Discover Liérganes: Culture, Nature and Hiking Trails

In the historic centre of Liérganes, El Mercadil, stands the Palacio de Rañada, also known as Cuesta-Mercadillo. The ensemble was classified in 1978 as being of national historical and artistic interest and features valuable classical architecture from the 17th and 18th centuries. Liérganes lies at the foot of the two small hills Marimón and Cotillamón, popularly known as “las tetas de Liérganes”.

For more destinations in Cantabria, you can discover Santoña, Santibáñez, Ruiloba, Lavín, La Gándara, Pumareña, Noja and Santillana Del Mar.

If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Liérganes, you can compare travel dates, room categories and cancellation policies on the respective accommodation pages and use this information to assess several accommodations for your own travel period and preferred travel arrangements.

Culture and Local History

The legend of the Hombre Pez is an important element of the intangible heritage of Liérganes and Cantabria and is considered a tourist attraction in the town. An audio-guide route entitled La Leyenda del Hombre-Pez includes 17 information points in the historic centre of Liérganes, as well as two further points in nearby Rubalcaba.

The Centro de Interpretación del Hombre Pez is located in a restored mill dating from 1667 in Mercadillo; two millstones for maize and one for wheat have been preserved or installed there. Construction of the Puente Mayor de Liérganes began in 1587 according to the design of master builder Bartolomé de Hermosa, and the bridge was inaugurated in 1606.

The Church of San Pedro ad Víncula is one of the few Renaissance religious buildings in Cantabria. Its construction began in 1591 on the foundations of an older Romanesque temple, the remains of which are still visible in the apse area. The Church of San Pantaleón preserves features of the Romanesque tradition; some authors date it to the second half of the 13th century. In the 15th century, the original building was enlarged into a three-nave church.

A monumental route through Liérganes is around 4 km long and takes approximately one hour. It leads to outstanding Baroque and Neoclassical architecture, Montañés manor houses and Indian palaces, as well as churches, chapels, hermitages, a bridge and a mill. The short Mercadillo Route is around 1.5 km long, takes approximately 25 minutes and connects the squares of Mercadillo or Marqués de Valdecilla and Vitote with San Pantaleón and the Puente Mayor.

The Liérganes thermal spa was built in 1862; however, the healing properties of the so-called Fuente Santa had been known much earlier. It is surrounded by a three-hectare park with numerous trees. These include a 32-metre-high beech, a horse chestnut and a magnolia, which have been included in the Cantabrian catalogue of notable trees because of their beauty and size.

Nature and Trails

The Ecomuseo-Fluviarium de la Montaña y Cuencas Fluviales Pasiegas is located in Liérganes and introduces visitors to the natural and ethnographic heritage of the Pasiego and Eastern Mountains and their river basins. The Fluviarium invites visitors to discover the wealth of the river basins through aquariums, replicas and exhibitions that combine science, nature and tradition.

The hiking trails around Liérganes pass through karst landscapes and along the densely wooded banks of the Río Miera. Short hiking trails in the middle basin of the Río Miera are marked with the characteristic white and yellow signs and have been officially approved by the Federación Cántabra de Montañismo. The circular route Circuito por los Picos de Busampiro offers panoramic views of the Liérganes valley, the central coast of Cantabria and the abrupt limestone formations of the upper Miera Valley.

The PR-S 25 Ruta de los Pozos de Noja leads from Liérganes to Rubalcaba, is approximately 18 km long, takes around 5 hours and 15 minutes and reaches a maximum elevation of 850 metres. The details of length, duration and elevation can be compared for personal planning. The Pozos de Noja are two small artificial reservoirs that gave rise to the electricity company Electra Pasiega, which supplied Liérganes and other towns in the region with electricity. They lie south of the municipality on the border with Miera.

The 20-km Ruta de las Minas de Pámanes passes through the foothills of the Peña-Cabarga massif and offers views of the remains of former mining facilities.

To the main travel overview: Cantabria.