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Altamira caves
Contact details
Zona Cuevas de Altamira
39330
Santillana, Santillana del Mar, Cantabria
(Cantabria)
http://museodealtamira.mcu.es
Tel.:+34 942818005
Tel.:+34 942818815
Fax.:+34 942840157
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World Heritage, a certification granted by UNESCO.
Description
Important examples of prehistoric rock art
The paintings are some 14,000 years old and have the World Heritage designation.
The cave has an irregular shape and is some 270 metres in length. It has an entrance hall, main gallery and side hall, and contains some of the world's best examples of prehistoric rock art. The drawings are some 14,000 years old and show bison, deer, boar, horses… They are painted using natural, red-coloured ochre and outlined in black. To ensure their conservation, the cave structure and paintings have been painstakingly reproduced, using the same painting techniques, in the Altamira Museum's Neo-cave. Visitors can marvel at the details of the great ceiling with its polychrome bison, and visit the painters' workshop, where they can hear an explanation of the techniques used to create this masterpiece of rock art.
- Construction:
- Caves and tourist mines
- Artistic period:
- Prehistoria
- Setting:
- The town of Santillana del Mar is 2 kilometres away, and offers a range of historical and cultural attractions.
Practical information
Schedule
- From May 01 to Oct 31
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From Tuesday to Saturday
From 09:30 to 20:00
Public holidays and Sundays
From 09:30 to 15:00
Closing days: Monday
- From Nov 01 to Apr 30
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From Tuesday to Saturday
From 09:30 to 18:00
Public holidays and Sundays
From 09:30 to 15:00
Closed: 1 and 6 January, 1 May, 28 June; 24, 25 and 31 December.
The times and prices are for the Altamira Museum because it is not possible to visit the Altamira Caves.
Closing days: Monday
Prices
General: €3
Reduced: €1,50
Free after 2:30 pm on Saturday, all day Sunday, 18 April, 12 October, 6 December and 18 May.