The Altamira Cave displays some of the best examples of Palaeolithic art in the world. Located in northern Spain, the mysterious Altamira Cave reveals home to handprints, writings and cave paintings of bison, horses and deer that lived 20,000 years ago. Closed to most visitors for conservation reasons, the site has a museum where you can see replicas of some parts of the cave.
Altamira has been a source of controversy since his paintings were first discovered in 1879 by an amateur botanist and archaeologist, Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola, on an exploratory visit with his daughter. For decades, his finding was mostly dismissed as false. But in 1902, a French study confirmed that its striking black and red paintings were prehistoric, making Altamira a major tourist destination. In the 1970s, Altamira attracted more than 150,000 people a year.
The site was closed in 1979 to conduct extensive research and determine the impact of tourism, and was later reopened, but with a quota that limited access to 8,500 visitors a year. In 2002, Altamira was completely closed, and they only offered access to a nearby museum that contains an exact replica of a part of the cave. Even with the original cave closed, the Altamira museum and its pealing cave received 250,000 many tourists.
Since 2014, Altamira authorities began allowing five visitors, randomly selected by lottery, to see the Altamira royal cave every Friday morning. To people who enter the museum before 10 o’clock . 30 am on Friday they will be offered an application form if they are interested. The draw takes place at 10:40 in the morning.
Scientists who oppose any type of reopening argue that visitors alter the levels of temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide, which helps spread microbial colonization on the walls and ceiling of the cave, as drafts Caused by visitors erode walls and sediment surfaces.
How to visit the Altamira Caves?
Once a week, on Fridays, there is a 37-minute tour of the Altamira caves. Only five people are chosen by lottery. Strict rules apply regarding proper dress and lighting conditions, and visitors must follow the tour and adhere to the tour times allotted for each section.
The weekly Altamira Cave tour begins at 10:40 am every Friday. Anyone 16 and over who visits the museum between 9:30 AM and 10:30 AM on that day can be chosen and randomly selected for one of the five available spaces. When you enter the museum, a participation request form is given to complete and the conditions of the visit, which must be read and accepted. Any date change will be announced in advance on the Altamira Cave website.
In summary, the conditions, to be chosen and enter the original Altamira Cave, are:
- Get to the Altamira Cave any Friday.
- Buy the ticket at the box office before 10:30 am.
- To be older than 16.
- Wait in the museum hall to find out the result of the draw that takes place at 10:40 am.
Altamira Cave Museum
The New Museum of Altamira, the National Museum and the Research Center of Altamira, is a center for conservation, research and education, which offers a permanent exhibition on “The times of Altamira”, the Neocave and various cultural activities. All written information (ie panels and captions) is available in Spanish and English. You can visit the official website for more information.
Opening times
From May to October, the Altamira Caves are open from Tuesday to Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Sundays and holidays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. From November to April, the caves are open from Tuesday to Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sundays and holidays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The caves are closed on certain holidays.
Tickets to visit the Cave of Altamira and the Museum can be purchased at the box office the same day, online at least 24 hours in advance or through the network of ATMs and Banco Santander offices .
How to get to the Altamira Caves?
The Altamira Museum is 2 km from Santillana del Mar, 30 km from Santander , on the north coast of Spain, halfway between Bilbao and Oviedo. It can only be reached by private transport. From Monday to Friday, the company La Cantábrica makes a trip from Santander to Santillana del Mar , and if the driver is mentioned, he can leave the visitors at the entrance of the cave, although to return you have to look for other options. In the enclosure there is a parking open from 9:30 in the morning and it is free.
