Since last September, Santander has had a new museum just 500 m from the Maritime Station: FARO Santander. This cultural project, driven by the Fundación Banco Santander, is housed in the Edificio Pereda, the former headquarters of Banco Santander and one of the most emblematic buildings in the city.
The Pereda Building is a neoclassical building dating from 1795 that overlooks the bay and has been declared a Site of Cultural Interest. Its great central arch, one of the icons of the Paseo de Pereda, has become the axis that guides visitors between art galleries and technology spaces.
The transformation is the work of British architect David Chipperfield, winner of the 2023 Pritzker Prize, after nine years of work. His intervention respects the original stone and wood and integrates climate control and technology inside the building without touching the façades.
The building has also achieved BREEAM sustainability certification with the highest rating, Outstanding, a detail that speaks volumes about the ambition of the project.
What to see at FARO Santander
FARO Santander opens with three exhibitions that more than justify a visit:
- Masterpieces from the Banco Santander Collection. One of the most important corporate collections in the world, built up over more than 160 years, with pieces ranging from the 2nd century BC to the present day. It includes works by Rubens, Titian, El Greco, Velázquez, Goya, Picasso and Miró, as well as the largest existing collection of works by José Gutiérrez Solana. It will be on permanent display, with rotating selections.
- Modern Mexico in the Gelman Santander Collection. Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera are the main draws. It can be seen until January 10, 2027.
- Symptomatic Surrealism: Leonora Carrington. It includes Villa Pilar, which the artist painted while she was a patient in a sanatorium near Santander during the Second World War, and Green Tea (1942), both on display for the first time.
The center also features an immersive room for large-format projections, an experimental space for families, an auditorium, a shop and dining options: Los Jardines de Faro and the Lumen restaurant, with views over the bay.
Santander's cultural triangle
FARO Santander does not stand alone. It joins a cultural axis along the bay whose flagship until now was the Centro Botín by Renzo Piano, and which will be completed by the affiliated venue of the Museo Reina Sofía and the Archivo Lafuente in the former Banco de España building, just a few meters away. Few Spanish cities the size of Santander can boast three venues like these within walking distance of one another.
A record year for tourism and the Port of Santander
Cantabria closed 2025 with its best tourism year of the century, with around two million visitors and more than six million overnight stays, and FARO Santander alone aims to exceed 200,000 visitors a year.
The port is going through a period of growth: it went from 21 calls in 2025 to 38 in 2026, with around 60,000 cruise passengers expected. The Santander Cruise Deluxe strategy aims to make the city the leading port for premium cruises in northern Spain, with cruise lines such as Cunard, Crystal, Regent, Seabourn and Oceania.
In fact, in 2027 the city will welcome several luxury ships from Silversea, Regent and Cunard, among other cruise lines.
Santander by cruise: what to see in the city and the surrounding area
Beyond the cultural axis along the bay, Santander and its surroundings offer cruise passengers a remarkable variety of attractions. A call here can be enjoyed without leaving the city or by exploring some of the most beautiful corners of Cantabria.
The historic center and its museums
The Cathedral of Santa María de la Asunción, Gothic in origin, has a beautiful cloister and a tower open to visitors. It is part of the Anillo Cultural (Cultural Ring), a group of small interpretation centers that trace the city's history: the remains of the medieval wall in Plaza Porticada and the air-raid shelter in Plaza del Príncipe, built in 1937 to protect the population during the Spanish Civil War.
The port itself preserves the city's memory. At the Maritime Station, where cruise passengers disembark, a permanent exhibition commemorates the explosion of the steamship Cabo Machichaco in 1893, one of Santander's two great tragedies, along with the fire of 1941.
This cultural offering will be joined by the new home of the Museum of Prehistory and Archeology of Cantabria (MUPAC), scheduled to open in 2027. The new venue will showcase Cantabria's extraordinary archaeological heritage and further enhance Santander's cultural appeal.
The historic center is also home to the Santander Museum of Art (MAS), whose most prized work is Goya's portrait of Ferdinand VII.
From the bay to the open sea
Following the coastline, you reach the Magdalena Peninsula, crowned by the palace that was once the summer residence of the Spanish royal family. A premium tour gives access to rooms that are usually closed to the public, such as the royal bedrooms and the stables. At its foot lie the beaches of La Magdalena and Los Bikinis.
Next come the beaches of El Sardinero, with the Gran Casino and the Piquío gardens, the classic setting for summer holidays in Santander. Further north, starting at the Cabo Mayor lighthouse, which houses an art center, begins Costa Quebrada, a UNESCO Global Geopark. Its cliffs and geological formations can be explored along a stunning coastal path.
First-class gastronomy
Santoña anchovies, fish from the Cantabrian Sea, cheeses, and the sobaos and quesadas from the Pas valleys are the great ambassadors of Cantabrian cuisine.
Cantabria has six Michelin-starred restaurants, three in Santander and three elsewhere in the region. Cenador de Amós, with three Michelin stars and a Green Star, is just 20 minutes or so from the city. Casona del Judío, with one Michelin star and a Green Star, is a short distance from the city center, while El Serbal, with one Michelin star, is located right on El Sardinero beach.
Solana, Pico Velasco and La Bicicleta, each with one Michelin star, are less than 50 minutes from the city.
Santander is also home to Cañadío and Bodega del Riojano, both awarded Repsol Suns.
Excursions 30, 60 and 90 minutes away
Santander is an excellent gateway to discovering Cantabria, as most of the region's cultural, natural and gastronomic attractions are less than an hour and half from the port, making it easy to plan excursions according to the length of the call.
Around 30 minutes away are the Cabárceno Nature Park, with more than 120 species living in semi-freedom; Santillana del Mar, a medieval town next to the Altamira Museum, where visitors can see the replica of the famous cave; Puente Viesgo, with its spa and the caves of El Castillo and Las Monedas, a World Heritage Site; and Comillas, with Gaudí's El Capricho.
One hour away lies Castro Urdiales and its Gothic church of Santa María overlooking the sea, Laredo and its long beach, the Pas Valleys, the surprising redwood forest of Cabezón de la Sal and El Soplao cave.
An hour and half away, the Picos de Europa offer one of the most spectacular landscapes in Spain. The Fuente Dé cable car climbs almost 800 meters, and in the Liébana district visitors will find the town of Potes and the Monastery of Santo Toribio, which keeps the Lignum Crucis.
Art, history, nature and gastronomy thus come together in a port of call that will leave no cruise passenger indifferent.
