🇪🇸Spain · Places to discover
What to see in Comillas?
23 places selected by the community - landmarks, nature, hidden restaurants and activities.
Comillas owes its current character to a marquis's fortune and late-19th-century architectural whimsy. The result is a 2,500-strong Cantabrian village where a Gothic Revival palace, a pontifical university, and Gaudí's El Capricho - a holiday villa that prefigures everything the architect would later do in Barcelona - sit cheek by jowl. The ensemble is compact, coherent, and frankly disconcerting if you arrive unprepared.
The best period runs from June to September, though July-August turns the alleys into a crowded corridor - prefer June or early September. Two days easily suffice to see everything on foot; Comillas takes twenty minutes to cross. Drive from Santander (50 km); public transport is impractical. Don't focus solely on El Capricho: Joan Martorell's cemetery and the views from the palace hilltop merit equal attention.
Landmarks & heritage
6 places
1Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5Landmark
Comillas Cemetery
Modernist cemetery designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner in 1889, featuring sculptures of El Ángel Caído and funerary architecture of striking beauty. A pilgrimage site for Catalan art enthusiasts.
2Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Landmark
Chapel of Santa Lucía
Diminutive whitewashed 17th-century chapel perched on a grassy promontory above the sea. A quiet pilgrimage site largely overlooked by tourists, with a contemplative atmosphere and sweeping views across the bay.
3Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Landmark
Pontifical University of Comillas
Pontifical university founded in 1892, designed by Joan Martorell on the town's heights. Imposing neo-Gothic building with panoramic views over the Cantabrian Sea from its gardens.
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Landmark
Landmark
Statue of the Marquis of Comillas
Bronze statue of Antonio López y López, first Marquis of Comillas and patron of the town, a work by Venancio Vallmitjana (1884). It symbolises the town's industrial and colonial heritage.
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Landmark
Landmark
Plaza del Corro
Central square typical of Comillas, surrounded by arcaded houses and cider bars. Here pulses the rhythm of local life, especially in the evening when residents gather.
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Landmark
Landmark
El Capricho de Gaudí
Orientalist villa designed by Antoni Gaudí in 1885, before even the Sagrada Família. Façade adorned with ceramic sunflowers and a minaret tower, an overlooked masterpiece by the Catalan master outside Catalonia.
Religious sites
1 place
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Religious site
Religious site
Church of San Cristóbal
Sixteenth-century parish church dominating Plaza del Corro, the historic heart of Comillas. Its bell tower and baroque façade provide a visual landmark visible throughout the lower town.
Castles & fortresses
2 places
8Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Castle
Palacete del Marqués de Aldama
Late nineteenth-century bourgeois residence testifying to the opulence of the Indiano merchants returned from Latin America. Its eclectic architecture is characteristic of the indianos who transformed Comillas.
9Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Castle
Palacio de Sobrellano
Neo-Gothic palace built in 1888 for the Marquis of Comillas by Joan Martorell. Sumptuous interiors with period furnishings and an adjoining chapel-pantheon, symbol of the town's golden age.
Nature
3 places
10Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Nature
Ría de La Rabia
Wild estuary sprawling between Comillas and San Vicente de la Barquera, a protected wetland where herons, egrets and wading birds congregate. Splendid for an evening stroll.
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Nature
Nature
Prados de Comillas
Characteristic bocage meadows of green Cantabria encircling the town, dotted with hórreos (traditional pillar granaries). Thriving agricultural landscape begging to be explored on foot or by bike.
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Nature
Nature
Comillas to Oyambre Clifftop Path
Clifftop trail linking Comillas to Oyambre, delivering vertiginous views across limestone cliffs and emerald waters. An hour's accessible walk that keeps you well away from the crowds.
Viewpoints
2 places
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Viewpoint
Viewpoint
Pontifical University Viewpoint
Terrace in the university gardens with sweeping views down onto Comillas' rooftops, beach and sea. A privileged vantage point often overlooked by visitors focused solely on the façade.
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Viewpoint
Viewpoint
Comillas Lighthouse Viewpoint
White lighthouse perched on the rocky promontory offering a 180° vista across the Cantabrian Sea and the Picos de Europa beyond. The town's finest spot for photographing the sunset.
Activities
5 places
15Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Activity
Route of the Indianos of Comillas
Waymarked 3 km walking circuit connecting the principal residences of wealthy merchants who made their fortunes in Latin America. An audioguide is available from the tourist office—the best way to grasp the town's singular history.
16Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0Activity
Comillas Market
Weekly Wednesday morning market on Plaza del Corro where local producers sell Cantabrian cheeses, vegetables and cured meats. The prime spot for authentic queso de nata.
17Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Activity
Sea Kayaking from Comillas
Paddling expedition along the sea cliffs of the Comillas coast to marine caves accessible only by water. Departing from the main beach, local operators offer sunrise outings.
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Activity
Activity
Camino de Santiago via the Coast – Comillas Section
Stretch of the Camino del Norte passing through Comillas, marked by scallop shell signs in the town centre streets. Walking a few kilometres of this thousand-year-old route lends another dimension to your visit.
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Activity
Activity
Surf School Oyambre
Surf school established on Oyambre beach, home to some of Cantabria's finest beginner waves. Group lessons in the morning, board hire in the afternoon.
Beaches
3 places
20Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0Beach
Comillas Beach
The town's main beach, fine sand and Atlantic waters framed by verdant cliffs. Less crowded than major resorts, it retains genuine charm even in summer.
21Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0Beach
Oyambre Beach
Vast unspoilt beach stretching 2 km within the Oyambre natural park, considered one of Cantabria's finest. Perfect for surfing and lengthy walks at sunset.
22Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0Beach
La Rabia Beach
Small hidden cove between Comillas and Oyambre, accessible on foot via a coastal path. Little known to tourists, it offers natural rock pools at low tide.
More to discover
1 place
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Place
Place
Comillas Fishing Port
Working fishing harbour where boats return with the early tide. Witnessing the informal fish auction and buying directly from fishermen offers an authentic experience that's becoming rare along the Cantabrian coast.
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