Do you know all the beaches in Santander? I’ll bet you a beer and I won’t lose it. And in Santander, in addition to having the most beautiful bay in the world, we have beaches to give and take. Some urban, others semi-urban, but all are truly wonderful. Next we are going to go on a route through all the beaches of Santander . We won’t miss a single one.
The 13 beaches of Santander city, which is your favorite?
Did you know that in Santander we have a total of 13 beaches ? I am going to start this article about the beaches of Santander with those closest to the city center and gradually move away to the most unknown ones. Take your swimsuit and put some cream on it, I don’t want you to burn yourself. Let’s start!
Once I tell you all of them, the pros and cons of each of them, then you choose which one to go for. I’ll also tell you which ones are my favorites. There is no better recommendation than what a Santander native who boasts about her land can give you.
Danger Beach
Los Peligros beach is the closest to the city center of Santander . It does not face the open sea, but rather the bay itself, so it is one of the best beaches in Santander to go with children . Calm waters, good access, with surveillance in summer and accessible both by city bus and on foot from the center in 20 – 30 minutes.
Curiously, for a few years now, if the tide is low, a new beach appears right next to the Maritime Museum of Santander and Dangers.
Magdalena Beach
It is an extension of the sandy beach of Playa de los Peligros towards the Magdalena Peninsula . It is a little less busy than the previous one, especially in the Horadada area. It has good access, surveillance, calm sea and we continue with the views of the bay, Puntal Beach and La Torre Island.
In addition, this area is quite sheltered from the wind. Right now, with the bike path, this beach barely has parking so I recommend walking or taking the bus.
Bikini Beach
Continuing along the same sandy beach of Magdalena Beach and passing the Tennis Club, the beach changes its name. We are already at Bikini Beach. The beach is located at the foot of the Magdalena Palace and the name of the beach has a most curious history.
Why is it called Bikini Beach ? For decades, the summer courses of the Menéndez Pelayo International University (UIMP) have taken place in Magdalena. A lot of bikini-clad tourists came here in the sixties to take Spanish courses for foreigners. In Spain at that time this garment had never been seen before and caused a lot of commotion. In fact, the first bikinis in all of Spain were seen for the first time on this beach . And that’s where the beach gets its name. Curious, right? 🙂
This beach is very frequented in the afternoons by fifteen-year-olds who usually jump off the breakwater. From the beach we must especially highlight the view from another perspective of Magdalena Beach with the Hotel Real in the background .
By the way, having reached this point, a return to the Magdalena Peninsula is essential. I recommend the circular route until you reach the Magdalena Palace , former summer residence of King Alfonso XIII. There is also a mini beach around here that I love, near the Embarcadero Real . You will be practically alone and the sunset from here is amazing.
Camel Beach
We completely changed course and left the bay to go to the open sea of the Cantabrian Sea. And Camello beach is halfway between the Magdalena Peninsula and the beaches of Sardinero .
And where does the name Camel Beach come from ? Well, from the rock that is on the right side of the beach in the shape of a camel. It is very easy to find it, especially at low tide.
This beach is one of my favorites in Santander, it is about 200 meters wide, has good access, surveillance and good views of the Magdalena Peninsula.
Concha Beach (Santander)
In Santander we also have a Playa de la Concha. This beach is very small and shares sand with the First Beach of Sardinero. It is at the foot of the Balneario de la Concha Bar , perfect for a bite to eat. And in the afternoon I especially recommend the Bns Terrace in summer, ideal for watching the sunset from here. The terrace prices are a bit expensive, but the truth is that the bar is worth it.
First Sardinero Beach
We continue with one of the most famous beaches in Santander . Surely you have ever heard of the beaches of Sardinero. The Baños de Ola were born here , where the Spanish nobility came to spend the summer last century. The first from Sardinero goes from the Maremondo Restaurant, just after La Concha, to the Piquío Gardens.
This beach shares a sandy beach with La Concha and Segunda del Sardinero. If you like to walk, at low tide you have almost 2 kilometers of beach for you. It is also one of the best beaches for surfing in Santander .
Second Sardinero Beach
Separated from the First Sardinero Beach by the Piquío Gardens , we are facing one of my favorite beaches in Santander. The truth is that it is very similar to the Primera del Sardinero, but personal quirks I like this one better.
In addition, very close to this beach is the Campo del Racing parking lot . Generally speaking, if there are no events it is quite easy to park here.
An ice cream after the beach? The most famous ice cream shop in Santander is Heladería Regma (XXL ice cream, I promise I’m not exaggerating). It has two stalls, one in Primera del Sardinero, right in front of the Casino (you will see it well by the lines that form), and if you have decided to go to Segunda del Sardinero, the other ice cream parlor is located in Plaza Rubén Darío 26 That said, the queue is unmistakable.
