School trip to Bilbao & Cantabria, Spain

Day 1

Flight to Bilbao. Santander and Santillana del Mar

Flight to Bilbao: On arrival you are met by a private coach and transfer to Santander for shopping, sightseeing and lunch.

Santander: Take a leisurely stroll along the Paseo de Pareda seafront promenade and Jardines de Pareda gardens. In the city centre, walk through the Plaza Porticada and visit the majestic Cathedral de la Asuncion. Later in the afternoon you can visit the beautiful Magdalena Peninsular where there are miles of beautiful sandy beaches.

Santillana del Mar: You continue to the pretty town of Santillana del Mar check in and dinner at your hotel.

Day 2

Santillana del Mar and Altamira Caves

Santillana del Mar: This morning is free to explore Santillana del Mar, often considered one of the most beautiful towns in Spain. Its rich heritage is reflected in the well-preserved medieval architecture and quaint cobbled streets. The delicious local produce should be sampled for lunch including sobaos pasiegos, a sponge cake which is a speciality of Cantabria and often flavoured with rum or a liqueur.

Altamira Caves: This afternoon you visit the Altamira Caves which contain some of Europe’s best-preserved pre-historic cave paintings including bison and other animals. There is also a complete reconstruction of the original cave.

Day 3

El Soplao Caves and Comillas

El Soplao Caves: This morning you visit the famous El Soplao Caves, located in the Sierra de Arnero. The caves were discovered at the beginning of the 20th century and have beautiful stalactite and stalagmite formations. The caves are unique in that you go into them on a small train which takes you from the visitor centre to an underground platform giving access to the main part of the cave.

Comillas: This afternoon you visit the town of Comillas, one of Cantabria’s most iconic towns and one of its most interesting from an architectural point of view. It has some of the most important Art Nouveau buildings in the region including the Sobrellano Palace Chapel and of course the unique El Capricho by Gaudi. This was the first house he ever built and one of only three outside of Barcelona.

Day 4

Bilbao and the Guggenheim Museum

Bilbao: Today you explore this cosmopolitan city which is the beating heart of the Basque country, where they have their own language quite distinct from Spanish. The old town or Casco Viejo is also locally known as the Seven Streets, a reference to the seven streets that formed the original medieval town. At lunchtime the streets throng with people who come to eat in its lively taverns offering selections of tasty pintxos, the local version of tapas.

Guggenheim Museum: One of the highlights of Bilbao is the Guggenheim Museum, a futuristic art gallery wrapped in reflective titanium panels. In front of the museum there is an enormous sculpture of a dog which seems to be comprised entirely of living flowers. Designed by the American artist Jeff Koons, it is in fact made from stainless steel and carpeted in bedding plants. Known as Puppy, it has become one of the most-visited attractions in the city. Another iconic piece is Maman by Louise Bourgeois. This giant spider made from bronze, marble and stainless steel stands just outside the museum and towers over visitors.

Flight Home: In the evening you transfer to the airport for your flight home.