Centro Botín
Art centre of the Botín Foundation in Santander, designed by Renzo Piano over the bay, with exhibitions, cultural activities and creativity programmes.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Centro Botín is the most important project of the Botín Foundation, created in 1964 by Marcelino Botín Sanz de Sautuola and his wife Carmen Yllera. It makes public the art programme that the foundation has carried out since the 1980s with the support of its art advisory committee, focused on training, support for creation and research. The foundation's collection reflects that programme and is shown regularly.
The building, opened in 2017, is the work of the architect Renzo Piano, Pritzker Prize winner, in collaboration with luis vidal + arquitectos. It is suspended on pillars, like a pier over the sea, at the height of the treetops of the Jardines de Pereda, and is organised into two volumes joined by a structure of squares and walkways called “pachinko”. One volume is devoted to art, with two exhibition rooms totalling 2,500 m²; the other houses cultural and training activities, with an auditorium for 300 people, classrooms and a rooftop with views over the bay. The works included a 219-metre tunnel and the extension of the Jardines de Pereda, which doubled their size.
The centre's mission is to awaken creative capacity through the arts. Its training programme draws on the research of the Botín Foundation with the Yale University Center for Emotional Intelligence, and brings together exhibitions, music, film, theatre, literature and dance, with more than 300 activities a year.
Highlights
- Renzo Piano building suspended over the Jardines de Pereda and the bay
- Two exhibition rooms of 2,500 m² with modern and contemporary art
- Pachinko: squares and walkways linking the two volumes of the building
- Rooftop with views over the bay of Santander
- Creativity programmes for children, families and adults
- Founded
- 2017
- Operated by
- Fundación Botín
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €9 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €5People over 65, students aged 18 to 25, people with disabilities and large families, with accreditation. |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 17 · Free admission for under-18s, with accreditation. |
| Seniors | €5Reduced rate from 65 years, with accreditation. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €5Reduced rate with accreditation. |
| Students & apprentices | €5Students aged 18 to 25, with accreditation. |
| Groups (6+ people) | €7 per personPrice per person for groups of 6 or more; €8 at the ticket office. |
| Families | €5Reduced rate for large families, with accreditation. |
Free admission: 18 May (International Museum Day) and 12 October (Día de la Hispanidad), open-door days.
The prices shown are for online purchase; at the ticket office the general admission costs €10 and the reduced rate €6. Admission covers the whole visit: the collection and the temporary exhibitions. It is free for Friends of the Centro Botín and holders of the Pase Cántabro, and free with accreditation for unemployed people, sponsors, accredited journalists and members of ICOM, CIMAM, IAC and Sotheby's Preferred, as well as holders of the SOY card from Mutua Madrileña. Anyone who presents a high-speed or long-distance Renfe train ticket to Santander at the ticket office receives a 20% discount on general admission.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The centre has the TUR4all accessible tourism mark and offers resources adapted to different needs (a downloadable document with accessibility information is available). Floor support staff answer questions during the visit.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 17 |
|---|---|
| Family ticket | €5 · Reduced rate for large families, with accreditation. |
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Baby changing facilities
There is a “baby space”, a quiet place for feeding or looking after the youngest children, and toilets with changing tables. Each exhibition has a specific route for children and families, and the centre runs activities and workshops for children and families.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Jardines de Pereda (autobús urbano)
Several urban bus lines stop at the Jardines de Pereda. The central bus station and the Renfe and Feve stations are about 900 metres away, roughly 10 minutes on foot.
By car
Parking available
Public car parks: Alfonso XIII (240 metres away), Machichaco (260 metres), Pombo (400 metres) and Ayuntamiento (600 metres).
The centre is next to the Estación Marítima de Santander. There are bicycle racks on Paseo de Pereda, next to the Tourist Office, and in the centre's amphitheatre. The nearest taxi ranks are at Paseo de Pereda, 22 and Calle Calvo Sotelo, 16.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Restaurant
- Museum shop
- Wi-Fi
In El Muelle, the glazed space on the ground floor with access from the Jardines de Pereda, you can rest, read and connect to the free Wi-Fi; there are also La Tienda, the Café Centro Botín (telephone 942 047 150), the information desks and ticket sales.
Events & venue rental
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tours with a mediator last one hour, leave every half hour during opening hours and are offered in Spanish, English, French, German and Italian; they are booked online at least 48 hours in advance (admission cost plus €90 for a Spanish-speaking guide or €130 in another language). Groups with their own guide pay €7 per person. For each exhibition there is free preparation material for visits for adults, young people, children and families, which can be collected at the ticket office or downloaded from the website. There are also school visits. |
