Most Beautiful Villages Near Santillana del Mar: 8 to Visit

Why is the “town of the three lies” neither holy (santa), nor flat (llana), nor on the sea (mar)? The saying, repeated in Santillana del Mar, is part of its charm: the collegiate church of Santa Juliana, the cobbled ground and the wooden balconies with geraniums make a walk through the old town feel like a journey into the past.

But staying only between its stone walls means missing half of the Cantabrian landscape. Less than an hour away by car, the green meadows end abruptly in cliffs, and stone manor houses hide under oaks and beeches.

There is another curiosity: the name Santillana comes from Santa Juliana, the saint whose remains are kept in the collegiate church. Over the centuries, “Sancta Iuliana” was gradually shortened until it became Santillana. And a few kilometres away are the Altamira caves, another reason to stay a few days in the area.

These are the most beautiful villages near Santillana del Mar, listed with their approximate distance, a curious detail about each and what is worth knowing before you go. At the end, some recommendations for linking them.

1 Comillas: indianos, Gaudí and a cemetery above the sea

Comillas is about 17 kilometres to the west along the CA-131. How did a small town come to have works of Catalan Modernisme? Because the Marquis of Comillas and his family, with a fortune from overseas, attracted architects of their time to build palaces and chapels.

The best known is El Capricho de Gaudí, a small palace covered in tiles with sunflowers, one of the few works by the architect outside Catalonia. Also climb the Sobrellano hill to see the Sobrellano Palace and the ruined cemetery beside the sea.

Tip: if you go in summer, check the Capricho’s official website to see whether it is best to book your ticket, because in high season there are more people.

2 San Vicente de la Barquera: the estuary, the castle and the Picos

San Vicente de la Barquera is about 30 kilometres away, along the A-8 and the N-634. If the day is clear, there is a detail that surprises: the snowy peaks of the Picos de Europe appear behind the estuary.

Climb to the Puebla Vieja, with remains of medieval walls and the Castillo del Rey, and come down by the Puente de la Maza bridge, which crosses the estuary. For lunch, the local dish is sorropotún, a stew of tuna with potatoes, in the taverns of the harbour.

3 Bárcena Mayor: a hamlet inside a natural park

Bárcena Mayor is about 48 kilometres from Santillana along the A-8 and the CA-180, right in the Saja-Besaya Natural Park. It is a Historic-Artistic Site, and it shows: the stone manor houses have south-facing wooden solanas, or sun galleries, to make use of the winter sun.

The streets are pedestrian and smell of firewood. A question many visitors ask: why do the houses have such big wooden galleries? They are the solanas, designed so that the sun warms the house and clothes or maize can be dried in the rainy months. And rain, in this area, is common, so it is best to go prepared with a raincoat and comfortable shoes for the wet ground. It is a good place to sit in a mesón and order a cocido montañés served in an earthenware pot.

The destination on TikTok

If you want to see how this corner looks live and through the eyes of other travellers, take a look at this video:

4 Suances: cliffs and waves

Suances is only 10 kilometres away along the CA-132. In Roman times it was called Portus Blendium, a curious fact for a village that is known today for its surfers.

If you wonder why this coast is so good for surfing, the answer lies in the swell of the Cantabrian Sea and its sandy bottoms. Walk along the promenade of La Concha beach to Los Locos beach, famous for its waves and the sunsets behind the lighthouse. The old town, up high, keeps lanes with manor houses from the 16th and 17th centuries.

5 Cartes: a street with coats of arms

Cartes is about 12 kilometres to the south, on the banks of the Besaya river. Its whole centre has been a Historic Site since 1985, and it is explained by a single street: the Camino Real, with manor houses of the 17th and 18th centuries bearing noble coats of arms carved in stone.

The tower, of medieval origin, is the best-known building, and nearby is an 18th-century stone bridge over the Besaya. If you have time to spare, the Besaya Greenway is good for a flat walk, on foot or by bicycle. It is a quiet way to see the river and the valley landscape before getting back on the road.

6 Liérganes: the legend of the Fish Man

Liérganes is about 45 minutes from Santillana, in the Trasmiera region, at the foot of two hills known as the “Tetas de Liérganes”. It has an old spa and mountain manor houses.

Next to the Puente Mayor over the Miera river you can see the statue of the Fish Man, the protagonist of a 17th-century legend about a young man from the village who supposedly lived in the sea. It is a good pretext to walk through the old town slowly, looking at the coats of arms on the manor houses and at the river from the bridge.

7 Carrejo: the gateway to the Cabuérniga valley

Carrejo is about 30 minutes from Santillana, in the Cabuérniga valley. Its meadows fenced with stone walls surround ancestral manor houses and woods of oak and chestnut.

Here is the Casona de Carrejo, from the 18th century, which houses the Cantabria Nature Museum. It is a good stop for families who want to learn about the flora and fauna of the region. If the day dawns rainy, which often happens in Cantabria, it is a plan that works well indoors.

8 Potes: capital of Liébana

Potes is about 85 kilometres away, a little over an hour by car through the La Hermida gorge. It is the capital of the Liébana region and is surrounded by mountains.

The Torre del Infantado dominates a centre of stone bridges and steep alleys. Before heading back, try the cocido lebaniego, with chickpeas from the area, and the craft orujo of Liébana. If you don’t feel like driving back in a hurry, stay the night: Potes has lodging for all tastes and at night the streets of the old town fall almost silent.

Tips for visiting the most beautiful villages near Santillana del Mar

• Getting around: a car, your own or rented, is the most practical way to link the coast with the mountain villages, such as Bárcena Mayor or Potes.
• What to try: rabas of squid on the coast, local cheeses and sobaos and quesadas pasiegas for breakfast.
• What to bring: a light raincoat and shoes with grip for the wet cobbles.
• How many days: coast (Comillas, San Vicente, Suances) in one day; interior (Bárcena, Cartes, Carrejo) in another; Potes and Liébana, best on a separate day.

One last question that helps with planning: what do you fancy more, sea or mountains? If you choose the sea, link Comillas, San Vicente and Suances in one day. If you prefer mountains, Bárcena Mayor and Carrejo share the same valley, and Potes needs a whole day. What is best avoided is mixing coast and deep interior in a single afternoon, because the roads are winding and the times stretch.

Note down the list and start with the one that raises the most questions. Will you pick the waves of Suances or the silence of Bárcena Mayor?