Cañadío is the neighbourhood that locals head to for a night out — a grid of streets south of the city centre with the highest concentration of bars, pintxos spots, and restaurants in Santander. It is livelier and younger than the formal seafront promenade, and far less touristy than the streets around the cathedral. The neighbourhood takes its name from the Cañadío square, which anchors one end and has an excellent traditional restaurant of the same name that has been popular with the city's political and business class for decades.
An evening in Cañadío follows a familiar northern Spanish rhythm: a walk, a stop at one bar for a drink and a pintxo, then another, then another, with dinner arriving late and unhurried at one of the sit-down restaurants. The streets are narrow enough that the atmosphere spills onto the pavement on warm evenings, and the energy builds steadily from around 9pm until well after midnight.