Playa de Mataleñas

Honestly, this is the dream. We went to Santander just because we never been to a sea with cliffs, but I never expected of it to be such a nice place. Going down to this beach is surreal, when you are down there, it feels like your own piece of Paradise. We arrived in the morning at the lighthouse that is a bit northwest of this beach, you can walk along the edge of the cliff, there is a path. Going east and climbing down a bit there is a huge park where there are plenty of places to sit and most importantly to park your car. Now when you go close to the beach you will notice soo many parking spots, like legit parking spots (this is to the left of the beach) and there are lots of trees for shade. You can park there and walk towards the beach, I won't forget the way the beach and cliffs unfolded while walking the designated path/sidewalk there, it's simply beautiful. There weren't too many tourists (compared to other hotspots in Spain), mostly locals and citizens of the country, we could only stay one day and slept in the car in one of the parking lots in walking distance, there were other people who did the same and I've felt very safe. We went in August and it was very warm during noon and afternoon, then a bit colder in the night, in the summer it was very comfortable compared to the 40+C° we had at home. We only saw one public toilet, it was free to enter but being the only toilet in quite a large area you can imagine it was not the best, tho there was someone coming to clean it a few times per day, also important to note that it was closed during the night, we stayed one day and one night and we only went in a few times, but it's definitely something to be aware of and plan in advance if you wish to stay longer periods of time. We didn't go far into the city, but we wanted to visit one of the other longer beaches but we could not find parking there at about 4pm. Once you go in the city more there is less shade and more busy which is understandable I guess. We did go to a kid park nearby which was kinda nice. If you visit Spain you need to go to Santander for sure, I wish we skipped other places to stay there more. No photos will do it justice, there is a reason this beach is rated so high.

Wonderful secondary and hidden beach in Santander. The beach is inside a cove with high rocks on the sides and can only be reached on foot after a steep staircase, there is a car park nearby however because it is about 30 minutes walk from the centre of Santander. Despite the isolation there are always lifeguards. The water is wonderful and clean, the tide is very strong and I had the honour of visiting it in bad weather but it was hot and there was fog on the water; amazing and it was June. As you can understand it is never too crowded and is always majestic.

Very nice beach. Its a little bit hidden with a lot of stairs to get there. But it wasnt overcrowded already at Saturday afternoon. There was a life guard. Recommended for family with children.

It a very beautiful sandy beach in a small natural bay. The gradient is slow and water not rough. This allows enjoying the beach easily on any sunny day. Spent an hour or so at the beach during recent visit there. However, there is a steep climb back through stairs which must be taken note of while visiting the beach.

We loved this beach placed in the natural settings. It is definitely worth climbing down the long stairs. Careful, even in the afternoon there was almost no shade.

Short of words to describe the magnificent beach. Make sure that you’re up for a long walk and stairs, but it’s worth it.

So beautiful! A bit hidden and away from the city, this beach is surrounded by nature. I only wish the weather was better.

The prettiest of the creeks that you have to go and find by climbing a path at the end of the cornice. Beyond, the lighthouse and the majestic view on the ocean are visible.