Visit The Altamira Museum And The Neo-cave In Cantabria

Any trip to Cantabria must include a visit to the Altamira Museum. Located in Santillana del Mar, very close to the famous cave, it is one of the most interesting places in the region. It is completely different from the rest of the things you can see in this fabulous autonomous community in northern Spain.

In the Altamira Museum pieces found in the cave are exhibited. And thanks to the audiovisual material you will be able to discover the evolutionary process of man. But, without a doubt, what will surprise you the most is the Neocueva, a life-size reproduction of the Altamira cave.

The Altamira Museum

Although Santillana del Mar is a town that is attractive in itself, many are the people who come to it attracted by the Altamira cave. This is the first cave in which cave art belonging to the Upper Paleolithic was found.

This permanent exhibition is divided into several phases. The first space is called The Discovery of Art and focuses on the figure of the discoverer of art in Altamira, Marcelino Sanz.

The second space is dedicated to prehistoric archeology. This science is what develops a theory of what life was like then with the evidence we have now. There is also an area that explains what humans were like before the cave was inhabited.

In addition, the museum makes a comprehensive analysis of what the day-to-day life of the inhabitants of this place was like more than 10,000 years ago. Not only the hunting methods or the ways of exploiting the raw materials that they had at their disposal count. There is also a place in the museum dedicated to the beginnings of human art.

The Neocave

There are several examples of rock art in the museum, but the best way to get an idea of ​​what life was like at that time is in the Neocave. This experience offered in the Altamira museum is unique, since it allows you to get to know the cave without damaging the original one.

In the Neo- cave there is a reproduction very similar to the real cave. Before arriving, you pass through various stages with posters and explanatory videos. These show the ways of life of the inhabitants of the place between 35,000 and 13,000 years ago.

Not only has the reproduction of the paintings been taken care of in detail. The atmosphere is total, as the speakers emit sounds typical of a cave and the light is dim.

In this space you will see what the stone ceilings are like with the most famous cave paintings found in Spain. Bison, horses and deer captured in the cold rock are the oldest known works of art from the Iberian Peninsula. In this space of the museum you can get an idea of ​​what they are like in reality.

Visit the Altamira cave

The Neo- cave is spectacular, but if you want to go further, you can try to get to know the original Altamira cave. There is no better memory of a trip to Cantabria than this one. Although yes, it is difficult to get access to it.

Only about 200 or 250 people can visit the Altamira caves a year. A weekly entry is made and there are very strict limits to preserve this treasure of rock art in the best conditions.

Only five people can enter each visit. The tour lasts just half an hour. In addition, a strict clothing and lighting protocol is followed to avoid any type of damage.

These visits to the cave take place on Fridays at 10:40 am. The lucky ones are chosen by lot from the visitors who enter the museum that day between 9:30 and 10:30.

If it’s Friday and you’re in Santillana del Mar, don’t hesitate to try your luck. Visit the Altamira Museum to see if you are one of the lucky ones who gets to see the caves. Although on some occasion it has been necessary to suspend the program due to the delicate environmental conditions of the cave.