Going on a guided tour through the Mira de Aire Caves in Portugal is a must when you’re visiting this beautiful country! The Mira de Aire Caves are so unique that they used to be on the list of “Portugal’s 7 Wonders” which also includes places like Óbidos Castle and Pena Palace.
The Mira de Aire Caves are actually Portugal’s biggest cave network. The whole cave network spans over 15km but on the tour, you’ll see roughly 600 meters of it. Even though it’s only a small section of this cave network it’s still astonishing and mind-blowing how they built everything inside to be so tourist-friendly.
Even though the “Grutas de Mira de Aire” aren’t currently on the list of Portugal’s 7 Wonders they’re definitely still on our personal list of wonders of Portugal. This is a very unique experience and we’re sure one day the Mira de Aire Caves will be back on Portugal’s 7 Wonders list one day.
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How to visit the famous Grutas de Mira de Aire
How to get to Mira de Aire
The Mira de Aire caves are located in the small village of Mira de Aire. Not too far away is the city of Fatima which is the closest city to the caves that has connections from the bigger cities like Lisbon and Porto.
Unfortunately, if you don’t have your own car or campervan, getting to the caves can be slightly challenging and long since the caves are located in a small village. It’s doable but you will need to get to Fatima and from there you will have to take a taxi, Uber, or Bolt to the caves.
We did add the caves to our 2 week west coast road trip around Portugal though as it’s not too far from the coast and totally worth visiting if you’re in the area.
Tip: If you want to rent a car, check out rentalcars.com and select either Porto Airport or Lisbon Airport for the best rates.
For visiting these Portuguese caves, if you don’t have your own vehicle, it’s easiest and most practical to go on a guided tour from Lisbon. There are quite a few good guided tours on Viator that will take you and drive you directly to the caves.
Some of the guided tours will also stop at Óbidos Castle which is actually on the list of Portugal’s 7 Wonders. So instead of just seeing the caves, you’ll get a full day of sightseeing and adventure. In our opinion, it’s totally worth going on a guided tour and having an expert plan it all for you and take you around. This way you get to enjoy the full day stress-free!
Mira de Aire Caves tour
Once you arrive at Mira de Aire caves, head inside to the ticket office to book yourself on the next tour. When you buy your ticket, a staff member will tell you when the next tour runs since the tours don’t run at specific times.
The tours run more or less whenever a group is ready so you could wait anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour. When we went, the staff told us that they try to have a maximum of 30 minutes between each tour. The price for the tour is €7.50 per person and the tour takes around 1.5 hours.
You do not need to book in advance unless you are in a large group (20 adults or more).
Once it’s time for your group to go, you will first head inside this room full of chairs with a projector. Here you will watch a short video talking about how the caves were found and the history behind these Portuguese caves. From there you’ll walk to the entrance of the cave system and head underground into the darkness! 😉
Note that the tour is in Portuguese. When we went, they did not offer any tours in English. However, they do give English tourists a pamphlet with a lot of information so for us, that was completely fine. We just came to explore the caves!
What to see inside the caves of Mira de Aire
The experience of walking through the cave system takes you deep underground into the depths of the cave. From the moment you enter the caves, you will continuously go down flights of stairs and through artificial tunnels that have been lit up specifically for this tour.
You’ll be met by large stalagmites and stalactites as well as puddles and other funky cave stuff, all lit up by over 3.000 lights. Every time you get to a new stop on the tour, you’ll see different cool rock formations!
The caves have been made very tourist-friendly with proper stairs and lighting everywhere. But even though all this has been done it doesn’t take away from the actual caves. It’s something completely out of this world. Especially if you’re like us and it’s your first time walking through a cave network this large. You’ll be blown away!
What to wear on the Grutas de Mira D’aire tour
One thing we found really interesting about these specific caves in Portugal is the fact that they keep a constant temperature of 17 degrees Celsius (62 Fahrenheit) year-round – no matter the outside weather or temperature.
For that reason, we recommend you bring something to help keep you warm. A sweater or a light jacket should do it (unless you’re one of those people who is always warm).
The caves are also quite wet and it does happen that it drips from the stalactites above you. It’s probably a good idea to not wear your favourite clothes or white clothes that can get dirty easily.
Wear some good walking shoes because the floor can get really slick and slippery. You could wear your hiking shoes or some sneakers with a good grip underneath you.
Don’t bother putting on your best outfit in the hopes that you’ll get a super Insta-friendly photo. The caves are so cool but it is really hard to get good photos there because of the lighting and since you’re in a big group of people. They do, however, have a staff member that stands in the cave where you can get a photo taken and then buy it after the tour is over. A fun souvenir!
One thing you can also do is stay near the back. Once people slowly start walking to the next section then you can grab a photo or two with not as many people around. We definitely did that a few times. 😉
Where to stay near the Mira de Aire Caves
Unless you’re camping your best option will be staying in Fatima, the city near Mira de Aire. The Consolata Hotel is a beautiful and affordable hotel in Fatima that also includes breakfast. It’s a great option if you’re looking to stay a night or two in the central region of Portugal. It’s also not too far from some of the other sights like Óbidos Castle and Nazaré!
Another great and very budget-friendly option in Fatima is Hotel Santo Antonio de Fatima. It’s affordable and close to everything in Fatima.
If you’re camping, you can either stay in Porto de Mos or you can drive for about 45 minutes to an hour and spend the night in Nazaré. This city is a must-visit when you’re travelling around Portugal and there are lots of fun things to do there. They also have some great campsites in Nazaré.
Final tips on visiting the caves
The caves are open year-round but the opening hours vary depending on the time of year and on public holidays. You can check the official opening hours for the Mira de Aire Caves here.
If you’re hungry or in need of a coffee, there’s a little restaurant/cafe outside the ticket office where you can order food before or after your tour. Otherwise, if you’re looking for something maybe of a litle better quality, you can stop in Fatima which is just 20 minutes away by car.
Other related questions to Mira de Aire Caves
Do you need to book in advance to visit Grutas Mira de Aire?
You do not need to book in advance to visit the Grutas Mira de Aire. If you look to have things planned in advance then of course you can buy the tickets before hand. Otherwise you can buy tickets 15-30 minutes before the tour.
They do have a maximum amount of people they let in at a time but the tours run fairly frequently. We showed up 20 minutes before and got on the next tour.
Is the Grutas Mira de Aire tour in English?
The Grutas Mira de Aire tour is actually only in Portuguese but thankfully you do receive a little paper with all the information about the caves in English. Even though you won’t be able to understand the guide you can still follow along with the numbers and the English text.
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Recap of visiting Mira de Aire Caves
We hope this guide helped you while planning your trip to the Mira de Aire caves and that you enjoy visiting them as much as we did. You’re in for a real treat with this tour! If you’re doing a road trip around the Silver Coast drive inland a bit and check out this insane cave network.
Even though you’ll have an idea of what to expect, the pictures really don’t do it justice. Being there in person inside the Mira de Aire Caves is something else. Enjoy this Portuguese wonder!
Have fun!
Dom & Jo
Red White Adventures
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