Cantabria Spain

Best activities to do in Santander with children

Sardinero Beach in Santander
Sardinero Beach in Santander

Interesting Vrbo sponsored content for your vacation trip

When we are Family and the approaching vacationWe always look for destinations that are suitable and very pleasant for travel with children.

And I assure you from experience that city ​​of Santander en Cantabria has that characteristic and becomes a ideal destination to travel with the family.

La Cantabrian capital It has great attractions so that our children can enjoy an excellent vacation, but also in the surroundings of Santander There are other places that should become an excursion to surprise you.

I have been able to experience that in several summers in which the family has traveled to Santander (and other places in Cantabria) to spend the holidays.

Best things to do in Santander with children

Facing your family holidays, below we are going to make you the best proposals to enjoy the holidays with children in Santander.

Sardinero Beach

Talking about children and vacations is synonymous with the beach, and if you don't know it yet, I will tell you that the city ​​of Santander has one of the most beautiful beaches in Spain.

La Concha beach in the Sardinero area in Santander
La Concha beach in the Sardinero area in Santander

It is a great urban beach located in the Sardinero area and divided into two parts by the beautiful Piquío gardens.

It is a huge beach that extends next to the peninsula where the famous Magdalena Palace.

VOTE FOR YOUR FAMILY FRIENDLY DESTINATION

The city of Santander It is one of the destinations that you can vote for in the Family Friendly contest that summons the online platform expert in Vrbo family vacation rental.

Between the 18 candidates you can choose your favorite places for family vacations in coastal, rural and urban destinations, and by participating in the contest you can win 1.000 to spend in one of the Vrbo accommodations.

Here you can vote for your favorite destinations until June 26 at 10 a.m., and here you can consult the contest rules.

Formerly known as HomeAway, vrbo is a online platform expert in vacation rental for families which has unique properties around the world that cover all types of accommodation (apartments, cabins, beach houses, etc…)

Walk through Magdalena Park with children

This peninsula is an ideal place to walk with children during the afternoon.

Magdalena Palace in the Sardinero area in Santander
Magdalena Palace in the Sardinero area in Santander

walk through the Magdalen Park gardensa is another essential in your holidays in Santander, and if you prefer, you have the possibility of going up with the children to the Magdalena tourist train that runs through the entire park and leaves from the access gate to it.

From the viewpoints of this park you will have excellent views of the Santander Bay and its exit towards the sea, and the children will enjoy watching the boats sail through that area.

Galleons of the Open Air Museum of Man and the Sea

Furthermore, in these gardens there is another place that will be very interesting, known as open-air museum of Man and the Sea.

Surely it will catch your attention to see the three ships that emulate the galleons from the 15th and 16th centuries, which were used by the Santander adventurer Vital Alsar during his expeditions crossing the Atlantic in the 70s of the last century.

Somo beach in front of Santander
Somo beach in front of Santander

Cruise by boat to Somo beach

In the same city ​​of Santander You also have other options of beaches to go to with your children.

But what will be most interesting for children is crossing by boat to the area of ​​the Somo beach prop, which extends in front of the Magdalena peninsula.

Furthermore, on this beach you will find much fewer people than on the city's urban beaches.

Boat cruise through the Bay of Santander

Another activity that should be essential is to sign up for boat cruise that between the months of April and October runs through the Santander Bay.

Boat cruise through the Bay of Santander
Boat cruise through the Bay of Santander

Lasting one hour, the boat departs from Gamazo dam, Along the Cantabria Festival Palace.

On this very pleasant excursion you will arrive with the boat to the natural area of ​​the island of Mouro, a place from where you will have excellent views of Sardinero beach and the entire area.

Aquarium in the Maritime Museum of Cantabria

Another advisable place to visit in Santander with children is Cantabria Maritime Museum, large aquarium, an attraction that always arouses great interest in the little ones.

Magdalena Palace in Santander
Magdalena Palace in Santander

Su Time In summer it is from 10 a.m. to 19,30:XNUMX p.m., and the price of admission It is 8 euros for adults and 5 euros for children from 5 to 12 years old.

Surroundings of Santander with children

As I mentioned at the beginning, an advantage of the Cantabrian capital is that it is close to the city, so doing some excursions very interesting for your children.

Liencres beach with children

Near Santander There are many other beaches, but if I have to highlight one, I will point out the one that is one of the best beaches in CantabriaThat of Liencres.

Liencres beach in Cantabria
Liencres beach in Cantabria

Without a doubt, it is the one I like the most because it is a natural area with dunes, specifically, the Liencres Dunes Natural Park.

The beach extends from the parking lot, which you will reach after passing through a lush forest, and the further you go, the fewer people you will have around you.

Of course, I warn you that if you like the rough sea, this is your ideal beach, although my advice is that you be especially vigilant with children when they bathe.

Cabárceno Nature Park with children

If there is a must see in a holiday trip with children to Cantabria, is the Cabarceno Park.

Lion enclosure in the Cabárceno park in Cantabria
Lion enclosure in the Cabárceno park in Cantabria

You may think that it is a big zoo, but I can tell you that it is much more.

To begin with, it is an area of ​​spectacular landscapes, the result of the action of man for centuries, since 5.000 years ago they were iron mines.

This landscape was rehabilitated in its day to house large open areas where a great diversity of animals is preserved and displayed.

To give you an idea of ​​its grandeur, just the fact that the elephant enclosure alone occupies more surface area than the Madrid zoo.

En Cabárceno you will spend a full day with children, touring the different animal enclosures by car, going up the cable car up to the top of a mountain, or seeing the very interesting birds of prey exhibits or sea ​​lions.

Here you have extensive information for your visit to the Cabárceno Nature Park with children

Neocave of Altamira in Cantabria
Neocave of Altamira in Cantabria

Neocave and museum of Altamira with children

You sure know that Cantabria It is a territory of great visitable caves, most with vestiges of the rock art.

Near the city of Santander you have one that is worth visiting, which is the Castle Cave, in the Torrelavega area.

But surely you can't stop visit the Neocave and museum of Altamira, a complex that he built to safeguard the original Altamira cave.

In addition to seeing a museum exhibition which explains the importance of rock art in Cantabria, your children will be able to enter the neocave that emulates in an incredibly faithful way what is one of the rock art caves most famous in the world.

Here you have all the information you need to know to visit the Neocave and museum of Altamira, as well as the possibility you have of visit the original cave of Altamira

About the Author

José Luis Sarralde

Journalist and traveler throughout his life, José Luis Sarralde is the founder of Guías Viajar, where since 2008 he has been capturing his travel experiences around the world, specializing in cultural and scenic destinations in Spain and Europe.

1 Comment

Click here to write a comment

  • Good afternoon,

    We loved it, this summer we have to go to Noja and then we will go through Santander. We hope to spend a summer that is not too hot and full of adventure.

    Thanks for the input.

Your language