The Gran Casino del Sardinero is the architectural centrepiece of El Sardinero, sitting on a rise above the beach with a theatrical combination of Baroque excess and seaside confidence. Built in its current form in 1930 on the site of an earlier casino, it features an ornate façade, a grand entrance hall, and a first-floor terrace that surveys the full length of the beach. It is still a functioning casino, but it also operates as a theatre and events venue — the main hall hosts concerts and productions through the year.
Even if you have no interest in gambling or the shows, the building is worth a look from outside and a coffee on the terrace in fine weather. The Casino anchors the Belle Époque identity of El Sardinero more than any other building; walking past it in the evening, with the lights of the promenade and the sound of the sea, is the most evocative way to understand what this resort must have been like at its peak a century ago.