Visit Arnao Mine: Guided Tour to Europe’s First Submarine Coal Mine

This tour brings you to the Arnao mine, Europe’s first submarine mine. Submerge yourself in the original mine shaft and visit the nearby village of Arnao with us. And enjoy a delicious fresh seafood lunch!

Arnao Mine Museum

The Arnao mine is Spain’s first coal mine. Its exploitation goes all the way back to 1591. The galleries are excavated under the sea, making it Europe’s first submarine mine. The innovative techniques to extract coal invented in Arnao were an example for many other mines in Asturias. You start your guided tour with a visit to the Arnao Mine Museum where you learn everything about these innovations.

Visit Arnao Mine

Then, you descent 20 meters into Asturias’ oldest vertical mine shaft to visit the mining galleries. A local guide tells you everything you want to know about Arnao mine. We translate this for you. At the end of your visit you know many facts and anecdotes about how it was to work in the mine. For example, about the involvement of 12-years-old boys and the use of “Eleonore”, Spain’s first steam locomotive. And about the use of mules that went blind from being in the mine day and night as well as the presence of goblins that made the miners work harder…

Arnao Village

After a surprising exit of the mine, you take a stroll on Arnao’s beach with its many fossils. Then, you visit Arnao village. This village was especially built for the mine workers and therefore an exemplary ‘workers village’ for the rest of Spain. See the typical worker houses, the abandoned house of the director and the interesting school yard with us! You end the tour with a delicious sea food lunch in a local restaurant.

This is a proposed itinerary using your own transportation to visit Arnao Mine. All our tours can be customized according to your wishes. Please get in touch with us at info@intoasturias.com for more information about our customized tours.