English Coach waiting at the ferry
Tell us the ship and sailing date; if disembarkation runs late, the driver waits at no extra cost.
Whether your group rolls off the ferry from Portsmouth or gathers at a hotel on El Sardinero, a minibus or coach with its own driver keeps everyone together on one vehicle, at a price agreed before you leave. Zonetransfers handles anything from a 16-seat minibus for a golf society to a fleet of coaches for a conference at La Magdalena Palace.
Brittany Ferries sails between Santander and Portsmouth for most of the year, and to Plymouth from spring to autumn. The ferry berths right in the city centre, so your coach can be waiting as you walk off, ready to start a tour of northern Spain or head straight to the hotel.
Tell us the ship and sailing date; if disembarkation runs late, the driver waits at no extra cost.
Cantabria, Asturias, the Basque Country or Burgos, with the same driver every day.
Riders crossing by ferry can load bikes boxed or bagged in the coach hold.
Tour operators running regular departures can work with trade terms through our B2B area for travel agencies.
Choose by passengers and luggage together: twenty people with suitcases need more space than twenty with daypacks. Not sure? Describe the trip and we will suggest the right size.
| Passengers | Vehicle | Luggage | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 – 16 | Minibus | Rear boot for cabin bags and daypacks | Golf fourballs, wedding guests, small study groups |
| 17 – 25 | Large minibus | Small luggage hold | Clubs, choirs and extended families |
| 26 – 35 | Midi coach | Medium hold | School groups on narrow mountain roads |
| 36 – 54 | Full-size coach | Large hold for suitcases, bikes and golf bags | Ferry tours, conferences, sports teams |
| 55 and over | Several coaches | Per vehicle | Large events, with one coordinator |
Five to eight of you? A people carrier is enough: see our hourly car and driver hire in Santander or the private transfers from Santander. Models and photos in our fleet.
These are the full-day trips groups based in the city ask for most. Times are measured from central Santander and every route can be tailored.
The La Hermida gorge, the market town of Potes and the Fuente Dé cable car, which lifts you about 750 metres up the rock face in a few minutes.
115 km (71 mi) to Potes · 1 h 45 min
Bears, elephants and giraffes roaming an old open-cast mine. Groups can drive round the park in their own coach.
17 km (11 mi) · 20 min
The Altamira museum and its full-size replica cave, two kilometres from a perfectly kept medieval village.
30 km (19 mi) · 25 min
El Capricho, one of the few Gaudí buildings outside Catalonia, plus the Sobrellano palace above a fishing village.
50 km (31 mi) · 40 min
Anchovy canneries in Santoña, the long La Salvé beach and Castro's Gothic church on the harbour.
50 – 75 km · 35 – 50 min
The cave shrine of Covadonga and the fishing port of Llanes, an easy westward day along the A-8.
95 km (59 mi) to Llanes · 1 h
Frank Gehry's museum, the Old Town's seven streets and the riverside, an hour and ten minutes east.
100 km (62 mi) · 1 h 10 min
A minibus and driver ready in Santander for a group day out.
Cantabria is Seve Ballesteros country: he grew up in Pedreña, across the bay from Santander, and learned the game at Real Golf de Pedreña.
A minibus or coach with room in the hold for every golf bag, collecting from your hotel each morning.
Tee times set the schedule: the driver waits at the clubhouse and takes the group back once the round and lunch are over.
Courses such as Pedreña, Abra del Pas and Santa Marina, and Mataleñas within the city itself, are all within easy reach for a multi-round trip.
Every trip gets its own fixed quote, because six things drive the price. Knowing them helps you send the right details and compare quotes on what they include, not just the total.
| Factor | Effect |
|---|---|
| Size of vehicle | A 16-seat minibus costs less per hour than a 54-seat coach |
| Hours on hire | A one-way drop is cheaper than a day with the driver waiting for you |
| Distance | A shuttle round El Sardinero is not priced like a day in the Picos de Europa |
| Date | Late July, August and wedding Saturdays are in highest demand |
| Nights away | On multi-day tours the driver's hotel and meals are added |
| Driving-time rules | Very long days can need extra breaks or a second driver |
The vehicle, the driver, fuel and compulsory passenger insurance, plus the driver's hotel and meals on overnight trips. Nothing is added on the day.
