In Dordogne-Périgord, a total of 15 sites are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the famous Lascaux cave.
With its 147 sites dating back to the Palaeolithic and its 25 painted caves (Font de Gaume and Les Combarelles caves, the Cap Blanc refuge...), the Vézère valley, also known as the “valley of Prehistory”, is of exceptional ethnological, anthropological and aesthetic interest .
The National Museum of Prehistory in Les Eyzies de Tayac
Les Eyzies de Tayac
Les Eyzies de Tayac is the ideal starting point for a tour for in depth knowledge about the area. .
Situated at the heart of an incredible number of prehistoric sites, the National Museum of Prehistory houses the most important Palaeolithic collection in France. Modern museography, itineraries showcasing the highlights, engaging guided tours: there is plenty of material to fascinate both adults and children. By visiting the International Prehistoric Interpretation Centre, a building with a modern and natural design, you will discover the keys to the universal heritage of this rich valley.
Contrary to popular belief, prehistoric man never used caves as a dwelling place. At most, he used the “porch” of the cave as a sheltered camp. For unknown reasons, early man ventured into the depths of caves to decorate them with various representations, as shown in the Lascaux cave.
After Lascaux, Altamira and Ekain in Spain, the Chauvet cave in Ardèche in the South of France has an almost identical reproduction of its original cave. These main caves are adapting to respond to an increasing tourist frequency, developing new alternatives to rediscover these hidden treasures.
Montignac International Rock Art Center - Lascaux
Lascaux IV
Commonly known as the "Centre International d'Art Parietal de Montignac" or simply Lascaux IV (CIAP ML), in Montignac, this centre has become a reference point for tourism and cultural tourism in the promotion of cave art worldwide.
More than 8,500 sq m of spaces to visit in a contemporary building created by the international architectural studio Snøhetta. The visit, using new imaging and virtual technologies, includes a complete and previously unseen reproduction of the Lascaux cave (the Bull Room, the Axial Diverticulum, the Passage, the Nave, the Rotunda and the Well), as well as 4 exhibition rooms that tell the story of the discovery of Lascaux, its place in the world of cave art and its relationship with contemporary creation.
To complete their visit to CIAP Montignac Lascaux, children will love discovering the Thot, the “Cro-Magnon space” and its new animation. Thanks to augmented reality technology, they will be able to interact with extinct animals such as a mammoth, a woolly rhinoceros and the list goes on!
