Side Trips from Santillana del Mar
Lying 49km (30 miles) west of Santander and only a 20-minute drive from Santillana del Mar, the coastal town of Comillas has some lovely surprises. First and foremost is El Capricho de Gaudí, Barrio de Sobrellano (tel. 94-272-03-65), a summer palace designed by fabled Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí in the Mudéjar Revival style. The tile-covered 1883 villa is open March through June and September-October 10am-8pm daily, July-August 10am–9pm daily, November–February daily 10:30am–5:30pm. Admission is 7€ adults, 5€ seniors and students, 3€ ages 7–12.
The town also has the Modernisme Palacio de Sobrellano (tel. 94-259-84-25) and La Capilla Panteón, designed in the late 1870s by Catalan architects Joan Martorell and Josep Llimona y Agapit Vallmitjana, respectively. The exteriors are updated Gothic buildings, the magical modern details are all inside. Admission to the palace and chapel is 10€ adults, 5€ seniors and students.
Visit the Centros Culturales de Cantabria website for hours and tickets. Comillas’ tourist office is at Calle Joaquín del Piélago, 1 (tel. 94-272-25-91). The town cemetery gates (above the main beach) are also a Modernisme masterpiece, created in 1893 by Lluis Doménech i Montaner.
