What you can see on the Comillas webcam
The camera stands on the small harbour at the western end of the beach and turns through a round of fixed positions, sending a still picture from each. From one picture to the next it looks across the water to the sand and the white railings of the promenade, zooms in on the beach bars and the people walking by the waves, follows the harbour wall out to the pier head and the open sea, and turns to the fishing boats tied up at the quay and the old fish market. Every picture is stamped with the date and time.
Comillas webcam: the beach, the harbour and the town on the hill
This camera belongs to Puertos de Cantabria, the regional ports authority, and stands on the quay of Comillas harbour, at the western end of the town beach. It is a rotating camera: it moves through a fixed round of positions and sends a still picture from each, so the view changes from one picture to the next. Some look across the water to the beach, with the white railings of the promenade, the beach bars and the houses climbing the hill; others follow the harbour wall out to the pier head and the open sea, or turn to the fishing boats and the old fish market with its arched windows. A few point back along the quay, to the slipway where boats are hauled out on a wheeled cradle and the white harbour house with its red roof. The beach views show how big the waves are, how busy the sand is and the state of the tide: at low water a reef of dark rocks shows in front of the beach. It is a still image, not a video, with the date and time in the corner; a new one arrives every few minutes and may come from another position.
Whalers, a king and Gaudí
The harbour was begun in 1603 and finished in 1716, when Comillas still sent its boats out after right whales in winter; the whaling ended in 1720. The town's second life came with Antonio López, the first Marquis of Comillas, who brought King Alfonso XII here in 1881 and filled the hill with grand buildings: the Sobrellano Palace, the old Pontifical University and El Capricho, an early villa by Antoni Gaudí. Since 2024 Comillas has been one of the "most beautiful villages in Spain".
When to watch Comillas
Comillas is one hour ahead of the UK and Ireland. The beach faces the open Bay of Biscay, so the waves change a lot from one day to the next, and the tide, which rises and falls several metres on this coast, changes both the width of the sand and the water level in the harbour. Summer brings the crowds, above all in August; in autumn and winter the camera shows grey seas and an empty beach.
Around Comillas
To the west, the dunes and the long beach of Oyambre lie within the Oyambre Natural Park, and San Vicente de la Barquera is a short drive beyond. Santillana del Mar and Suances are to the east.
Visiting Comillas
The beach is right below the town centre and easy to reach on foot, with the harbour at its western end. El Capricho and the Sobrellano Palace are open to visitors; check their opening times before you go.
