Nerja Caves

About Nerja Caves

The Cueva de Nerja lies 158 m above sea level on the slope above Maro, about 3 km east of Nerja. Five local friends found it on 12 January 1959 while looking for bats, and a new entrance let it open to the public in June 1960. The system measures 4,823 m and was declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 2006.

Visitors see the lower show galleries. A path with handrails descends through the Sala de Belén and the Sala de la Cascada, or Ballet hall, where the summer festival holds concerts, to the Sala del Cataclismo, whose central column is about 32 m high and 13 m by 7 m at the base. The upper galleries, with prehistoric paintings, stay closed.

The tour takes 45 minutes to an hour on a one-way route with just over 400 steps, under low lighting kept for conservation. Pushchairs and wheelchairs are not allowed, so it suits children who can manage stairs but not visitors with reduced mobility. Timed tickets are cheaper online than at the ticket office, and there is a paid car park at the entrance.

Hours are 09:15–16:30 for most of the year and until 17:30 from June to September, at Christmas and in Holy Week. Summer and Easter are busiest, so book an early slot. It stays around 19 °C inside, and the ticket includes the Nerja Museum in town.

Nerja Caves in pictures

What you’ll find

• Car parkParkingFree
• Show caveGuided cave tour (€12–€15, 09:15–16:30)Ticket

Nearby places to visit

Playa de Maro (1 km) is the nearest beach, a natural stretch below the village of Maro with no promenade or buildings behind it. Towards Nerja town, Playa de Burriana (2 km) is the largest and most popular beach, backed by restaurants and beach bars, and Playa Carabeillo (3 km) is a very small cove reached by a steep staircase. In the other direction, Playa del Molino de Papel (3 km) is an isolated boulder beach at the mouth of the Río de la Miel. In the centre of Nerja, the Nerja Museum (3 km), whose entry is included with the cave ticket, shows Pepita, a skeleton found in the cave.