Although Regma’s ice creams are the most famous, I admit that I am a bigger fan of the La Italiana Ice Cream Shop , in Plaza de Italia. More variety of flavors and more manageable.
By the way, if you like Mexican food, the best Mexican in Santander is right next to Segunda del Sardinero: note Mar de Cortés . The nachos with guacamole are to cry with excitement.
Molinucos Beach
If you are from outside of Santander it is very likely that you do not know this beach, but for me it is one of the most special . I like it because you can see Sardinero from another point of view.
To access it you have to take the Senda de Mataleñas that starts from behind the Chiqui Hotel or from the Mataleñas Park itself. The beach itself is very small, it is not monitored and at high tide it almost completely disappears. Of course, beautiful and different is a long time.
Once you have reached this point, I recommend that you walk the Senda de Mataleñas route that goes to the next beach that I am going to tell you about below.
Matalenas Beach
It is one of the best beaches in Santander and probably my favorite beach. The view from above seems amazing to me, especially if the sea is calm. The water couldn’t be more turquoise.
Mataleñas beach is a cove about 125 meters long between cliffs that is accessed by going down more than 100 stairs that you then obviously have to climb back up.
Although the beach faces the open sea, swimming on this beach is quiet and has surveillance. Another thing I would like to comment on is that this beach gets shade in the afternoon much earlier than on other beaches in Santander. That’s what it’s like to be between cliffs. The good thing is that it is very well protected from the wind.
A little drink after Mataleñas Beach? Great, I recommend Bar El Hipódromo or go up to the Cabo Mayor Lighthouse . By the way, the latter’s tails are awesome.
Bocal Beach
It is one of the most unknown beaches in Santander, even by the people of Santander themselves. We have left the typical beaches of Santander to reach a small sandy area that is accessed from Monte. A giant wave championship called La Vaca takes place here every year
Rosamunda Beach
The same style as the previous one is also found in Monte. With many rocks and a very small sandy area that almost completely disappears at high tide. As a beach I recognize that it is not the most practical in Santander, as views and as different, the truth is that it deserves a chance, don’t you think?
Maruca Beach
This beach furthest from the center of Santander is one of the top places to eat fish and seafood in the Cantabrian Sea. The beach is full of fishing boats in winter, and in summer you have 120 meters with good access and calm sea.
To eat nearby, I am not exaggerating if I tell you that here you will find some of the best restaurants in Santander . I especially recommend Las Olas Restaurant .
Virgin of the Sea Beach
And we finish with another of the best beaches in Santander located in a peculiar and beautiful environment. And right next to this beach is the Hermitage of the Virgen del Mar.
The beach itself is small, about 400 meters, but it is perfect for a sunset walk among its cliffs at any time of the year. I love it.
How to get to these Santander beaches?
All the beaches from Los Peligros to Sardinero can be easily reached by bus. The most frequent lines are 1 and 2 from the center of Santander, but there are more like 13, 4 or 7 (these last two reach Piquío).
Line 15 is less frequent and only operates in summer (one bus passes every hour) but goes up to Mataleñas. For the rest of the beaches it is best to go by car.
The best beaches near Santander
Near Santander the beaches are wonderful . It’s ugly that I say it because I’m from here, but it’s the truth. They would like other places in Spain to have the beaches that we have in Cantabria.
In this article I tell you the best beaches near Santander (less than 30 minutes), but I will give you a small summary:
- Playa el Puntal , 15 minutes from Santander. Access is exclusively by boat from the Paseo Marítimo de la Bahía de Santander. More information on how to get to Playa del Puntal here.
- Somo and Loredo beach . They share a sandy beach with Puntal and it is one of the largest in Cantabria. More than 7 kilometers!
- Valdearenas beach . It is one of the longest beaches in Cantabria and one of my favorites. It is located in the heart of the Costa Quebrada. Once you have reached this point, I propose a route along the beaches of the Costa Quebrada.
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- Langre Beach , 30 minutes from Santander, we have a different beach between cliffs.
If you are coming to Santander this summer, the city council has launched a website where you can see the capacity of Santander’s beaches in real time. You can see it here .
Ok Regi, you have already told us all the beaches in Santander from start to finish, but which of them all is the best beach in Santander ? For me, my favorites are: La Magdalena (on the Horadada side), el Camello, la Segunda del Sardinero and Mataleñas .
Finally, I would like to tell you a curiosity. There is still something more Cantabrian on the beach than Regma ice cream: the palas . It is a typical sport from Cantabria that is played on the beach with a minimum of two people. It is played with wooden paddles and a tennis ball and consists of passing the ball from one player to another without it falling into the sand.
The colors are up to you, but I prefer Sardinero and Mataleñas Beach.
Santander capital has a total of 13 beaches spread throughout the city.
If you are looking for beaches in Santander with calm seas, I recommend Playa de los Peligros, Magdalena or Playa de los Bikinis.
