Things To Do in Lascaux (Montignac)

Public visits to the original Lascaux caves ceased in 1963. Permission to visit for research purposes is given only to qualified archaeologists, so unless you’ve got an advanced degree and good connections, you will have to make do with the replica. That said, Lascaux II is nothing to sniff at. Years of painstaking artistic and scientific labor went into re-creating the cave, including the use of prehistoric painting techniques and natural colorants. While some of the magic is lost, what you see is virtually identical to the real thing. For more virtual reality, you can visit the original cave online at extensive sites set up by the French government. More recently, the new Lascaux IV has opened (with Lascaux III being a touring exhibit). Somewhat confusingly, the Lascaux website refers to Lascaux IV as The International Centre For Cave Art, something to bear in mind when buying tickets online. You can also buy combined tickets for both Lascaux sites and Le Thot (check the websites for details).