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Voykit pocket guide · Spain
Comillas
Give Comillas one full day and one night: Gaudí's El Capricho, Sobrellano palace and the beach all sit inside a 15-minute walk.
Comillas is a small Cantabrian coastal town, about 2,000 residents, that spent a Cuban fortune on palaces and villas in the late 19th century. The sights are compact and walkable, so one night covers it; two nights if you want the beach and the Oyambre dunes without rushing. Come May to September for dry, mild weather; winter is wet and many places shut.
- Country
- Spain
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (wet, many places closed)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere, including tapas bars and taxis in the cities.
- Daily spend
- Budget €55–85 excl. bed · Mid €85–140 excl. bed · High €140+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EU and EEA plans roam at home prices; UK and other plans may charge — check before you land.
- Emergency
- All emergency services 112 · National police 091 · Guardia Civil 062
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; UK and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Bar or café: Leave small change or nothing.; Restaurant: Round up or 5–10% for good service; service is not usually added.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter: €1–2 a bag.; Guide on a free walking tour: €10–15 a person is the expected payment.
- Water
- Tap water is safe across the mainland; it tastes of chlorine in some coastal areas. Ask for 'agua del grifo' in restaurants — by law since 2025 they must offer it free (check local application).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars and cafés (buy a coffee). Stations and shopping centres have free or cheap toilets.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | €1.50–2.50 |
| Menu del día at lunch | €14–22 |
| Pintxo or tapa | €2–4 |
| Cider or wine, glass | €2.50–4 |
| El Capricho entry | €10 |
| Sobrellano palace entry | €7 adult, €5 concession or child |
| Church of San Cristóbal entry | €2 |
| Local bus Santander → Comillas | €5–7 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- SDR · Santander Airport
- 52 km east by A-67 then A-8 and CA-135; about 45–55 min by car or taxi32 mi east by A-67 then A-8 and CA-135; about 45–55 min by car or taxi
- BIO · Bilbao Airport
- About 1 h 45 min–2 h by road west along the A-8
Typical fares
- Bus Santander → Comillas
- about 70 min, four departures a day
- Taxi within town
- €6–10
- El Capricho entry
- €10
Get around
Everything in the centre is walkable: plaza to El Capricho is about 10–15 minutes on foot. Local buses from Santander stop at Marqués de Comillas 12, 100 m west of the town hall. Taxi Diaz covers the town and Oyambre (+34 613 004508).
See and do
Known for
- El Capricho by Antoni Gaudí
- Palacio de Sobrellano
- Indiano architecture
- Playa de Comillas and Oyambre
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Santillana del Mar | Cantabria bus towards Santander, about 25–30 min | About 45 min |
| San Vicente de la Barquera | Same bus line continuing west, about 25 min | About 40 min |
| Santander | Cantabria bus, about 70 min | About 1 h 30 min |
| Torrelavega | Bus towards Santander, then change or continue, about 45 min | About 1 h |
| Castro Urdiales | Bus or car east along the coast, about 1 h 30 min | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Old town around Plaza de la Constitución
- Cobbled centre, bars and restaurants on the doorstep; some street noise at night.
- Beach side (Paseo Manuel Noriega / Santa Lucía)
- Sea views and the sand within a 2-minute walk; quieter, a 5–10 min walk from the plaza.
- Sobrellano / El Parque
- Next to the palace and El Capricho; best if those two are your priority.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | HolaOH-lah |
| Thank you | GraciasGRAH-thyahs |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favorlah KWEN-tah por fah-VOR |
| Can I pay by card? | ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?PWEH-doh pah-GAR kon tar-HEH-tah |
| Where is the beach? | ¿Dónde está la playa?DON-deh es-TAH lah PLAH-yah |
| One beer, please | Una cerveza, por favorOO-nah ser-VEH-thah por fah-VOR |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Two kisses on the cheek (right then left) between friends and when introduced socially; handshake in business; avoid: Being stiff — Spaniards stand close and touch arms
- Meal times: Late lunch and dinner; long sobremesa (chat after eating); avoid: Rushing to leave or asking for the bill with the last bite
- Noise: Join in the lively conversation; avoid: Reading loud voices as anger
- Siesta hours: Keep noise down in residential buildings 15:00–17:00 and after 23:00; avoid: Phone calls to people at lunch time
- Dress: Smart casual in cities; locals rarely wear shorts in Madrid in town; avoid: Swimwear or bare torsos away from the beach
- Regional pride: Ask about local dishes and festivals; avoid: Assuming Catalan or Basque are dialects of Spanish
Scams and watch-outs
- Buses from Santander run only about four times a day: check the return times before you commit to a day trip.
- The Cantabrian coast is wet and changeable even in summer: carry a light rain jacket.
- Church of San Cristóbal charges a small entry and closes during mass.
- Casa del Duque de Almodóvar del Río opens only occasionally: check locally before walking up.
- Many restaurants and hotels shut or cut hours outside the May–September season.
Comillas is a small, low-crime town and safe to walk at night. The real risks are the weather, slippery cobbles when wet, and cold water and currents on the beaches: swim where others do and watch the flags.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Comillas yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- El Capricho by Antoni Gaudí
- Palacio de Sobrellano
- Indiano architecture
- Playa de Comillas and Oyambre
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Comillas town council and tourist office: comillas.es/comillas/web_php/index.php
- El Capricho de Gaudí: www.elcaprichodegaudi.com/
- Sobrellano Palace (Cultura de Cantabria): centros.culturadecantabria.com/sobrellano-palace/
- Cantabria bus network (Transporte de Cantabria): www.transportedecantabria.es/
- Wikivoyage: Comillas, revision 5327566 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5327566
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Comillas
A esta dirección, por favor
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Comillas; the US has a consulate-general in Barcelona, the UK and Ireland have consulates in Madrid and Barcelona, and most countries work through Madrid.
Tourist office is in the new town hall at Joaquín del Piélago 1; hours are seasonal, so check before you go.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/comillas). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.