Introduction
When to visit
How to get there
Where to stay
Hiring a car

Santander travel guide

Santander Tourism | Santander Guide

You're Going to Love Santander

With a population of 182,700, Santander is the largest city in Cantabria, Spain by the number of inhabitants. It is one of the most popular cities to visit in the country. We recommend you stay at least 3 days in order to fully appreciate everything Santander has to offer.

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When to visit Santander

Santander in April
Estimated hotel price
€30
1 night at 3-star hotel
Santander in April
Estimated hotel price
€30
1 night at 3-star hotel

Looking for warm weather? Then head to Santander in August, when the average temperature is 20 °C, and the highest can go up to 24 °C. The coldest month, on the other hand, is January, when it can get as cold as 6 °C, with an average temperature of 10 °C. You’re likely to see more rain in November, when precipitation is around 130 mm. In contrast, July is usually the driest month of the year in Santander, with an average rainfall of 40 mm.

Data provided by weatherbase
Temperatures
Temperatures
Data provided by weatherbase

How to Get to Santander

Plane

When flying to Santander, you’ll arrive at Santander Airport (SDR), which is located 4 km from the city centre. The shortest flight to Santander from Ireland departs from Dublin and takes around 2h 05m.

Train

Renfe is the only carrier operating train routes to Santander. The train journey from Santander to Madrid takes 4h 20m and costs around €39 for a one-way ticket. When coming by train from Oviedo, expect to pay about €28 for a 6h 00m trip. Located 0.5 km from the city centre, Santander is the busiest station in Santander. Another popular train station is Santander Valdecilla, located 1.8 km from the centre.

Car

Another option to get to Santander is to pick up a car hire from Bilbao, which is about 74 km from Santander. You’ll find branches of Record Go and CLICK RENT , among others, in Bilbao.

Bus

ALSA operates bus routes to Santander. From Bilbao, the bus ride to Santander takes 145 km and will cost you around €16. From Oviedo, the ticket costs about €44 for a journey of 217 km. The most popular bus station is Santander, located 0.3 km from the city centre of Santander. Santander Peñacastillo is also a commonly used station, and is 5 km from the city centre.

Plane

When flying to Santander, you’ll arrive at Santander Airport (SDR), which is located 4 km from the city centre. The shortest flight to Santander from Ireland departs from Dublin and takes around 2h 05m.

Train

Renfe is the only carrier operating train routes to Santander. The train journey from Santander to Madrid takes 4h 20m and costs around €39 for a one-way ticket. When coming by train from Oviedo, expect to pay about €28 for a 6h 00m trip. Located 0.5 km from the city centre, Santander is the busiest station in Santander. Another popular train station is Santander Valdecilla, located 1.8 km from the centre.

Car

Another option to get to Santander is to pick up a car hire from Bilbao, which is about 74 km from Santander. You’ll find branches of Record Go and CLICK RENT , among others, in Bilbao.

Bus

ALSA operates bus routes to Santander. From Bilbao, the bus ride to Santander takes 145 km and will cost you around €16. From Oviedo, the ticket costs about €44 for a journey of 217 km. The most popular bus station is Santander, located 0.3 km from the city centre of Santander. Santander Peñacastillo is also a commonly used station, and is 5 km from the city centre.

Airports near Santander

SDRSantander
VITVitoria-Gasteiz
BIOBilbao

Airlines serving Santander

Lufthansa
Good (7,205 reviews)
KLM
Good (1,366 reviews)
British Airways
Good (7,089 reviews)
Delta
Excellent (7,975 reviews)
SWISS
Good (1,654 reviews)
Turkish Airlines
Good (3,886 reviews)
Iberia
Good (2,817 reviews)
United Airlines
Good (8,859 reviews)
Air France
Good (1,472 reviews)
Austrian Airlines
Good (809 reviews)
Qatar Airways
Good (3,593 reviews)
Air Canada
Good (9,669 reviews)
Scandinavian Airlines
Good (1,415 reviews)
LOT
Good (1,090 reviews)
Brussels Airlines
Good (352 reviews)
Finnair
Good (1,303 reviews)
Etihad Airways
Good (1,224 reviews)
TAP AIR PORTUGAL
Good (1,912 reviews)
Cathay Pacific
Good (922 reviews)
ITA Airways
Good (998 reviews)
Show more
Find flights to Santander

Where to stay in Santander

From 5-star hotels such as the Eurostars Hotel Real to great affordable options like the Las Carolinas Garden, Santander offers a range of accommodations for every taste. Average rates range from around €87 per night for a double room in a 3-star hotel to €272 and up for a 5-star experience. If you’re on a budget, well-reviewed accommodations include Hospedaje Magallanes and Santander Central Hostel.

Where to stay in popular areas of Santander

Most booked hotels in Santander

See all
Hotel Bahia
4 stars
Excellent (8.9, Excellent reviews)
€145+
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Santemar
4 stars
Excellent (8.9, Excellent reviews)
€106+
View
Silken Río Santander
4 stars
Excellent (8.6, Excellent reviews)
€118+
View
Silken Coliseum
4 stars
Excellent (8.5, Excellent reviews)
€117+
View

Hiring a car in Santander

Hiring a car in Santander costs €27 per day, on average, or €81 if you want to hire it for 3 days.

It’s generally cheaper to hire your vehicle outside the airport: locations in the city are around 2% cheaper than airport locations in Santander.

Expect to pay €1.47 per litre in Santander (average price from the past 30 days). Depending on the size of your car hire, filling up the tank will cost between €17.62 and €23.49. Compact (Citroen C3 Aircross or similar) is the most popular car type to hire in Santander, while also 41% cheaper than other types, on average.

Hiring a car in Santander costs €27 per day, on average, or €81 if you want to hire it for 3 days.

It’s generally cheaper to hire your vehicle outside the airport: locations in the city are around 2% cheaper than airport locations in Santander.

Expect to pay €1.47 per litre in Santander (average price from the past 30 days). Depending on the size of your car hire, filling up the tank will cost between €17.62 and €23.49. Compact (Citroen C3 Aircross or similar) is the most popular car type to hire in Santander, while also 41% cheaper than other types, on average.

Find car hire in Santander

Santander Travel Guide - View the KAYAK Santander city guide for the best Santander travel tips. To help you organise your Santander trip ideas, this Santander visitors guide provides travel information and trip tips about how to get there, where to stay, what to do, where to eat and more.