Lighthouses
The coast of Cantabria features nine lighthouses stretching along its 174 kilometres, from the mouth of the River Deva (Tina Mayor estuary) in the west bordering Asturias, to Punta del Covarón, near the Ontón inlet, in the east bordering Vizcaya.
Perfect places for a stroll, to enjoy…
The main lighthouses of Cantabria are: Punta de Silla Lighthouse in San Vicente de la Barquera, Punta del Torco in Suances, Cabo Mayor, Mouro and Punta de La Cerda in Santander, Cabo de Ajo in Ajo, El Pescador and El Caballo in Santoña, and the Castro Urdiales Lighthouse.
According to the official classification, the Cabo Mayor lighthouse is a second-order light, the Ajo and El Pescador lighthouses are fourth-order lights, those of Castro Urdiales, Mouro Island, La Cerda and Suances are fifth-order lights, and the San Vicente de la Barquera and El Caballo lighthouses are sixth-order lights.
The light beam with the greatest range is that generated by Cabo Mayor, with 29 nautical miles in average weather, followed by those emitted by Castro Urdiales and El Pescador, which reach 24 nautical miles.
The oldest lighthouse is Cabo Mayor, which perfectly preserves its original tower, built in 1830. The most modern of the nine in Cantabria is Cabo Ajo, inaugurated exactly one hundred years after Cabo Mayor, in 1930. Cabo Ajo is also the northernmost of the nine lighthouses, with a latitude of 43 degrees, 30.8 minutes.
To do´s in Cantabria
Beach
There are large, small, urban, wild, sheltered and calm beaches, open to the Cantabrian Sea or to Santander’s Bay.
Nature
Millions of years ago, during the Alpine orogeny, the Iberian plate collided with the European plate and fabulous mountains arose from the bottom of the sea.
Culture
Culture has many facets in Cantabria: the facet of the stone of the caves, monasteries and villages.
Health & Wellness
Modern life sets a hectic pace that directly affects our wellbeing and our health.
Sports
Cantabria is the perfect setting to choose your favourite way of enjoying thrills.
Gastronomy
Thanks to its magnificent geographical situation in the centre of the Bay of Biscay coastline, Cantabria is an area influenced by its truly exceptional natural setting.
Caves
Cantabria has the highest density of caves with cave paintings in the world and has over 60 with paintings on its walls.
