El Capricho de Comillas: Gaudí Beyond Catalonia

A half-day trip from Santander to Comillas, in Cantabria, to see one of the very few buildings that Gaudí built outside of Catalonia. "El Capricho" is one of his early works, and everything is already there: the ceramic sunflowers on the facade, the tower, and the play with the sun's orientation. It is visited with a guided tour of the house. Comillas has more modernist architecture than you might expect in a coastal town in Cantabria. There is the former Major Seminary, by Domènech i Montaner and Joan Martorell, which can be visited as an option; the Palace of Sobrellano; the cemetery with the "Angel Exterminador" (Exterminating Angel); and the fountain of "Los Tres Caños" (The Three Pipes). The tour also includes a walking section through the historic center and a stop at the fishing port. Departure at 9:30 AM and return around 2:30 PM. Pick-up is available at the hotel in Santander or at the Pabellón de la Habana Vieja in Torrelavega. The group is small.