Santander Airport is on Spain’s northern coast and is the main gateway to Cantabria. In addition to domestic routes, the small airport operates a number of international routes including London, Edinburgh, Berlin and Warsaw. For a wider range of options, Bilbao Airport is 100kms east of Santander. Once there, a car hire is the best way to explore the region.

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Like its neighbours, the Basque Country and the Asturias, Cantabria is known for its green and mountainous landscape. Of course, that is a result of the region receiving more rain than Spain’s sunnier south. But it offers another side to Spain that is no less beautiful to explore.  The spectacular Picos de Europa National Park spans Cantabria, the Asturias and Leon. And the Cantabrian coastline is dotted with lovely beaches and colourful fishing villages.

Santander, the capital, offers a good mix of city and beach life. It boasts a vibrant dining and drinking scene and also has some good shopping. The highlight of the city is Magdalena peninsula at the top of two of the city’s beaches. There you’ll find Magdalena Palace and the surrounding park is great for spotting seals and penguins.

Beyond the capital, other highlights in the region include the Cave of Altamira. Located about 30kms west of Santander, the cave contains prehistoric paintings. After initially being open to the public, the cave was closed to visitors to prevent deterioration of the art. But Altamira has now started offering a lucky few (visitors enter a draw) the chance to visit them. For the rest of us, there is a replica cave, which has faithful reproductions of the paintings.

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We specialise in car rental all across Spain. Here, you’ll find links to all the key airports as well as news articles designed to enhance your time while in Spain.