Santillana del Mar

Locals call it the town of three lies: not holy, not flat and not by the sea. The name actually comes from Santa Juliana, whose medieval abbey gave rise to the town and whose Romanesque collegiate church anchors cobbled lanes of honey-coloured stone towers and mansions. The Altamira cave, with its famous prehistoric art, lies two kilometres to the west.

Highlights

• The Colegiata de Santa Juliana and its Romanesque cloister
• The Altamira cave and its museum, two kilometres away
• Plaza Mayor, with the 14th-century Torre del Merino and Torre de Don Borja
• Handmade sweets sold by the nuns of the Regina Coeli convent
• The Museo Diocesano Regina Coeli, a museum of religious art

Summary based on Wikipedia and Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA), written with AI assistance.