While British holidaymakers have long flocked to Barcelona, Madrid, or Seville for their Spanish city break, wise local tourists have another favourite: Santander, the capital of Cantabria. In this elegant coastal city on the Bay of Biscay, they spend mornings enjoying the bustle of the market, lazy afternoons on the beach and evenings on the terraces of pincho bars indulging in Basque-style tapas washed down with glasses of albariño. What’s more, British tourists can reach Santander on a direct ferry – it docks in the city centre – from Portsmouth or Plymouth, which gives the potential added bonus of dolphin sightings in the Bay of Biscay. Although Santander is often considered the gateway to the rest of northern Spain, here are seven reasons why you should linger for longer.
