In the heart of Teacher Turolense, very close to the small municipality of Molinos, hides one of the most impressive natural enclaves of Aragon: Crystal caves. This set of underground caves, declared a natural monument, attracts thousands of visitors every year for their spectacular geological and heritage value. Eccentric stalactitas, giant columns and rooms with marine appearance make this place a unique destination for lovers of the nature and the caleology.
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Discovered in 1961 by speleologists of the Ski Puigmal Club of Barcelona in collaboration with residents of the town, it is known as La Cueva de las Gradras or Grutas de Cristal. It is an underground system formed by limestone rock, modeled by water for millions of years. Over time, the dissolution of the stone has caused stalactites, stalagmites, columns and petrified waterfalls that give rise to a real visual show. Due to its uniqueness and scientific value, this geological wonder has been declared a natural monument by the Aragon Government.
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The interior of the cave is a maze of rooms and passages that reveals the patience of nature in its purest form. Each corner seems stopped over time, and visitors can see how water, drop by drop, has created overwhelming mineral sculptures. It is a place to marvel, reflect and connect with the depths of the earth.
What to see in the Grutas de Cristal in Teruel?
Rate and schedules of Grutas de Cristal in Teruel
How to get to Grutas de Cristal in Teruel?
Where are the crystal caves?
Crystal Grutas are in the municipality of Molinos, in the middle of the teacher of the teacher (Teruel), Only 3.8 kilometers from the urban nucleus. Access to the cavity is 970 meters above sea level, and its discovery in 1961 was possible thanks to an expedition of speleologists of the Puigmal ski club in Barcelona, with the collaboration of the residents of the town.
Grutas are in the municipality of Molinos
Since then, the cave has also been known as La Cueva de las Gradras, and has become one of the main tourist claims of the Interior Turolense. Its location between geological formations of the upper Cretaceous and the oligocene-Miocene gives it a high scientific interest, in addition to a spectacular landscape environment.
Despite its apparent isolation, the enclave has good road connections, and once there, the environment invites you to complete the day with signposted trails, panoramic views of the teacher and the visit to interpretive spaces in the same municipality of Molinos, which makes the experience complete and enriching.
What to see in the Grutas de Cristal in Teruel?
The visit to the glass caves lasts about 45 minutes and allows you to travel two main rooms of a unique beauty. The first one, the Sala de los Cristales, stands out for its diversity of speleothems and for a central column that impacts its size and shape. Here, eccentric stalactites grow in all directions, challenging gravity and creating a landscape that seems taken from a dream.
This room includes baptized formations with popular names such as the Virgin, the Manila manton or the bridal cake, due to its resemblance to everyday objects. The play of lights and shadows on the wet rock further enhances the feeling of being in a magical place. It is a space that invites silent contemplation and continuous astonishment.
The play of lights and shadows on the wet rock further enhances the feeling of being in a magical place
Next, the tour takes to the Marina Room, which retains vestiges of when the water dominated the interior of the cave. Coral thickness and calcium carbonate structures generated by changes in the water table during millennia offer a fossilized marine landscape. This contrast makes glass gross into a first -order geological reference, both for their visual value and for their scientific relevance.
Rate and schedules of Grutas de Cristal in Teruel
Crystal caves can be visited throughout the year through guided tours that include detailed explanations about the formation of the cave, its history and its geological singularities. The entrance gives access to both the Crystals and the Marine Chamber, in addition to the interpretive route of the timeline. It is recommended to wear warm clothes, since the interior temperature is 12 ºC and the humidity is high.
The visit schedules are in the morning at 10.30, 11.30 and 12.30 pm, and in the afternoon at 4:30 p.m., 17.30 and 18.30. The facilities open between 10.00 and 13.30 in the morning, and from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
With respect to rates, ticket prices are as follows:
Older than 12 years: nine euros per person
Retirees, people with disabilities, young card, large and single -parent families, groups of more than 25 people: seven euros per person
Children from 6 to 12 years: five euros per person
Tickets to mill grottos can be purchased on the website www.grutasdecristal.com, at www.eventum365.com or directly at the box office.
How to get to Grutas de Cristal in Teruel?
Crystal caves are well communicated from the main cores of Aragon. From Saragossa, the route lasts 1 hour and 52 minutes and travels about 135 kilometers. The N-232 is taken from the Aragonese capital, passing through Alcorisa and following the N-211 and the TE-8215 until reaching mills. It is the fastest route and avoid sections cut in the N-232.
From Huesca, the trip is somewhat longer: 2 hours and 33 minutes (210 km). The A-23 is taken to Zaragoza, then the A-68 in the southern direction and links with the N-232 to Alcorisa. From there it continues by the N-211 and the TE-8215. This option avoids sections cut in the A-222 and allows comfortable access to the natural monument.
From the city of Teruel, you arrive in 1 hour and 23 minutes, traveling about 109 kilometers. The journey runs through the N-420 until listening, continues through the A-2402 and the N-211 until you reach Castel de Cabra, and ends with a section by the TE-41 to mills. The route is direct and passes through landscape interests.
Mill glass caves are much more than a tourist visit: they represent an immersion in the entrails of the Earth, where nature, science and history are intertwined in a unique environment. Its geological beauty, its role as a natural refuge and its archaeological wealth convert this enclave into an essential place for those who seek to know Aragon from another angle, deeper and more amazing.
