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Why should I go? For the Spanish Brighton - a city with some of the best urban beaches in Europe and lots of sparky seaside nightlife, all squashed beneath the serrated skyline of the Picos de Europa.

Santander has been popular with Spanish holidaymakers ever since Alfonso XIII and his entourage chose to spend their summers among the tumble of turrets and gables that make up the Magdalena Palace, a century ago. Yet foreigners prefer the southern costas, so you’ll be hard-pressed to bump into a single Brit.

Less than two hours’ flight from Stansted, the airport is so close to town, you could almost walk in - but take a cab and save your shoe leather for promenading down Paseo de Pereda, the boulevard that separates the coastal strip from the historic quarter. The minute you get there, you’ll feel the energy of the place.

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What should I do? At weekends, Santanderinos make for the beaches strung around the Magdalena peninsula. Choose between the big, sandy swathe of El Sardinero and itsy-bitsy Bikini beach - the first in Spain to allow daring two-piece swimwear.

Next, grab a free bike (available from several spots in town) and cycle from the belle époque casino to Magdalena park, which has a little zoo. Stop along the way at the Museum of Prehistory and Archeology, which is stocked with anthropological booty from the nearby Cantabrian caves; or walk beneath a flying whale (a 60-ton skeletal one) suspended on the ceiling at the Maritime Museum. Check out the Goyas at the Fine Arts Museum, then people-watch on the steps of the 13th-century cathedral as churchgoers emerge and head for a few glasses of nonCommunion wine.

Evenings are for the movida - drinks, dinner and a wander between the bars and clubs that cluster the port district. Plaza Cañadio, in the middle of the old town, is where it all begins, with young Santanderinos necking calemocho – an evil cocktail of red wine and cola.

In the small hours, it’s time to move on to El Rocambole (Calle Hernan Cortes 37), a jazz and blues joint, or El Dragon (Calle Tetuan), a club fitted out like a medieval castle, where the entertainment includes drag shows and quick-change artists.

Where do I stay? For kingly splendour, it has to be the Real (00 34-942 272550, www.hotelreal.es ; doubles from £120), built by Alfonso XIII to house his court. The hotel’s old-world elegance is now married with modern trimmings, but characterful features remain - including the antique lift, complete with upholstered seat.

Hotel Bahia (942 205000, www.gruposardinero.com ; doubles from £102) has huge views and a good restaurant that serves dinner ridiculously early for Santander - from 8pm. Simpler, and hard to miss, thanks to its violent-blue facade, is the three-star Central (942 222400, www.elcentral.com ), which offers functional rooms in the centre of the old town; from £60.

Where do I eat? At lunchtime, try a slice of manic market life in the covered Mercado del Este, where La Casa del Indiano serves succulent skewers of local beef on a bed of peppers, or grilled monkfish, for about £15 a pop. For dessert, it’s just a stroll along the street to the deco-style Cafe de Pombo (Calle Hernan Cortes 21), a great place to sample Spanish cakes: don’t miss the spongy, buttery sobaos pasiegos.

El Puerto (Calle Hernan Cortes 63; 942 213001) is one of the oldest seafood restaurants in the Barrio Pesquero fishing quarter: it claims to have served five Nobel laureates on the same night, but bigger draws are the prizewinning platters of percebes (lightly steamed barnacles) and salpicon de bogavante (lobster cocktail). Expect to pay £30£35pp.

Or take your pick from the tapas on offer in the bodegas that are dotted around the port: rabas (squid rings) and fried chorizo at Bodega Mazon (Calle Hernan Cortes 57), or bocartes rebozados (breaded whitebait) and a nifty glass of Rioja at Bodega Cigaleña (Calle Daoiz y Velarde 19), which doubles as a wine museum.

How do I get there? Ryanair (www.ryanair.com ) flies to Santander from Stansted and Dublin. There are frequent buses from the airport into the town centre; a taxi costs £12.

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