Cheap flights from Paris to Santander from £70

The Monumento, a Los Raqueros, is a group of statues depicting naked boys having fun by the sea. The groups of such boys, orphans or of humble origins, frequented the docks of Santander in the 19th and early 20th centuries. They survived from small thefts and the coins thrown by the passengers and the crew in the water. The statues are very life-like. Pause here for a moment to take photos and touch the local history.

Seafood is, unsurprisingly, the cornerstone of the local cuisine. The fish and shellfish of the Cantabrian Sea are widely represented in the menus of Santander restaurants. Try famous rabas — fried squids. Local cheeses and veal are also worth your attention.

This air raid shelter is one of around a hundred built in the city during the Spanish Civil War. It became inaccessible after the fire of 1941 and was re-discovered during the last decade. Today you can visit the shelter if you book the visit beforehand. The special effects allow the visitors to feel what it was like here when the bombs exploded outside. You will also see one of those bombs, weighing 240kg, and a mannequin dressed as a German air pilot. An interesting experience!