Family plans less than two hours from Bilbao: discover Cantabria with children
Are you looking for family plans near Bilbao? Don’t miss the following proposals less than two hours from Bilbao, in Cantabria, where you can enjoy nature, shows and fun for children and adults. What plan do you stick with?
Altamira as a family: build shelters or get inspired by rock art
Look, we like a cave, and without a doubt, one of the most emblematic and valuable, declared a World Heritage Site, is Altamira. Currently, and to protect the Homo Sapiens engravings discovered in the original, we can visit the Neocave in the Altamira Museum, located a few meters from the original cavity. It is a replica of the original cave that is located 2 km from the urban center of the town of Santillana del Mar.
At the National Museum and Research Center of Altamira you can also find the “Altamira as a family” workshops, where txikis and the elderly can be inspired and make their own artistic creations or build their own Paleolithic shelter , activities in which you can participate for free with the museum ticket.
You can check the schedules on their website: https://www. cultura.gob.es/mnaltamira/visita/horario.html
Altamira National Museum and Research Center
C/ Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola, S/N
39300 Santillana del Mar – Cantabria
Cantabrian Wars: a movie experience
The Cantabrian region of Besaya is an area rich in history and nature. In it you can find very curious places, such as the Cartes book-bank, or evocative places, such as the Church of San Jorge in the town of the Dukes of Santo Mauro, construction which imitates a Roman temple, with forty Corinthian columns surrounding the entire building.
But very close to these enclaves, a very special tourist festival is celebrated that the whole family will love. It is about the Cantabrian Wars, a festival declared of international tourist interest. From August 23 to 29, 2024, in Los Corrales de Buelna the last resistance in Hispania to the domination of Rome in the first century BC is recreated, one of the most important historical moments in Cantabria .
More than 1,800 people, who are divided into 13 Cantabrian tribes and 13 Roman legions, recreate this historical event. Live a live cinematographic experience, in an ideal party for the whole family.
You can find complete information on the program of events on their website: https://guerrascantabras.net /program-of-events/
Mining visit to the Soplao cave on a replica of a train
Can you imagine touring a mining gallery riding a mining train? A unique experience for txikis and also for the elderly. In the Cueva del Soplao it is possible, since the transfer through the Isidra gallery is done by a mining train, a replica of a real one, that will take you to the cave. Once there, you will take a walking circuit through the galleries and rooms of La Gorda, Los Fantasmas, Mirador de Lacuerre, Centinelas and Ópera.
This tour unites the geological experience and mining archaeology, all combined with the introductory explanatory narration, the lighting, the colors, the acoustic and musical effects, and the atmosphere that is breathed in the place, which which makes this 1-hour tour an unforgettable memory for the whole family.
The sightseeing tour is suitable for children and 100% accessible. Children up to 12 years old must be accompanied by an adult. Child seats are not allowed, however the company provides baby carriers that can be requested from the ticket office staff.
More information and ticket sales on their website: https://www.elsoplao.es/es
Find the wooden figures in the gardens of the Magdalena Palace, in Santander
If you visit Santander with your family, you cannot miss the Palacio de la Magdalena. The building and the surroundings are of spectacular beauty, with its beaches and its impressive views of the bay of Santander. But if you go with children, they will especially enjoy its gardens, where very special carved wooden figures are hidden. A chair, an anchor, a duck or a sandpit are some of the figures that the txikis can play to find. You dare?
Get lost in the Labyrinth of Villapresente
Do you want to enjoy an adventure for the whole family? Dare to enter the Villapresente labyrinth, an intricate network of cypresses measuring 5,625 m2, with a Victorian style and a variable level of difficulty, suitable for the whole family. Fun is guaranteed, because although at first it may seem simple, finding the exit requires great guidance and in some cases, some help. The most txikis in the house can do the maze in a chair, although in some narrow corridors, twin cars may not fit very well.
The labyrinth is open every day during the summer months, July and August, and its hours are from 10:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. In addition, it has a small beach bar where water, soft drinks and snacks are sold, a large parking lot for more than 100 cars, 3 motorhome spaces and an area for buses.
Villapresente is located just 10 minutes from Santillana del Mar, 20 minutes from Santander and 90 minutes from Bilbao.
- 2024 prices:
General Admission €4 (from 13 years old) - Reduced Entry €3 (children between 7 and 12 years old inclusive)
- Children under 6 years old even enter for free.
Information of interest:
- Lloseras, s/n 39539 Villapresente Cantabria Spain
- T. 636836785
- contacto@laberintodevillapresente.es
Walk through a redwood forest unique in Europe
A few kilometers from Cabezón de la Sal is the Sequoia forest, declared a Natural Monument by decree of the Government of Cantabria in 2003. The forest has 2.5 hectares and 850 specimens of Sequoia trees with an average height of 40 meters and a perimeter middle of the 2 meter trunks. They were planted in the 40s of the 20th century, so they are still very young trees, since their species can reach 115 meters in height and live more than 1,000 years.
It is a place with a very special magic and peace thanks to the atmosphere and the light that shines through these giants. An environment that will amaze the little ones and also the older ones, where looking up is obligatory.
More information: https://turismocabezondelasal.com/bosque-de-secuoyas/
