altamira, called the «Sistine Chapel of the Quaternary», has approx. about 36,500 years, relatively small (270 meters) stands out for its impressive representations of animals such as bison, deer or horses.
They are followed by Cullalvera, Fuente del Salin, Chufin, etc. etc.
Special mention to the Cave of El Soplao. It is considered a unique cavity worldwide because of the quality and quantity of the geological formations (speleothems) housed in its 17 kilometers of total length, although only 6 are open to the public. Its formation dates from the Mesozoic, specifically from the Cretaceous period, 240 million years ago.
For lovers of archeology and history and for student groups, Iberinbound, incoming travel agency, iberinbound@iberinbound.com we are specialized tour operators and have designed a large range of programs and study visits tailor-made for our group’s requirements.
