El Castillo Caves and Paleolithic Art tour from Santander

Bestseller

Sport lovers

Nature Lovers

Location: Cantabria, Spain

Activity: Cycling, Sightseeing

Languages spoken: English, Spanish

Duration: 5 hrs

Difficulty: Moderate

Meeting point:

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Minimum age: 4

Person (13-70)

65.00 €

Infant

15.00 €

Child (6-12)

32.00 €

Total price 65.00 €

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Good to know: You can only buy this activity for 8 persons at a time. If you require more places, kindly place more orders.

Duration: 5 hrs

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Available from: 02/01/2025

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Highlights

Visit the famous Cave of El Castillo or Cave of the Hands
Visit the cave of Las Monedas with high geological and historical value
Visit the new center of Rupestrial Art of Puente Viesgo
Learn about paleolithic art in Cantabria
Walk around the village of Puente Viesgo and the Pas river
Enjoy the landscape of the Pasiego Valleys.

All about the trip

We will pick you up at your hotel in Santander and drive Puente Viesgo, where the famous caves of El Castillo and Las Monedas are. Both caves are World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2008 because of their cave art.

El Castillo cave was discovered in 1903 by Hermilio Alcalde del Río. This cave is famous for its paintings which are considered among the oldest in the world. The silhouettes of hands in negative are famous, which according to archaeologists belong to more than 50 different people, most of them women, also one of the oldest representations of a constellation and representations of the fauna that coexisted with the successive human groups that inhabited the cave. The skeletal remains studied to date indicate that Neanderthals and homo sapiens cohabited in this cave, something unique in prehistory.

Although Las Monedas Cave does not have such a variety of pictorial periods, it will offer us beautiful silhouettes drawn in charcoal of various animals from the Magdalenian period. This cave also has a high geological value, so you will also enjoy the game of colors and shapes that this cave gives us through its stalactites, stalagmites, lava flows, flags, etc...

Our next stop will be to visit the recently inaugurated Rupestrial Art Interpretation Center, an ideal visit to complement the experience of visiting the caves and that will help us to better understand the origin and development of rock art. Finally, we will take a brief walk through Puente Viesgo to see its greenway, the endearing Pas River, its historic town hall and church, as well as the Puente Viesgo spa that has contributed so much to the development of this small inland town.

If you come to Cantabria and you like rock art, this is a must-visit!

What Wikipedia Says

What is included in the price

Tour leader
Pick-up and drop-off
Private Transport
Entry tickets for El Castillo Cave
Entry ticket for Las Monedas Cave
Entrance tickets ethnographic Museum
Insurance
** PLEASE NOTICE THE GUIDED VISIT INTO THE CAVE IS ONLY IN SPANISH AVAILABLE- your guide will access with you into the cave and translate it for you into English

What is not included in the price

Food and drinks

Activity not suitable for people with reduced mobility

Instructions

You must be at the meeting point at least 10 minutes prior to the meeting time.

For hotel pick-up in Santander, please send us an email with your hotel address to: info@exploringcantabria.com

What to take with you?

The caves are slick so we recommend wearing non-slip shoes The average temperature of the cave is 14°C, so we highly recommend you to bring a jacket or warm clothes.

Where do we meet and where will the trip end?

Meeting place:

Calle Castelar 25, 39004 Santander or
your hotel in Santander

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Final destination:

Same as the meeting point

Cancellation Policy - Medium

Cancellation more than 10 days prior to the starting date. Clients are automatically refunded the full booking price.
Cancellation within 4 to 10 days prior to the starting date. Clients are entitled to a 50% refund of the booking Price.
Cancellation less than 4 days prior to the starting date. No refunds.

The full Terms and Conditions are available on our website.

This activity is organised by Viajes Exploring Cantabria, Paseo Pereda 23/- 1º piso, Santander, Cantabria, 39004, Spain, +34 942 87 35 29, info@exploringcantabria.com.