Laredo: Beaches, Culture and Holiday Apartments

Playa La Salvé stretches along a beach with more than four kilometers of fine, white sand. At 2,300 meters long, with an ecologically particularly valuable dune area and an abundance of the almost constantly submerged seagrass species Zostera, Playa El Regatón is also one of Laredo’s defining coastal areas.

Coast and Nature

The part of the protected area located in Laredo includes the surroundings and Playa El Regatón, as well as adjacent areas along the Ría de Treto. It covers 185.39 hectares, corresponding to 4.27 percent. At the edge of the Marismas de Santoña, Noja y Joyel Nature Park lies Playa El Puntal, a dune beach of high ecological value.

Under Monte de La Atalaya, El Túnel connects Laredo’s town center with Playa Soledad. At the same time, the tunnel provides a vantage point for observing the dynamics of coastal waters, including tides, waves and currents, as well as coastal morphology. This makes it possible to weigh beach time, nature observation and different coastal landscapes separately when planning your day.

Other places: Brez, Lavín, Villar, Villaverde De Pontones, Tresviso, Pumareña, Rasines, La Busta

Water and Routes

The Puerto Deportivo de Laredo has 857 berths, including 45 for visiting boats. From the marina, the Real Club Náutico de Laredo offers sailing lessons in Laredo Bay. The lessons include the basics of handling a boat, knots, courses and winds.

Guided kayaking routes are also offered in Laredo. There are three routes with different durations and varying levels of difficulty. Windsurfing and kitesurfing are designated as water sports at Playa El Puntal. Information on duration, requirements and activity type helps distinguish between different excursion plans.

Horseback rides are offered year-round at Playa El Regatón and in the adjacent woodland; no prior experience is required. Laredo is also part of the Camino del Norte, one of the important routes of the Camino de Santiago along the Cantabrian coast.

The Ruta de Carlos V begins in Laredo and leads via Medina de Pomar to Cuacos de Yuste. It follows the final journey of Emperor Charles V through Spain.

Culture and History

The Iglesia de Santa María de la Asunción in Laredo is a Gothic church from the 13th century and was declared a national monument in 1931. It opens its doors to the public until November. Inside, it houses an important collection of polychrome Flemish art.

La Atalaya is protected as an asset of cultural interest. This complex includes Fuerte del Rastrillar, surviving military batteries, trenches, powder magazines, walls and buildings.

The Convento de San Francisco is one of Cantabria’s notable Neoclassical buildings. Some rooms in the convent have been set up as a museum of sacred art. The Palacio de las Cuatro Témporas was built in the mid-19th century and is an example of 19th-century residential architecture in Cantabria.

The Mercado de Abastos in Laredo dates from 1900 and uses decorative elements of the Mudéjar style. Together with the church, convent, palace and the structures of La Atalaya, it forms a multifaceted picture of the region’s architectural and cultural history.

Festivals and Cuisine

Laredo’s Batalla de Flores bears the Spanish designation “Fiesta de Interés Turístico Nacional” (“Festival of National Tourist Interest”). It takes place every year on the last Friday in August. During the event, floats decorated with natural flowers parade through the streets of Laredo.

Marmita is a traditional dish of the Villa pejina: a stew made with potatoes and bonito, prepared during a traditional competition and served in more than 1,000 portions at a lively local festival.

To the higher-level travel overview: Cantabria.