The best beaches on Cantabria's western coast are Oyambre, with nearly two kilometres of dunes inside its nature park; Comillas, urban and family-friendly; El Tostadero in San Vicente de la Barquera, with the Picos de Europa in the background; and Los Locos in Suances, framed by cliffs and with waves good for surfing.
If our guide to the eastern coast heads towards Laredo and Castro-Urdiales, this time the trip runs the other way: west, past Santander, to the Oyambre Natural Park and San Vicente de la Barquera. It's a different kind of landscape — greener, with dunes instead of urban cliffs, and the Picos de Europa showing up in the background of almost every photo. Here the scenery changes scale: the sandy stretches are longer, the sea arrives with more force, and the villages, with their seafaring past, are worth lingering in for more than an afternoon.
This isn't a trip to rush. Between Suances, the closest, and San Vicente, at the western end, there's plenty to see — beaches, yes, but also charming villages and a nature park worth a walk among the dunes. If it's your first week in the area, we recommend pairing it with our guide to beaches near Bareyo: that one covers the four beaches five to twenty minutes away; this route is the plan for the day you want to venture a bit further afield.
Oyambre Beach, the jewel of the western coast
Oyambre beach is the star of the western coast: nearly two kilometres of open sand facing the Cantabrian Sea, with a dune field stretching to the Ría de la Rabia. It sits inside the Oyambre Natural Park, which means zero construction right on the beach and a landscape that's barely changed in decades. The wind tends to blow hard, so it's a beach that appeals to surfers and kitesurfers more than to anyone after totally calm water. It's about four kilometres from Comillas and six from San Vicente de la Barquera, so it's usually combined with either village on the same trip.
Comillas Beach
Right in the village of Comillas, this shell-shaped beach is just over a kilometre long and sheltered from the north winds, which makes it considerably calmer than Oyambre. It has fine sand, a gentle slope and all the amenities of an urban beach — lifeguards in season, showers, easy access — so it works well with young kids. The added bonus is the village itself: Comillas is home to one of Spain's most important collections of Modernist architecture, with Gaudí's El Capricho a ten-minute walk from the sand. It's easy to turn a morning at the beach into an afternoon strolling the historic centre.
El Tostadero and the harbour of San Vicente de la Barquera
San Vicente de la Barquera is, for many, Cantabria's most photogenic town: a seafaring village built over an estuary, with a medieval bridge of nearly 30 arches and a 13th-century castle keeping watch from above. Its beach, El Tostadero, unfolds right across from the old town, with the Picos de Europa outlined in the background on clear days — one of those views worth seeing at least once. The waterfront still carries on its old fishing trade: it's common to find boats moored beside the fish market, and to eat seafood fresh off the boat just steps from the sand. To avoid parking headaches in August, the town hall's municipal information page lists access routes and designated parking areas.
Los Locos Beach, in Suances
Suances is the closest stop on this route and also the most different: here there are no dunes or estuaries, just a cliff dropping straight to the sand. Los Locos beach is part of a surf reserve it shares with the neighbouring Playa de La Tablía, and the swell — more open and powerful than on sheltered beaches — draws plenty of surfers from early morning. It's not the easiest beach for a relaxed day with young children, but it's one of the most spectacular on the entire western coast, with the village perched above the cliff and views that shift completely with the tide.
What you need to know
Distance from Bareyo: Suances, the closest, about 50 minutes via the N-611 and A-8. Comillas, just over an hour. Oyambre and San Vicente de la Barquera, at the western end of the route, around 1h15. With young kids: Comillas, for its amenities and sheltered beach. Oyambre and Los Locos, better for those after surf or waves. Parking: plentiful at Oyambre, next to the nature park; limited in central San Vicente and Comillas in high season — best to arrive before 11am. Before you go: if you're after something closer to the villas, check our guide to beaches near Bareyo first; and if you'd rather stay on the eastern coast, we also have the route to Laredo, Santoña and Castro-Urdiales.
The western coast changes scale entirely: dunes instead of urban cliffs, and the Picos de Europa showing up in the background of almost every photo.
Heading west from Bareyo means changing scenery without leaving Cantabria: from the sheltered beaches of the municipality to the dunes of Oyambre, charming villages and the backdrop of the Picos de Europa. It's a full-day trip, but one that goes by fast.
Bareyo Residences sits right at the starting point of both routes, east and west. Available for booking from September 2027.
