Vía Verde del Pas

The Viá Verde del Pas takes you on a relaxed half-day tour right into the heart of Cantabria. You start south of Santander at the estuary of the Ría de Tijero in El Astillero. If you let your gaze wander to the west, you can even see the high, white peaks of the Picos de Europa in the distance - a fabulous sight!

Inland you follow the Vía Verde slightly uphill and soon you reach the lush green nature park "Parque Natural de Peña Cabarga". Incidentally, part of this nature park is also the "Parque de la Naturaleza de Cabárceno" - a former iron mine that has been renatured today and is home to an animal park. At La Penilla you swing into the valley of the Río Pisueña and shortly after you switch to the valley of the Río Pas at Puente Viesgo.

The river bank of the Río Pas is also a recognized nature reserve, which serves as a retreat for many endemic species within a wide variety of habitats. The Vía Verde ends north of the village of Alceda. There are also a few isolated accommodation and restaurants here.

You can now decide whether you want to drive the same route back towards Santander or take a large lap back to the coast. Another worthwhile destination on the Cantabrian Sea is the lagoon between Laredo and Santoña. Santoña is known as a traditional fishing village above all for its fresh, first-class anchovies, which are offered for sale directly on the street. As a dessert, you should also try Sobaos Pasiegos.

Our tip: If you are already in Cantabria, you should not miss the world-famous cave of Altamira! In the cave at Santillana del Mar there are countless Stone Age paintings - the cave is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and rightly so. The cave itself can no longer be visited to protect the paintings, but there is a first-class reproduction in the adjacent museum.