The Lascaux Caves remains one of the more popular cave art locations in France due to the sophistication of the artwork. A writer for Blue Guide Southwest France says, "The confidence of the line, the emotive use of color, the manipulation of form to express movement and create depth are quite remarkable and barely surpassed in the 20th century." First opened in 1948, the caves closed in 1963 due to environmental damage caused by lighting inside the caves and the 100,000 visitors the site drew annually. Declared a World Heritage Site in 1979, the Lascaux Caves have been protected and closed to the public ever since.
Today visitors walk through a cement replica of the caves, 200 meters from the original site. The artwork has been painstakingly replicated with the colored ochre and black manganese dioxide paints thought to have been used by those artists some 17,000 years ago. Tourists can view the replica, known as Lascaux II, throughout most of the year (the site is closed in January). Visitors are limited to 2,000 people a day, so advance tickets, particularly in the summer months, are highly recommended. A small theme park adjacent to the cave provides video exhibitions and a viewing area for bison, long-horned cattle and Przewalksi horses, animals similar to those depicted on the cave walls.
Lascaux Caves
Route de la Grotte de Lascaux
Montignac, France
+33 5 53 50 70 44
Lascaux.culture.fr
Located in the southern region of France, Pech Merle opens seasonally, from April through November, to a maximum of 700 visitors per day. First opened to the public in 1926, tourists can walk through the two-kilometer site and witness drawings of horses, mammoths, female figures and even see the fossilized footprint of what is thought to be a prehistoric adolescent boy.
The guided tour runs approximately one hour, and instructional booklets in English, Spanish and several other languages are available with the price of admission. Due to the limit of visitors, telephone or online reservations are highly recommended. Wheelchair access to the caves is not possible, and those with physical disabilities may note the cave is dimly lit, the ground is uneven and a series of 40 stairs lead down into the cave. A museum with educational materials and reproductions that visitors can touch is next to the cave entrance.
Pech Merle
46330 Cabrerets, France
+33 5 65 31 27 05
Quercy.net/pechmerle
The Cave of Niaux is located in the Ariege region of the Pyrenees Mountains, approximately 15 minutes from the town of Tarascon-sur-Ariege. The cave art depicts bison, horses, ibex and other animals. For preservation purposes, guided tours are limited to 11 per day July through September and drop to three per day during the off-season. The 45-minute tour is offered in English once or twice a day during the summer months, with no English translation available on spring or winter tours.
Like the other cave sites, tours can sell out, and advance reservations will secure your place. Guests to the cave are encouraged to wear sturdy footwear, as floors inside the cave walls can be slippery and uneven. Lighting is restricted to flashlights, one for every two people, and can get very dark in places. This tour is not recommended for small children, as once inside the cave, doubling back is not permitted.
Cave of Niaux
09400 Niaux, France
+33 5 61 05 88 37
