There is places which evoke happiness in us, either because we have experienced good times there, or because the environment is so beautiful and peaceful that it disconnects us or because it has a special meaning. These places can range from the town we grew up in to the vacation spot we return to every summer.
Whatever that place is, knowing that it brings us happiness is a great luck, especially if we have it nearby and we can return there whenever we want and, in Spain, there are many places that are safe of They make many people happy.
Although happiness has to do with many other things, varying from person to person, in this article we focus on peoples who have been considered the happiest in Spain. This was discovered thanks to a study carried out by the consulting firm YouGov and the Azucarera company in which they determine the place in our country where its inhabitants are happiest.
From this long list of 35 municipalities, we tell you below What is the happiest city in Cantabria?taking into account a methodology in which 1,000 adults were surveyed, filtering by gender, age and geography, including open and closed questions.
The happiest city in Cantabria according to a study
The winning city of this community was the one known as “the city of three lies” because it is neither holy, nor flat, nor has a sea, alluding to its name, Santillana del Marchosen as the happiest place in Cantabria according to the aforementioned study.
This municipality has around 4,000 inhabitants, most of whom are dedicated to agricultural activity and above all to tourism, since Santillana del Mar is one of the unmissable events if you visit Cantabria. If we talk about Santillana del Mar, we must also talk about the Caves of Altamira, found by chance in 1868 by Modesto Cubillas. According to the municipality’s tourism page, this enclave is considered the “Sistine Chapel” of rock art, as it is home to one of the most famous prehistoric paintings in the world.
Altamira Caves
Among the other treasures of Santillana del Mar, we cannot miss the Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana which belongs to the 12th century, the National Museum and Research Center of Altamira, the Museum of Torture, the Convent of the Clarisas, the Zoo of Santillana del Mar., classified by ADENA as one of the best in Spain, and its old town full of cobbled streets, among which you will find the Plaza Mayor de Ramón Pelayo, the Torre de Don Borja or the medieval market when it there is one. It should be noted that all of Santillana del Mar has been declared a historical and artistic complex in 1889.
If we move to the outskirts of the city, we cannot fail to visit the Labyrinth of Villapresente, ideal for going with the family, as well as the Hermitage of Santa Justa, which has a beautiful location. on a cliff facing the sea Cantabrian, in addition to the surprising building embedded in the rock. If you want to enjoy the splendid nature of Santillana del Mar even more, do not hesitate to do so the Foramontanos routewhich follows in the footsteps of the ancient inhabitants of Cantabria.
How to get to Santillana del Mar?
There are several ways to get to Santillana del Mar from Madrid: train, bus, car and plane.
-
Car: Taking the A-1 and the A-67 takes approximately 4 hours and 10 minutes.
-
Plane: From Barajas to Santander there is a direct flight, then from there you can go to Santillana by train, bus, taxi or rental car.
-
Form: There is no direct train from the capital. The route to follow would be to take an Alvia from Chamartín to Santander and from there the C2 train to Barreda, from where you have to take the Alsa Tvga-Santi to Santillana del Mar. The total journey takes approximately 5 hours and a half.
-
Bus: There are also no direct buses: The way to take the bus from Madrid is to go to T4 of Barajas airport and from there take the Alsa Santander EA, to the bus station from Torrelavega and from there the Alsa Tvga-Santi to Santillana del Mar. This tour lasts approximately 6 and a quarter hours.
Where to eat in Santillana del Mar?
Taking into account the Tripadvisor compilation, here is the list with the best restaurants and bars eat in Santillana del Mar.
-
1
Bodeguca Los Blasones
-
2
Grand Duc Restaurant
-
3
The red bison
-
4
The village
-
5
Restaurant Palacio Mijares
-
6
Pizzeria Bitina
-
7
New Santoca
-
8
Restaurant Conde
-
9
Enoteca El Canton
-
10
The porch
The happiest city in Spain, according to a study
Santillana del Mar is the happiest town in Cantabria, but which is the happiest in Spain? The study highlights that Ronda, in Malaga, It’s the place where its neighbors are happiest. These are the three reasons: its beauty, its rural environment and its people.
