The Cueva de los Murciélagos is visited only on a guided pass of up to 30 people, and the schedule changes with the day of the week and the season. This page covers the practical side: when the passes run, how to get a place, what the route asks of your legs and what you cannot take in. For the dig and the Neolithic finds, read the archaeology of the Bats' Cave before you go.
Pass times and closing days
The cave closes every Monday that is not a public holiday or part of a long weekend. It also closes the two days after the last holiday day, on 1 January, on the afternoon of 24 December, on 25 December and on the afternoon of 31 December. Summer runs from 1 April to 30 September and winter from 1 October to 31 March, so a visit today falls under the winter times.
| Day | Summer (1 Apr to 30 Sep) | Winter (1 Oct to 31 Mar) |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday (non-holiday) | 12:30 | 12:30 |
| Wednesday to Friday (non-holiday) | 12:30 and 17:30 | 12:30 and 16:30 |
| Saturday, Sunday, holidays and long weekends | 11:00, 12:30 and 17:30 | 11:00, 12:30 and 16:30 |
Groups of more than 30 go Tuesday to Friday on non-holidays, at a time arranged in advance, and must book. Opening holidays in 2026 include 12 October, 2 November and 8 December, so the Monday closure does not apply on those dates.
How to book
Booking is required Tuesday to Friday and recommended at weekends, holidays and long weekends. Reservations go by email to turismo@zuheros.es or by phone on +34 957 69 45 45, handled by the Zuheros tourism office in weekday morning hours. The official pages disagree on the exact days the phone line answers (some say Wednesday to Friday, one says Tuesday to Friday, another includes weekends), so confirm before you rely on it. There is no phone or email service on holidays and weekends.
If you turn up on a weekend or holiday without a reservation, you book in person at the cave ticket office. Holders of earlier reservations have priority, so you may be moved to a later pass or miss out, and passes are capped at 30 people. Tickets are non-refundable once bought.
Tickets and prices
The official 2026 tariff lists the following prices (adult 13 and over / child 6 to 12). Check the current price before travelling, since the tariff is revised each year:
- General individual ticket: €8.00 / €6.50
- Reduced individual (Carné Joven youth card, large family, disability, residents of Pueblos Más Bonitos de España, over 65): €7.00 / €6.00
- Group of more than 30, Tuesday to Friday on non-holidays: €6.50 / €5.50
- Visita Cultural combined ticket (cave, archaeological museum, castle-palace and the folk customs museum): €11.00 adults (13 and over) / €8.50 children aged 6 to 12
The Zuheros council tariff page states that electronic payment is not accepted, so bring cash. The combined ticket is the one to ask about if you plan to see the castle too; the Zuheros village and castle guide explains what the castle side offers.
What the visit demands
The visitable section is 65 m deep, with a 415 m route and 700 steps. The official warning advises people with a medium or high degree of claustrophobia, or with heart, vision or leg problems, to skip it. The cave entrance sits at 976 m altitude in the Sierras Subbéticas Geopark. The town's own advice is to bring shoes with grip and warm clothing for the interior climate, even in summer.
Photo and video cameras are not allowed inside, nor are animals, smoking, eating or drinking. Leave the camera in the car and expect to rely on your eyes for the Sala de las Formaciones, the Sala del Órgano and the 4 m stalagmite known as El Espárrago.
Arriving at the ticket office
The ticket office is at the Ecomuseo, in the car-parking area on the Carretera de la Cueva de los Murciélagos, km 3,800, 200 m before the cave. It opens 25 to 15 minutes before each pass, and after that you can no longer enter on that pass. Arrive with less than 15 minutes to spare and the reservation is lost; passes are not held back for latecomers.
For the journey from Córdoba, check the route and any public transport options before you travel, and before you commit to a pass time. Zuheros is in the south of the province, in the Subbética.