The 12 most beautiful villages in Cantabria

Notice to lovers of beautiful enclaved stones between the blue of the sea and the green of the mountains. Here are the most beautiful villages in Cantabria.

La Cantabrie, two hours from the French border, seduced by its airs of Basque Country , its pretty beaches and its massif of the Pics of Europe.

The region is stuck between the coves, fishing ports, mountains and valleys where chlorophyll explodes. Hiking and swimming mordus find a true paradise in Cantabria.

Apart from its natural treasures, the region shines with its architectural and gastronomic heritage. The province thus visits the historic village in the historic village. All testify to the ancestral know-how and architectural achievements of the past centuries.

As the Spanish say: Cantabria is infinite. So to find you there, here are the most beautiful villages in Cantabria.

1. Santillana del Mar

This old town, which is not on the seaside unlike what its name indicates, will seduce you with its authenticity and charm. He is bathed in Art and History and discovers himself through his alleys as obsolete and obsolete.

Medieval and Baroque, the roadside houses invite a walk in time, peaceful and unforgettable. According to Jean-Paul Sartre, it would even be the most beautiful village in Spain.

From the Collégiale de Santa Juliana to the Palais des Belardes, to the Maison des Tagle, you will be dazzled by the beauty of this true intact village-museum.

Raise the eyes of the paved, for above you the blasphemed seigneurial dwellings pour out their pretty balconies.

2. Potatoes

In Potes, the eastern massif of the Picos de Europa, or Pics d’Europe, is installed as a permanent backdrop. The natural park then unveils its impressive peaks and snowy peaks calling hikers constantly.

In this beautiful village of Cantabria, the valleys seem to roll to the houses and life continues to flow at the pace of agricultural traditions. In addition to this exceptional panorama and its magical location in the hollow of a green basin, Potes is also famous for its towers and bridges.

They overwhelm the river and lead historic buildings in historic buildings. These witnesses of the past content history and discover themselves through random peregrines.

3. Maps

Among the most beautiful villages in Cantabria, Maps is surely the most blooming of them. Everywhere grows plants, flowers and trees.

As for the mountain houses that have been able to preserve their authenticity, they display pimping balconies. So, snake in the alleys of this little town, effluves of a thousand scents.

A bucolic atmosphere sublimated as you land in the old quarter.

4. Santoña

This pretty port city shines with its gastronomic and architectural heritage. The multiple influences of Santona are reflected in many aspects to be enjoyed and to be discovered without moderation.

For example, taste the cans of tuna and anchovies with olive oil and bring some of them back: a perfect souvenir.

This gentle city, which embraces the plain and the mountain, also contains vestiges of the past. Spend the doors of his monastery and his imposing fort.

5. Comillas

Comillas enjoys a privileged location and a superb beach that earned it beautiful hours of glory. Among the most beautiful villages in Cantabria, this one is the most chic since the aristocracy since the 19th century.

This seaside resort is rich in tedious and modernist buildings that do not deceive. Of course, it is impossible to mention Comillas, not to mention his magnificent historical heart and his unheard joy: the palace erected by Gaudí .

6. Bárcena Mayor

Among the most beautiful villages in Cantabria, Bárcena Mayor is undoubtedly the most rustic and ancient of them. Founded in the 19th century, this historic and artistic village has preserved its typical mountain houses, paved alleys and its secret atmosphere.

It is therefore in a medieval setting that you discover this small village in the heart of the Saja reserve. It is also a predilection starting point for mountain mordus.

Going to Bárcena Mayor, do not miss tasting the typical cocido montañés and other local gastronomic pepits.

7. San Vicente de la Barquera

If this town deserves its place in our guide to the most beautiful villages in Cantabria, it is undoubtedly for its marine style.

Smoked on the cornice, the village holds its reputation for its magnificent beaches, the broom of its marshes and its historic heart. The latter reveals itself between religious buildings, stacked remains and enchanting bridges.

Finally, finish your walk on the fishing port flooded by the reels of the Atlantic. This village nestled at the bottom of a nearby ria also Picos de Europa and the valons where the herds live peacefully.

8. Santander

Certainly Santander has more city air than village. But the regional capital has all its place among the most beautiful villages in Cantabria. Between sea and mountain, it is known for its protected bay and its assets dating from the Belle Epoque.

During your city walks you will discover luxurious monuments, ornamented and delicious facades to observe from the terrace of a café.

In addition, each summer, its historic heart and its long maritime façade are the scene of a renowned International Festival of Music and Dance.

9. Reinosa

Streets in arcades, medieval houses, galleries illuminated by the glass walls: the historic centre of Reinosa has a magical setting. This beautiful village of Cantabria has all the charms of a medieval village rythmated by the sea.

He treasures his witnesses of the Middle Ages. During your visit, you can visit its baroque church and its ensembles of buildings gathered around the squares.

Finally, don’t leave Reinosa until you have crunched in its famous softness: pantortillas . This speciality based on leafy paste, crispy, golden and sprinkled with sugar delights all gourmets.

10. Liérganes

This small town, one of the most beautiful villages in Cantabria, is a veritable hollow of Art and History that concentrates many exploits of time.

His story is intimately linked to a legend, that of Man-Poisson, and that of his buildings toizing time. Pass through the chapel, church, parish and picturesque houses decorated with blasphemed façades.

The village is also renowned for its treed spa that uses the benefits of the Miera River. The good living will delight in it thanks to the famous sacristans. Finally, do not miss a stop in front of the famous stone bridge with greenery.

11. Mogrovejo

This beautiful village of Cantabria proudly stands on its green hill. It jealously embraces a whole set of popular and typical houses, under the attentive eye of an unshakeable medieval tower.

While some buildings in the village are in ruins, many have managed to keep their stones and their interior treasures. The charm of the small town lies in its houses with walls intertwined with rods and mud rugs.

This town has a privileged location in the Liébana valley, abundant in tops that serve as a background canvas in Mogrovejo.

12. Laredo

Laredo has the largest marina on the Spanish coast and lives at the rhythm of its sailors proud of their traditions. Here, the landscape is sublimated by the light bay, the beach and historical and artistic ensembles that tones these vast wild spaces.

Along the long beach of La Salvé, the charm operates immediately. Once your lungs are survived by the kisses, let yourself be seduced by the charm of the old city, the ruins of the medieval ramparts, the Gothic and Flemish treasures of the parishes.

If you have the chance to visit Laredo in August, our last of the most beautiful villages in Cantabria will subjugate you by its thousand-coloured parade during the Battle of Flowers.