Double-Decker Santander Bus Tour

We did it again! It was time to explore another city in Spain, while on our 8 week European road trip. This time we were riding the double-decker Santander Bus. Yes, another Hop On Hop Off bus tour, but this time we created a twist.

We didn’t hop off the Santander Bus!

Flashback 2016:

Nope, there are only 8 stops in this small city, but they are far apart from one another. This time we lived life on the edge and decided to just stay on the bus and ride the full loop. The loop was only 1 hour and this would provide the best overview of the city. Then we could just walk or even hop in our car and go visit the places that we were interested in.

I know, this isn’t at all how the Santander bus tour was designed, but it was forecasted to rain and we wanted to enjoy the open air top-level of the bus. We nearly had the entire top to ourselves, so it was loads of fun. Alan and I really like listening to the facts about the city and the kids were waving to everyone from the windows.

What did we think?

We booked our experience with City Discovery and found the prices to be extremely affordable. We were surprised at how clean the city was and how diverse all of the neighborhoods were. Of course, our favorite part was viewing the spectacular coastline and beaches. We even passed a beautiful golf course along the way.

This city is surrounded by lush green mountains on one side and the beautiful blue Bay of Biscay on the other. The golden sandy beaches feel like fluffy flour between your toes. The city has a great mix of old and new but doesn’t feel too big or overwhelming. It does have a more upscale feel to it, so we are going to have to take a peek at the cost of living, just because we are curious.

Alan’s Take: I’m the one at the wheel whenever we’re driving in a new city. As the driver I have to focus more on the road than what Heidi and the kids are seeing. This is one of the reasons I really like the hop-on hop-off bus concept. In particular, Santander was a beautiful city. The Sardinero area was stunning with the beaches and sea, and the architecture was different from anything we’ve seen in Spain. If I had been driving, the impact of Santander would definitely have been diminished. Yet another place I want to visit again!

Of course, you can’t miss the huge Santander Bank in town.

We did eventually hop off

We also walked around the shopping area for a bit and hit up the LUSH cosmetics, this is number 4 in Spain so far. It seems the town was preparing for a festival, but we were just going to miss it by 2 days. Oh well, not a problem.

We only visited the city for one day, but were in the surrounding area for about 4 days. We are big fans of the Santander bus tour and really most hop on hop off bus tours.

If you want more info on this particular tour, please visit City Discovery for the Santander bus tour.

This Santander bus tour includes:

Customized tour of Santander where you can hop on and hop off on any stop of your choice
A Stop to the iconic Sardinero beach and its casino
Option to visit various natural and architectural sites, including the Parque de las Llamas