Santander Santander Travel Guide: Best Hotels, Restaurants & Experiences

This 17th-century palace rising from the Pasiego Valley foothills reserves its eleven rooms for adults seeking refined seclusion. Interior designer Malales Martínez Canut has filled the spaces with carefully sourced antiques, each suite channeling Spanish or English nobility. The wellness pavilion opens onto fourteen acres of parkland, its fireplace-warmed pool framing valley panoramas. At Trastámara, chef Renzo Orbegoso Hinojosa interprets Cantabrian terroir through tasting menus paired with the estate's own wine.

Chef Sergio Bastard's one-starred table occupies a nineteenth-century colonial mansion where dinner begins in an intimate salon with handcrafted snacks before guests move to the main room. Two tasting menus—Festival and Chef's Table—draw on Cantabrian seaweed, coastal herbs, and his signature Salmuria anchovy brine, lending dishes a bracing maritime salinity. A Michelin Green Star recognizes the kitchen's commitment to sustainability.

Perched above Sardinero beach in the Cormorán building, this one-Michelin-starred table presents Cantabrian cooking through a contemporary lens. The kitchen sources fish daily at auction—options recited tableside—while native Tudanca beef anchors the land-based offerings. Three tasting formats include a Dom Pérignon pairing for occasion dining. Downstairs, the casual bistro Querida Mar provides a lighter alternative with matching sea views.

Named for the black crabs clinging to Santander's rocky jetties, La Mulata anchors the bustling Puertochico district with its maritime minimalism and theatrical seafood display—live lobsters included. The bar draws crowds for tapas and raciones, while the dining room delivers pan-cooked clams of remarkable quality and rice dishes steeped in ocean flavors. A few robust meat options round out the menu.

A 17th-century postal mansion along the ancient camino real route to Santander now houses chef Enrique Pérez's Bib Gourmand table. His updated traditional cooking arrives with delicate precision—dishes built on regional foundations yet refined in presentation and intensity of flavour. The rustic dining room suits leisurely lunches, though tables beneath the entrance balcony offer prime views of Cartes' remarkably preserved historic streetscape.

Walls lined with paintings from the Museo Redondo collection give this 1930s former wine and provisions shop a lived-in bohemian warmth. The kitchen stays faithful to Cantabrian traditions—braised snails cooked Rioja-style, hake draped in velouté with sweet peppers—while the ritual of an aperitif at the bar before dinner adds an unhurried sociability. A Santander institution for those who value character over polish.