El Castillo caves and Paleolithic art day trip from Santander

Leave Santander for Puente Viesgo, a beautiful small village next to El Castillo Mount which has four caves with Palaeolithic art declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2008. You'll visit two of these caves: El Castillo and Las Monedas.El Castillo cave contains some of the oldest paintings in the world, dated over 40.000 years ago. It is also known as the "cave of the hands" for the over fifty silhouettes of hands painted in negative. The skeletal remains studied to date indicate that Neanderthals and homo sapiens cohabited in this cave, something unique in prehistory.Las Monedas cave contains designs drawn in charcoal dated about 12,000 years ago, but it also has important geological formations like stalactites, stalagmites, lava flows, flags, and more. Visit the recently inaugurated Rupestrial Art Interpretation Center to better understand the origin and development of rock art.Finally, you'll take a short walk through Puente Viesgo to see the lovely Pas River, the historic town hall and the church. If you come to Cantabria and you like rock art, this is definitely the tour for you!