The meeting will be held in person, at Hotel Santemar, (Calle Joaquin Costa 28, 39005 Santander) located in the famous Sardinero Beach area. Lunch will be served at the Hotel for all participants. You are welcomed to stay at the hotel but prices are not the most affordable in the city given its prime location (expect room rates in the range of 250 EUR a night). Check more affordable options in the accommodations link above
How to get to & transportation in Santander
Arriving from Santander's airport (Seve Ballesteros): Getting to downtown Santander from the airport is reasonably straightforward. There is a bus (S4) which connects every ~ 40 min airport to Santander bus and train stations (in the city center). The fare is around 3.50€ per person and you can consult the time-table here. Alternatively, you can take a taxi from immediately outside the airport terminal, which should cost around 25-30€ to most destinations in the city.
Arriving from Bilbao's Airport: To get from/to Bilbao airport to/from Santander, one option is to take a taxi, which is likely to cost around 180€ (a cheaper premium service is also available on demand with at least one week notice). Please use the slack channel to coordinate with other participants arriving at similar times to Bilbao if you want to share a taxi.
Alternatively, you can take a bus from the airport to Bilbao bus station (~5 EUR and 20 mins trip departing approx every 20 mins, https://www.bilbaoturismo.net/BilbaoTurismo/en/del-aeropuerto-a-bilbao), and then one from Bilbao to Santander (~8 EUR and 90 mins trip departing approax every hour). We reccommend to book the bus from Bilbao to Santander in advance (https://www.alsa.es)
Arriving from Madrid: There are several convenient options to travel from/to Madrid to/from Santander. The fastest route is a ~ 45 min flight with Iberia, which offers three daily departures. Alternatively, you can take a train from Madrid Chamartín train station (that takes ~ 4.5 hours) or a direct bus from Madrid Airport to Santander ( ~ 5-hour trip ~40 EUR, book in advance at https://www.alsa.es). We strongly recommend booking online tickets for both trains and buses well in advance, particularly during the summer season.
Arriving from Barcelona: As Madrid, Barcelona is connected with Santander via airplane. There are also buses but they can take too long (~8 hours) so this option is not recommended. There is no direct train connection with Barcelona.
Ryanair: Santander connects with other cities in Spain and Europe via Ryanair. This may offer a more flexible option specially if you are planning to visit other places in Europe. Check Ryanair website for options
Moving around in Santander
Local buses: Tp check routes, the best option is to use Moovit (https://moovitapp.com), which generally has all the lines, and up-to-date information. You can pay the 1.50€ fare directly on the bus either with cash or card thanks to the contactless terminals.
Taxis: You can request a local taxi to pick you up using the PideTaxi app (https://pidetaxi.es/en/), or by calling +34 942 333 333. Other options are Cabify or Uber.
Electric bikes: You can rent electric bikes at the multiple local stations in the city. This offers an enjoyable way of moving around. If you use it often, reduced fares are available if you get a monthly subscription (one payment of 7 EUR and then 32 cents for the first 1/2 hour use of the bike). You will need a cellphone to unlock and lock the bikes. Download the NextBike app on your cellphone from the official website https://www.tuebici.es/en/
Santander
Santander is known as one of the most elegant and beautiful cities on the north coast of Spain, with a large selection of sandy beaches: from urban beaches to natural coves, but most importantly it is blessed with comfortable temperatures over the summer (very rarely over 30 deg Celsius in summer). It is a popular destination for summer vacation, specially Spaniards as most foreign tourist prefer to cook and overheat in the Mediterranean. Santander is also renowned for its cuisine, in particular fish (specially white tuna and anchovies, a seasonal favorite in summer) and beef (from the best grasslands in Spain).
Some unique landmarks include Palacio de la Magdalena, Centro Botín, Faro de Cabo Mayor, Catedral de Santander, Plaza Velarde, Gran Casino, Parque de Mataleñas. Santander offers multiple water activities on its beaches (surfing, kite surfing, scuba diving) and its bay (sailing, canoeing, water bikes, ...). In addition, you can take a boat-bus to cross the bay to the playas de Somo, a very popular surfing spot.
Some recommended restaurants:
Cañadio, calle Gómez Oreña, 15, 39003 Santander
Kandela, calle Bonifaz 9, 39003 Santander
Cadelo, calle Sta. Lucía, 33, 39003 Santander
Umma, calle del Sol, 47, 39003 Santander, Cantabria
el Serbal, Av. Manuel García Lago, 1 39005 Santander (with one Michelin star award)