The Paseo de Pereda is the grand seafront promenade that runs along the bay from the old port to the Jardines de Pereda and the Centro Botín. Lined with handsome early 20th-century buildings, palm trees, and the constant movement of the fishing fleet, ferries, and pleasure craft in the harbour, it is the social spine of Santander — the place where the city takes its evening paseo and where the best views of the bay open up.
The promenade is at its most animated in the late afternoon and evening, when families, cyclists, and couples fill the broad pavement. At one end, the fishing port unloads its catch in the early morning; at the other, the gardens and the jutting forms of the Centro Botín frame a view across the water toward the green hills of the opposite shore. The cafés along the Paseo are good for a morning coffee with a view, though the most interesting bars and pintxos spots are in the streets one block back.