Grutas de Santo António

The Grutas de Santo António, a few minutes from Alvados in the same limestone hills, are the family favourite of the Aire and Candeeiros caves: discovered almost by accident in 1955, they open into a single immense chamber dressed in unusual red and white draperies of stone, with lighting designed to turn the visit into a slow spectacle.

A cave found by chance

The caves were discovered on 2 June 1955 by two men working near the Pedra do Altar, who followed a bird through a fissure in the rock; within a few years the first visitors were descending the new tunnel into what is still one of the largest chambers of the Maciço Calcário Estremenho — big enough, its guides like to say, to hold a football pitch. Formations crowd every wall: curtains, organ pipes and, at the far end, a lake with a waterfall that the lights colour emerald and gold. The visit pairs naturally with the sister cave of Alvados two kilometres away, and with the great Grutas de Mira de Aire just beyond.

What to see

• The great chamber and its stone draperies
• The coloured waterfall and lake at the visit’s end
• The story of the 1955 discovery
• The fossil and mineral displays
• The combined visit with the Alvados caves

Practical information

The Santo António caves lie at Alvados, Porto de Mós, 15 kilometres from Fátima. They open daily, generally 10.00–18.30, with the guided visit lasting about 45 minutes; combined tickets with the Alvados caves are available, and outside high season visits are arranged at this office first. Take a light jacket — the cave keeps a steady 16 to 18 degrees.

Image credit: Grutas de Santo António by Sergio — Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.