Altamira Cave and Museum

Altamira's painted ceiling was found in 1879 and dismissed for twenty years as a forgery, because nobody believed Palaeolithic people had worked at that level. Breathing visitors nearly destroyed it in the twentieth century, and the cave is now effectively closed. What you see instead is the Neocueva, a full-scale replica built next to the original, where the bison are reproduced in ochre, charcoal and red, painted around the natural bulges in the rock so the animals appear modelled rather than drawn. The surrounding museum covers Palaeolithic tools, hunting and daily life, and sets Altamira alongside the other decorated caves of northern Spain that share its listing.

What you actually see

• The Neocueva ceiling - the polychrome bison reproduced at full scale and correct height.
• The use of the rock - animals painted over natural bulges to give them volume.
• The tool galleries - flint, bone and antler work from the same period.
• The regional context - displays on the other painted caves of northern Spain.

When to go

Late spring to early autumn for the best weather in a region that rains often, though the whole visit is indoors and a wet day is no obstacle. Mornings are quieter; rainy afternoons in August bring the entire coast inside. Some of the other decorated caves in Cantabria do admit small groups and need booking well ahead.

Honest expectations

You are looking at a replica, and for some visitors that knowledge takes the air out of it however faithful the copy is. Access to the original cave is essentially closed and should not be counted on. Santillana del Mar next door is beautifully preserved and thoroughly given over to souvenir shops. Without a car the connections are awkward.

Nearby

Santillana del Mar, the Cantabrian coast at Comillas and the Picos de Europa foothills.