Castro Urdiales, the largest coastal town in Cantabria after Santander - about 70 kilometers separate them - is not only an attractive and secluded sea port with a lot of history.
When it is not summer, when its population of about 33,000 inhabitants multiplies several times with the arrival of tourists, the city allows a relaxed visit to admire its important monuments, stroll through the streets of the old center or, if the weather It's nice to take a quick dip—“un
cole
,” as we Santander residents say—on Ostende beach or in a natural pool.
And the temperature of the Cantabrian Sea is no longer what it was even in the middle of winter.
In addition to the most valuable Gothic church in Cantabria and the only well-preserved medieval castle, there are interesting ruins of a Romanesque hermitage, a medieval bridge and, of course, the opportunity to have a good meal of fresh fish in a restaurant in the port.
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10.00 Breakfast facing the sea
In the early hours of the morning, especially if they coincide with low tide, a marine fragrance and the squawks of seagulls as a background soundtrack surround those who sit on one of the port terraces in front of Amestoy Park (1
)
, where Kraken, Bristol and several other bars serve fresh juice, coffee and toast.
It's not bad for setting the scene in what was one of the most important fishing villages and ports in the Cantabrian Sea since the Middle Ages.
11.00 The medieval town
The ancient Flaviobriga of the Romans was buried under the streets of the current historic center, located at the foot of the rock or walled
fort
that was reinforced in the early years of the Middle Ages, surely to protect itself from the raids of Normans and Heruli that devastated the coastal towns.
The remains of the wall can be best seen in front of the façade of Santa María de la Asunción
(2)
, the most important Gothic church in Cantabria, located at the top of the hill above the port.
The temple was built between the 13th and 15th centuries, when Castro Urdiales enjoyed prosperity thanks to trade as a port of Castile with France, Holland and England, and the church of Santo Domingo de la Calzada and later the cathedral of Burgos were taken as a model. .
The towers, buttresses and arrangement of the windows certify the urban Gothic style of Santa María de la Asunción, unique in the region, while its fortress appearance also reflects a Norman influence.
The interior preserves several chapels where a recumbent Christ by the baroque sculptor Gregorio Fernández rests and an image of the White Virgin from the 13th century sits on a throne.
In the adjacent chapel, the canvas of the
Christ of the Agony
, by Zurbarán, can be admired after paying one euro in the lighting box.
A few meters from Santa María is the castle of Santa Ana, one of the few well-preserved fortresses in the north of the peninsula.
It dates back to the 12th century, but was probably built on earlier walls.
In the 16th century it underwent an important restoration and in 1853 the lighthouse that crowns it was added.
There is still a section of the wall that reinforced it and the good condition of the solid towers is surprising.
View of the castle-lighthouse of Santa Ana, in Castro Urdiales. JUAN CARLOS MUNOZ (Alamy / CORDON PRESS)
12.00 The origins
After a look at the interesting ruins of the Romanesque church of San Pedro, remains of the oldest building in Castro Urdiales - especially the semicircular presbytery -, from the beginning of the 12th century and located at the foot of the castle, you have to cross the bridge medieval that leads to the promontory where the old hermitage of Santa Ana stood. Today it is a small museum
(3)
that illustrates the remains found on the site of the Roman colony and earlier, of a Paleolithic settlement.
13.00 Time for a dip
From the medieval citadel, a pleasant walk along a coastal path will first lead to the Atalaya viewpoint
(4)
, from which the views over the dark blue of the Cantabrian Sea and the waves crashing against the cliff contrast with the serene panoramic view of the citadel. with its monuments.
Immediately you reach the natural pool of El Pedregal
(5)
, where the sea penetrates through a tunnel in the cliff to a pebble beach where swimming is a joy even in autumn.
That is as long as there is not a strong wave, in which case it is better to continue to the nearby Ostend beach
(6)
, whose sand is not the best - it is an artificial beach - but the dip in the crystal-clear water between rocks will help you. more than compensates.
The natural pool of El Pedregal, in the Cantabrian town of Castro Urdiales. Konrad Zelazowski / Alamy / CORDON PRESS
15.00 A delicacy of fish and seafood in the port
The Alfredo seafood restaurant
(7)
has a good reputation among Castreños if you want to try the very fresh fish and seafood, the catches left by the fishermen in the neighboring fish market in the same port.
Alfredo serves portions of scallops, octopus, clams, squid or, of course, anchovies, sea snails and squid.
Also dishes of turbot, sea bream or lobster, without ruling out acorn-fed Iberian ham or steaks.
If the weather is good, you can enjoy the port's seaside atmosphere on the terrace.
View of the medieval bridge and the port of Castro Urdiales.mauritius images GmbH / Alamy / CORDON PRESS
17.00 A modernist walk
The rise of mining operations, fishing and the installation of the first fish canneries, at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, fostered another wave of prosperity in the town and the best architects of Cantabria, especially Eladio Laredo from Castro. —author of the Grassy Building on Madrid's Gran Vía—, expressed his plans in civil buildings, residential palaces and even in the pantheons of the Ballena cemetery.
The Ocharan Palace (Paseo Menéndez Pelayo)
(8)
, built in 1901 according to the Laredo project, is the most beautiful modernist building in Castro Urdiales and was the mansion of the Basque writer and businessman Luis de Ocharan.
The façade is made of pink marble with Italian and Greek ornaments and a false portico supported by 10 columns.
Privately owned and surrounded by splendid gardens and a high wall, the timing of your visit (only the gardens, and in summer) is quite erratic, so it is best to find out more at the tourist office or on the hotel's website. City hall.
In any case, from the outside you can appreciate the beauty of the building flanked by palm trees quite well, due to its great height.
600 meters in the direction of the town, the Chalet de los San Martín
(9)
, by the Bilbao architect Gregorio de Ibarreche in that English style that proliferated in the aristocratic residences of Cantabria at the beginning of the 20th century — its greatest example is the Palace of the Magdalena—, and the Chalet Sotileza
(10)
, in front of the Tennis Society and the work of architect Leonardo Rucabado, creator of the Montañesa School, are two other visits that are worth it.
19.00 In the nerve center of the town
Detail of the facade of the Casa de los Chelines, a neo-Gothic style building with modernist influences designed by Severino de Achúcarro.Tim Graham (GETTY IMAGES)
Next to the port and under the citadel, the Town Hall square is dominated by two other unique buildings: the Town Hall itself
(11)
and the Casa de los Shilines
(12)
.
The first was built in the 18th century with a certain air of a fortress and an attractive clock tower, but the jewel of the square is the second, located in front of the Town Hall and designed in 1901 by the Basque Severino de Achúcarro and executed by his then disciple Leonardo Rucabado.
Supported by the arcades that surround the square and that give it its northern aspect, the Casa de los Chelines is a beautiful four-story building and protected as a Cultural Asset since 1991.
20.00 Pinchos in the historic center
The Castro Urdiales Town Hall.Hemis / Alamy / CORDON PRESS
Under the arches that support the buildings of the square there are several bars where you can have some pinchos, while the alleys that start from its corners go into the historic center of Castro Urdiales: Belén, Escorza or San Juan streets (not to be missed the stone arches from the 16th century in some of its houses, as well as the Cruz del Humilladero).
There are some bars that serve, above all, seafood, such as La Marinera
(13)
, El Resbalón
(14)
or La Tasca
(15)
.
If what you want is a good sit-down dinner, you can go to Asador El Puerto
(16)
, which boasts its “regional fish dishes” and is another favorite of both Castro locals and tourists.
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