Spain holds some of the most remarkable cave systems in all of Europe. From ancient cave paintings that predate recorded history to vast underground chambers filled with towering stalactites, these subterranean wonders reveal a side of the Iberian Peninsula most travelers never see.
The Iberian Peninsula sits on a geological foundation that has been shaped by millions of years of water erosion, tectonic shifts, and volcanic activity. The result is a network of over 10,000 documented caves scattered from the Cantabrian coast to the Balearic Islands.
Some of these caves hold UNESCO World Heritage status. Others remain known only to local spelunkers and geologists. What they share in common is a capacity to leave visitors genuinely speechless, whether from the sheer scale of their formations or the knowledge that you are walking through spaces shaped across geological time.
This site documents several of the most accessible and impressive cave systems in Spain, with practical information for planning visits and understanding what makes each one significant.
Coves de Sant Josep, Wikimedia CC BY-SA 4.0
Cuevas del Drach, Wikimedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Four interconnected caves reaching 25 meters below the surface, home to one of the largest underground lakes in the world. Visitors can attend classical music concerts performed on rowboats gliding across the still water of Lake Martel.
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Altamira bison, Public Domain
A UNESCO World Heritage Site containing Paleolithic paintings over 15,000 years old, often called the Sistine Chapel of prehistory.
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Nerja cave finds, Wikimedia CC BY-SA 4.0
Nearly five kilometers of chambers with the world's largest known column, plus 30,000-year-old archaeological remains.
Read the guideSpain has one of the highest densities of caves in Europe, with new systems still being discovered by geological surveys and amateur explorers each year.
Archaeological evidence in caves like Nerja and Altamira dates human presence in Spanish caves back tens of thousands of years, making them some of the oldest inhabited spaces on the continent.
From the Altamira cave paintings to the prehistoric art of the Mediterranean Basin, Spain's caves contribute significantly to the global heritage of underground archaeology.