Cave of El Castillo

Unreal feeling of experiencing the meticulously preserved world of our early ancestors and distant relatives (neanderthals) and finding traces of their continual artistic expression and creativity from at least 40,000 to 13,000 years ago. The paintings may not be as spectacular as in Altamira, but the feeling you get from seeing an authentic bison sketch or a hand print that a paleolitic human created thousands of years ago cannot be compared with experiencing replicas of Altamira or Lascaux that are open for the public. The cave itself is very large and spectacularly beautiful inside, with stalactites creating beautiful patterns and shapes. The area surrounding the cave is also very scenic. The tours are guided in very small groups and by reservation only (can be done on their web site) and by default in Spanish only. However, the guide was so incredibly kind and knowledgeable and spoke so clearly that my basic Spanish was enough to understand most of the explanations. He claimed he didn't speak English and then answered all my questions and provided translations of the most important information during the tour in perfect English. When Spaniards tell you they don't speak English, they mean they dont speak it as well as their native language ;) It is incredible how much insight about the past scientists can glean from the paintings thanks to the modern technology, but it is even more mind boggling how much we dont know - the guide pointed out many curious tidbits that leave you wondering about the meaning and the purpose that motivated the early humans to create those masterpieces. From what I understand it is possible to ask for an English language tour if you contact the office well in advance. Sadly, photo/video is not allowed inside the cave. Tip - it is quite cold inside, so bring a jacket. Also, there is no coffee shop, only vending machine that doesn't accept credit cards, coins only. A bit disappointing, but what do you expect from a paleolitic cave?

This is the top of my Spain visit. Wow, impressed by the knowledge of the guides, the flexibility and the explanation. Meet the artist of thousands years ago. Although I belief the hands are more a prize for killing an animal, 'Hey Juan, you just killed a deer again. Put your hand on the rock and we will all remember you as the deer hunter'. The dots also puzzles me. Perhaps a stick was put beneath a dot, counting the days that the hunters were gone. Every day we move the stick further. I am impressed also to do this. I tried it myself with charcoal on a rock but a mistake is not easily erased.

Anna gave us an exceptional tour of the prehistoric art in the cave. Her deep knowledge, engaging storytelling, and passion brought the history to life in a way that was both educational and unforgettable. She made the experience truly special, and we feel very fortunate to have learned from her. Thank you, Anna—we will treasure this experience for a lifetime!

In these caves you are still able to enter and see the real paintings unlike in Altamira

Very pretty place, very small tour groups too, which made the visit all the more enjoyable. I wish more places followed this example. Book early to avoid disappointment.

We booked the tickets in advance as there is a limit on the number of people for each tour. The visitors center is on the way to the cave but we drove directly to the cave. They want everybody to collect tickets in the visitors centre so few people has to go back. We were lucky we had the tickets in the mobile but they warned is the office at the entry of the cave may close soon. It doesn’t make any sense. Guides are nice but tours are only in Spanish that doesn’t make much se se either. Inside the cave can be slippery.

A mind-blowing experience that is a must-see if you’re in the area. The cave is all walkable, with stairs cut into the rock where required, albeit slippery in places and with no handrails. Anyone able-bodied should have no trouble if you take a bit of care. There is approximately 200m of walking up a slighty inclined service road from the car park. The tour was in Spanish only, which is ok if you can pick up a few words here and there. Even if not it’s pretty obvious when the guide shines a light on a handprint or artwork. Seeing these original artworks from over 10,000 years ago is simply phenomenal. Other caves have replicas, but this is the real deal. Definitely book ahead to avoid disappointment, and make sure you check in at the visitor centre at the bottom of the hill.

Be careful. Tickets are NOT sold at the cave. In google they do not inform u that it is only tours at specific time slots. There are NO information about this when u arraive. They close the cave-info-centre at the cave between tours. If u try to book online u cannot book same day and the web Page are NOT in english. Tickets same day are sold at a location in the vally 1km from the cave. If u manage to get ticket it is also very difficult to understand the system for getting there and getting in the cave. This is for very special interested persons but could have been much more if the had another more customer friendly system.