Our most requested mountain day, planned for a midi coach or full-size coach with realistic timings.
The cable car runs in turns and summer queues can be long, so groups of 30 or more should aim for the first departures. The La Hermida road is narrow and winding, and for up to 35 people we usually suggest a midi coach.
Santander's venues and hotels are spread between the centre and El Sardinero, so most events need shuttles.
Shuttles from hotels to the Magdalena Palace, on a peninsula where vehicle access is controlled.
Frequent loops at peak times and extra vehicles for the gala dinner.
Audience groups for the August International Festival and visits to the Centro Botín.
A single contact for every vehicle at your event, with schedules in writing.
Many Cantabrian weddings take place in old stone manor houses, palaces and country estates within an hour of the city, some reached by narrow lanes.
Schools travelling from the UK by ferry, and Spanish schools alike, book us for coach days with pick-up and return at agreed times.
Two classic school days out, 20 minutes and an hour from Santander.
Prehistoric art with guided visits, easily paired with Santillana del Mar.
Santander is a stage on the northern route; we move pilgrim groups and rucksacks between stages.
EU Regulation 561/2006 caps driving at 9 hours a day, extendable to 10 hours twice a week, with a 45-minute break after 4.5 hours at the wheel. Those limits shape every long day trip and multi-day tour.
| Situation | How we plan it |
|---|---|
| Day trip to Fuente Dé or Covadonga | Planned stops that cover the compulsory break |
| More than 9 hours of driving | A second driver, or the trip split over two days |
| Multi-day tour | At least 11 hours' daily rest for the driver, reducible to 9 on some days |
Santander's Seve Ballesteros airport is about 5 km from the city centre, and Bilbao airport about 100 km away, roughly an hour on the A-8. For groups, the vehicle waits in arrivals, tracks the real landing time and takes everyone straight to their hotels.
As well as day trips, we run one-way and return group journeys: away matches, conferences in Madrid, breaks in Asturias or multi-day tours with the driver at your disposal.
Coach ready in Santander for a group departure.
One person on our team handles your booking from first message to final drop-off.
The agreed price does not change, even if the day overruns for a reason on our side.
La Hermida, Cabárceno's internal roads, the Magdalena peninsula and wedding venue lanes.
Read our customer reviews before you decide.
These are the weeks when free vehicles are hardest to find in the city; if your trip falls in one, book early.
| When | What happens | What to bear in mind |
|---|---|---|
| March – November | Plymouth ferry season | More UK groups and tours arriving by sea |
| June – September | Summer courses at La Magdalena Palace | Shuttles between hotels and the Magdalena peninsula |
| July | Baños de Ola and Semana Grande | Road closures in the centre and busy weekends |
| August | Santander International Festival | Audience groups for the Palacio de Festivales |
| May – October | Wedding season | Saturdays booked months ahead |
| December – March | Snow at Alto Campoo | School ski trips with kit in the hold |
Cancel at no cost up to four days before departure.
Individuals pay by card on acceptance; schools, clubs and companies receive an invoice.
Full details are in our terms and conditions. Starting somewhere else? See minibus and bus hire with driver across Spain or private transfers across Spain.
Each group gets a fixed quote, because the price depends on the number of seats, hours on hire, distance and date. The driver, fuel and passenger insurance are always included, plus the driver's hotel on overnight trips. A short shuttle around the city costs far less than a full day in the Picos de Europa, roughly 115 km each way.
Yes. The Brittany Ferries berth is in central Santander and the coach waits as you come off, with a hold for suitcases and bikes. Send us the ship name and arrival date; if disembarkation is delayed, the driver waits and the agreed price stays the same. From there you can start a tour or go straight to your hotel.
Minibuses with 9 to 16 seats and larger ones up to 25, midi coaches of around 35 seats and full-size coaches with up to 54 seats and a big luggage hold. For bigger groups we combine several coaches under one coordinator. Five to eight people are better served by a people carrier, which is cheaper and easier to park in the centre.
