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Please leave your luggage in the hotel reception each morning (by 10am at the latest) so that it can be transferred to your next hotel. Make sure that your luggage is clearly labelled with the nametag provided. In case of any issues with the luggage transfers, call (+34) 619 68 34 44
Our local partners will pick you up from Santander Airport on Tuesday 7th July at 5:30pm for your bike fitting and transfer to Santillana del Mar.
In case of any issue please call Iberocycle on (+34) 619 68 34 44.
Call the Bike Spain Tours office on +34 915 590 653, or out of office hours call +34 677 356 586. We will get you where you need to be and get you the help you need.
Please be aware that Spaniards follow a very particular routine in terms of their daily meals, and this is often strictly enforced by restaurant opening hours, especially in small towns!
You can expect restaurants to be open for lunch from approximately 1:30pm – 4pm. Many places will offer a menú del día: a set menu with 2/3 options for each course, usually including a drink, bread and dessert or coffee. Remember that lunch is the main meal of the day in Spain.
Dinnertime in Spain is any time from 8pm onwards. Dinner in Spain is typically a lighter meal.
Cantabria, like Asturias, is known for its rich culinary traditions. The cuisine is heavily influenced by its coastal location, offering a variety of fresh seafood such as anchovies (some of the best are from Santoña), clams, and squid. A local favorite is “sopa de pescado”, a fish soup that highlights the region’s maritime flavors. “Rabas”, battered and fried squid rings, are a popular tapa. Meat dishes, particularly “cocido montañés”, a hearty stew made with beans, cabbage, and pork, reflect the mountainous landscape. “Queso de Cantabria”, a creamy, mild cheese, is also widely enjoyed. For drinks, Cantabria is famous for its “sidra” (hard cider), often poured from a height to aerate it, and locally produced wines complement the food perfectly.
Sorropotún de bonito is a traditional Cantabrian fish stew made with bonito (a type of tuna), potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and peppers. It’s a flavorful, hearty dish typically cooked in one pot, where the ingredients are slowly simmered together, allowing the fish to absorb the rich flavors of the vegetables. It’s a popular, comforting dish along the northern coast of Spain.
Asturian beans, or “fabes de Asturias”, are a key ingredient in many dishes, notably “fabada asturiana”, a rich bean stew with chorizo, morcilla, and pork. Another popular dish from Asturias is cachopo, a hearty meal made by stuffing two large breaded and fried beef fillets with cheese and ham. Verdinas con almejas is a traditional Asturian dish featuring tender verdina beans cooked with fresh clams in a flavorful broth. The region’s cuisine also features fresh, potent cheeses like Cabrales.
If you’ve heard of the famous Basque cheesecake you should try quesada: a traditional Cantabrian dessert made with fresh cheese, eggs, sugar, flour, and often flavored with lemon zest or cinnamon. It has a smooth, creamy texture and is baked until golden on top. It reflects Cantabria’s strong dairy heritage and offers a simple yet delicious taste of the region.
Click here for our packing suggestions for a self-guided bike tour.
Click here for our recommendations for cycling safely and legally in Spain.
Click here for our recommendations on what to do if you experience mechanical issues with your bike during your tour.
Tuesday July 7: Santillana del Mar
Accommodation: Posada de la Organista
Arrival day
5:30pm: Our local partners, Iberocycle, will pick you up from Santander Airport and transfer you to Santillana del Mar. In case of any issues, please call Iberocycle on (+34) 619 68 34 44.
Upon arrival you will have your bike-fitting and then you’ll be free to visit this beautiful town. Welcome to your bike tour!
Click here for our google maps link!
According to a Spanish saying, Santillana is known as the “town of the three lies”: “ni es santa, ni es llana, ni tiene mar” (it’s neither holy, nor flat, nor by the sea!) However, the town is one of the most beautiful in Cantabria, and offers many other attractions for visitors to enjoy.
Santillana is well-known for various desserts, made with locally-produced milk, including quesadas and tableta. We also recommend trying the local cocido moñtanés, a stew made with white beans and meat.
Wednesday July 8: Santillana – San Vicente de la Barquera
Route: 35.4 km/22 miles
Elevation: +637 m/+2,089 ft
Accommodation: Hotel Faro de San Vicente
Leaving Santillana, your route heads westwards through green meadows and the hills and valleys of Cantabria, enjoying fabulous views of the unspoilt coastline and beaches. You’ll soon arrive at the charming village of Novales, a fine example of traditional rural architecture, set amidst lemon groves.
A short while later, in the town of Cóbreces, we recommend a stop to buy traditional cheese hand-made by the monks of the Cistercian Abbey de Santa María de Viaceli (open Mon – Wed 9:30am – 1pm, Thu – Sat 9:30am – 1pm/4:30pm – 6:15pm).
If you fancy lunch with a view, just beyond the village of Liandres you’ll find clifftop restaurant El Remedio (open Tue – Sun 1pm – 3:30pm).
Your next stop is the seaside village of Comillas, whose popularity in the 19th century as a summer retreat of the aristocratic elite is clear in extensive legacy of modernist architecture. The most famous of these are Gaudí’s El Capricho (open daily 10:30am – 8pm), the Palacio de Sobrellano (open Mon – Sat 10am – 2:30pm/3:30pm – 6:30pm, Sun 10am – 4pm), the majestic Universidad Pontificia (open Mon – Fri 9am – 8pm) and the cemetery, particularly the famous Angel of Destruction sculpture. If you decide to have lunch in Comillas, we recommend Restaurante El Carel (open daily 1pm – 4pm).
