region of Cantabria

Traditional food

Tapas

Cantabria is a center of seafood, as might be expected of this coastal region. Tapas of fried squd, edible barnacles (Percebes), or crab soup are superb. Main dishes emphasize white fish with lemon or beans. Sea bass and hake are particularly popular. Anchovy sauce is a local specialty, made with olive oil and lemon juice.

local Info

With a surface of 5.300 square kilometers Cantabria offers extremely varied landscapes and climates. In its mountain ranges, Picos de Europa and the natural preserve of Saja, still live bears, wolves and eagles, and the rivers are full of salmons and trouts. Pico de tres Mares ("peak of the three seas") is a real curiosity: a drop of water that falls here may equally arrive to Atlantic Ocean, by Duero river, the Cantabric Sea, by Nansa river, or the Mediterranean Sea by Ebro river.

What to see

Santander

The capital, Santander, is located at a beautiful bay. It is an economically extremely active city with an important port. There is an ample cultural offer, specially remarkable are the Menendez y Pelayo International Summer University, and the International Festival. Santander's great sports facilities make it an ideal place for leisure.