Santillana del Mar

Santillana del Mar is a historic town in Cantabria whose many old buildings draw thousands of visitors a year. An old saying calls it the Town of Three Lies, since it is neither holy nor flat nor by the sea, whatever the name implies. The name in fact comes from Santa Juliana, Santa Illana, whose remains are kept in the Colegiata, a Romanesque church and former Benedictine monastery. The town is a single run of cobbled street between stone houses, with the Cave of Altamira nearby, and best walked early before the coaches arrive.