Yes. A full-size coach takes a golf bag for every player in the hold, and a minibus suits smaller societies with fewer bags. The driver collects you each morning, waits at the clubhouse and brings you back after the round. Real Golf de Pedreña, where Seve Ballesteros learned to play, is about 25 minutes from central Santander.
Yes, the road from Potes runs right up to the cable car car park, about 23 km beyond the town. The La Hermida gorge section is narrow and winding, so for groups of up to 35 we suggest a midi coach. From Santander allow a little over two hours each way, including a short break along the route.
Yes. Groups can tour the park in their own coach along the internal roads linking the bear, elephant, gorilla and giraffe enclosures, stopping at the car parks by each one. Cabárceno is about 17 km from Santander, some twenty minutes away, and it is the most popular school day out in Cantabria.
For a weekday, a few days is usually enough. In July, with the Baños de Ola and Semana Grande, in August for the International Festival and on wedding Saturdays between May and October, book one or two months ahead. For conferences needing several coaches, the earlier we know the numbers, the easier it is to guarantee the fleet.
Yes. We plan group tours across Cantabria, Asturias, the Basque Country and Castile and León, with the same driver throughout and their hotel and meals already in the quote. Send us your day-by-day route and we adjust timings to respect the 9-hour daily driving limit set by EU rules, adding a second driver when a day needs one.
Yes. Add the organisation's legal name, tax number and billing address when booking and the invoice arrives by email once the job is done. Schools, agencies and companies that move groups around Santander regularly can have one combined monthly invoice and a named contact who handles all their departures with us.
Yes. Cancelling is free with at least 96 hours' notice. If the number of passengers, the time or a stop changes, send us a WhatsApp and we will review the vehicle and the price. For events with several coaches, we agree a cut-off date with the organisers for confirming exactly how many vehicles will run.
Tell us the group size, the date and the route, and Zonetransfers will send a fixed-price proposal with the vehicle that suits your group.
Content reviewed by Marcos Madrid Ximénez, passenger transport expert and travel agency specialist (LinkedIn). Spotted something out of date? Email info@zonetransfers.com and we will fix it.
We booked a transfer from London Heathrow to Brighton for a few days by the sea. It was nice to get straight into the car after landing instead of dealing with trains and luggage. The journey was comfortable and everything went as planned.(10/29/2026) William Brooks
Used Zonetransfers for a trip from Milan to Lake Como. The pickup was arranged in advance, which made planning the day easier. Comfortable journey and no issues along the way.(10/21/2026) Daniel Foster
We travelled from Athens Airport to Piraeus Port to catch a ferry. Having the transfer arranged in advance took some of the stress out of the journey. We got to the port with time to spare.(10/15/2026) Sophie Williams
Booked a private transfer from Rome Fiumicino Airport to our accommodation in the city. We had quite a bit of luggage and didn't fancy dealing with public transport. Everything went smoothly(10/11/2026) Thomas Reed
We needed a transfer from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to our hotel near the Eiffel Tower. The driver was easy to find and we went straight to the hotel. Just what we needed after a long flight.(10/02/2026) Emily Parker
We booked a transfer from Faro Airport to Lagos. There were four of us with suitcases, so having a car waiting for us made things much easier. Straightforward booking and a comfortable journey(09/29/2026) Oliver Bennett
I had a 5:30 AM pickup for the airport in Alicante. The driver arrived 10 minutes early, sent a polite text to let me know he was waiting outside, and handled everything with absolute professionalism.(09/23/2026) David Miller
We used Zonetransfers for airport transfers back and forth during a family trip to Madrid. On-time pickups, comfortable vehicles, and very friendly drivers. Will definitely use them again.(09/15/2026) Evelyn Campbell
Booked a private transfer from Barcelona Airport to our city-center hotel. Our driver, David, was exceptionally polite, helped with our heavy luggage, and gave us a few great local tips on the way.(09/11/2026) Rachel Henderson
What I appreciate most is knowing the exact cost upfront without unexpected luggage surcharges or meter surprises. Quick booking on the website and excellent customer support throughout.(09/06/2026) Emma Reed