The museum's highlight is the Neocueva , a dazzling, full-sized re-creation of the real cave’s most interesting chamber, the Sala de Polícromos (Polychrome Hall). Other excellent displays, in English and Spanish, cover prehistoric humanity and cave art around the world, from Altamira to Australia. The museum is incredibly popular (around 240,000 visitors a year), so it's best to reserve tickets in advance, especially for Easter week, July, August and September.
You can book tickets at any branch of Banco Santander in Spain or online via the Altamira website – although, oddly enough, the final stages for online payment are available in Spanish only. Advance tickets cost €3 for everybody, children, students and seniors included, and are not available for Saturday afternoon or Sunday. Same-day tickets are sold only at the museum ticket office. With all tickets you are assigned an exact time for entering the Neocueva. During busy periods this might involve a wait of several hours if you have not reserved in advance.
Those without vehicles must walk or take a taxi to Altamira from Santillana del Mar.