Leaving Comillas behind, you’ll cycle through the Parque Natural de Oyambre, a protected wetland area home to a wide variety of fish, molluscs and migratory birds. You’ll catch glimpses of the sea as you pass by the beautiful beaches of Oyambre and Merón. Finally, you’ll cross the bay via Puente de la Maza, a 15th century bridge made up of 28 stone arches, and into the beautiful town of San Vicente, enjoying views of the Picos de Europa mountain range in the distance.
Click here for our google maps link!
The pictureque seafront village of San Vincente de la Barquera owes its name to the small boat that used to ferry pilgrims across the estuary before the construction of the Puente de la Maza. Known for its well-preserved old town, bustling fishing port and beautiful beaches, and set against the backdrop of the snowy peaks of the Picos de Europa, San Vicente is one of the most attractive towns on the Cantabrian coast.
Take a stroll up to the hilltop church of Santa María de los Ángeles (open daily 10am – 1pm/4:30pm – 6:30pm), a spectacular example of Gothic architecture with fabulous views over the town and the estuary.
Next to the church, you’ll find the 12th century Castillo del Rey (open Tue – Sun 11am – 2pm/5:30pm – 8pm), which houses its own small museum.
San Vicente de la Barquera is well-known for its oysters, which are farmed in the town’s estuary. We recommend that you try them at La Ostrería de San Vicente (open Sun – Wed 12pm – 8pm and Thu – Sat 12pm – 12am), a clifftop spot with fabulous views, specialising in oysters.
Thursday July 9: San Vicente de la Barquera – Llanes
Route: 47 km/29 miles
Elevation: +802 m/+2,632 ft
Accommodation: Hotel Don Paco
Leaving San Vicente behind, today’s route heads westwards along the coast. You’ll cycle around the beautiful headland of Pechón, enjoying magnificent views of the coastline, before crossing the River Deva into the region of Asturias. Asturias is well known for its cider (always aerated by pouring from a height) and fabada (a stew made with white beans and chorizo).
Your first recommended stop in Asturias is the village of Colombres, where you can admire the sumptuous villas built by the indianos: local residents who went to the Americas to make their fortune before returning home to show it off. One of the most striking of these has been converted into the Museum of Emigration (open Tue – Sun 10am – 2pm/4pm – 7pm).
From here the route continues between the coast and the dramatic mountain backdrop of the Sierra de Cuera, foothills of the magnificent Picos de Europa. Shortly after the village of La Borbolla, you’ll come across Quesería Picurriellu (open Mon – Fri 9:30am – 1:30pm/4pm–7:30pm, Sat 9:30am – 1:30pm), where you can pick up some traditional Asturan cheese.
Just before reaching Puertas de Vidiago, you can take a short detour to visit the Idol of Peña Tú, a huge monolith decotated with paintings and carvings dating back to the Bronze Age.
A beautiful descent through eucalyptus forests brings you back to the coast where you’ll cycle past beautiful and unspoilt beaches, so typical of Asturias, to arrive at the charming fishing village of Llanes.
Click here for our google maps link!
The charming coastal village of Llanes grew up around the fishing and whaling industries, reaching its peak in the medieval era. A number of structures from this time can still be visited today.
If you haven’t yet tried Asturian cider, we recommend stopping by Bar-Sidrería La Amistad (open Tue – Sat 8:30am – 10:30pm).
Your hotel has its own excellent restaurant, set in the dining room of the old convent. However, if you would like to explore the town further, we recommend Restaurante Le Bistro (open Tue – Sun 8pm – 1pm).
Friday July 10: Free day in Llanes or Optional Loop ride
Accommodation: Hotel Don Paco
Today, you can choose between many wonderful options!
Saturday July 11: Llanes – Miera Valley Descent – Somo – Santander
Route: 48.7 km/33.4 mi
Elevation: +452 m/+1,484 ft
Accommodation: Hotel Rhin Garden (own arrangements)
9:30am: Private transfer to the Alto del Caracol in the Miera Valley, the starting point of today’s ride.
From the Alto del Caracol, you’ll enjoy a marvellous ride through the stunning limestone valley of the River Miera, descending into the farmland around Somo and the Bay of Santander.
Along the way, you can visit the spectacular mountain village of San Roque de Riomiera. Further along the route, we recommend a stop at the spa village of Liérganes, which flourished in the 17th and 18th centuury thanks to a nearby artillery factory (now an interesting museum, open Tue – Sun, 11am – 2pm/5pm – 8pm). The town still retains a number of elegant buildings from this era, and it’s well worth taking a break here to explore the charming old qaurter. If you fancy stopping for lunch in Liérganes, we recommend Restaurante El Ojo del Ábrego (open Wed – Mon, 10am – 4:30pm).
As you leave Entrambasaguas, we recommend a diversion to Restaurante La Bicicleta (open Wed – Sun 1:30pm – 3:30pm), a luxury restaurant run by a former pro cyclist turned chef! Another option for a special lunch is the triple Michelin star restaurant El Cenador de Amós, situated in an elegant 18th century palace (open Wed – Sun 1:15pm – 2:30pm, prior reservation essential).
In Somo, you can take the ferry accross the bay to Santander. The ferry company is calles Los Reginas, and boats depart approximately every half-hour. You can take a look at the timetable here (make sure you’re looking at the times for “sábados, domingos y festivos). Tickets cost 6.50€ per person, plus a 2€ supplement per bike, and are payable locally in cash.
From the dock in Santander, it’s a short, pleasant ride along the waterfront to your hotel.
Please leave your bikes with the hotel for later collection.
Sunday July 12
End of tour
Your tour finishes in Santander.
We hope you enjoyed discovering the mountains of Cantabria with us!
