The pretty Jardines de Pereda (Pereda's Gardens) are named after the Cantabrian writer José María de Pereda, whose seminal work, Escenas Montañesas, is illustrated in bronze and stone here.
The bayfront promenade fronting the Jardines de Pereda continues east to the Puerto Chico (Little Port) marina. Half the city seems to stroll here on summer evenings. Both Paseo de Pereda and Calle Castelar, opposite Puerto Chico, are dotted with lively cafes and lined with grand buildings characterised by their glassed-in balconies.
You can't miss the 1875 Banco Santander building, with the arch in the middle, across the street from the Jardines de Pereda. The Santander is now one of the world's biggest banks, so the architectural grandiloquence is not entirely misplaced.
