Grotte de Font-de-Gaume
This is the last cave with multicolored prehistoric paintings that is still open to the public (although there are rumors that this too will be closed within a few years, so move fast). Only a limited number of visitors are allowed per day so make sure you reserve online in advance (reservations open two weeks before visit date). Or turn up early and be prepared to change your plans. You will be on a 45-min. guided tour (12 per tour; make sure to request one in English when you reserve) through a rather narrow cave (claustrophobes beware). Discovered in 1901, the paintings and etchings in the cave date from the Magdalenian period (17,000–9,000 B.C.). While the paintings are not as spectacular as those at Lascaux, here you are seeing the real thing, including depictions of bison, mammoths, horses, and other animals. The knowledgeable guides will point out how prehistoric artists used the shape of the cave's walls to make their paintings more lifelike. They may also show some eerie prehistoric hand prints.
This is the last cave with multicolored prehistoric paintings that is still open to the public (although there are rumors that this too will be closed within a few years, so move fast). Only a limited number of visitors are allowed per day so make sure you reserve online in advance (reservations open two weeks before visit date). Or turn up early and be prepared to change your plans. You will be on a 45-min. guided tour (12 per tour; make sure to request one in English when you reserve) through a rather narrow cave (claustrophobes beware). Discovered in 1901, the paintings and etchings in the cave date from the Magdalenian period (17,000–9,000 B.C.). While the paintings are not as spectacular as those at Lascaux, here you are seeing the real thing, including depictions of bison, mammoths, horses, and other animals. The knowledgeable guides will point out how prehistoric artists used the shape of the cave's walls to make their paintings more lifelike. They may also show some eerie prehistoric hand prints.
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