Cantabria is one of the northernmost regions of Spain situated along the coast. It belongs to the "Green Spain" section of the country because of its oceanic climate causes pastures and forests to thrive, giving the landscape the familar feel of Ireland, Great Britain and western France. Cantabria is also known for its many beaches and the mountains which offers the tourist a range of hiking trails and ski resorts. The general architecture of Cantabria is generally late gothic, Plateresque or renaissance era. The cuisine of Cantabria ranges mainly from various fish and seafood to meats including beef, ox, deer and boar. The traditional sport of the region is skittles (or "bolos") and skittle rings are important to to every town; generally being located near the town church or pub.
Santander, the capital city of Cantrabria is beautiful and has eleven sandy beaches with clear waters while the city itself provides the tourist a wide variety of options to see and do such as as museums, churches, parks, theatres and even a golf course. Plaza del Generalísimo is the main shopping district in which you can spend hours leisurely purchasing whatever you wish in its numerous stores. And for the more cultured tourist, the annual International Piano Competition held every summer in which talented pianists the world over come to participate. Also held annually in the summer is Santander's International Festival in which the locals celebrate their culture through music and dance.
Outside of the capital, Cantabria also has seven natural and national parks located around the region and its rural countryside is popular with tourists looking for a more relaxing peaceful holiday where they could visit some of Cantabria's many quaint villages or the region's numerous prehistoric caves which explorers can expect to discover life-size replicas of the Altamira Paleolithic cave paintings, the original of which dating back some 15,000 years.
