Visiting Lascaux Cave - a prehistoric experience!

Lascaux cave paintings

 

A longstanding highlight of our Dordogne Tour is the Lascaux International Centre of Cave Art, which celebrates the UNESCO world heritage site famed for its stunning prehistoric cave paintings. 

Included in the very first round of UNESCO heritage listed sites in France back in 1979, Lascaux is internationally recognised for the incredible parietal wall paintings which are generally accepted to be around 17,000-22,000 years old. 

Discovered in 1940 by a group of teenagers (and a dog called Robot), the walls are decorated with animals, human figures and abstract signs, in reds, yellows and blacks made from a variety of pigments. We head to the visitor centre on Day One of our Dordogne Castles and Caves trip. 

The discovery of Lascaux

In the Dordogne village of Montignac, the story of the discovery of the perhaps the most haunting example of prehistoric art has entered local folklore.

On 8 September 1940, a local youngster, Marcel Ravidat, was out with his dog, Robot, when it chased a rabbit into a hole in the ground. The 17-year-old rescued his pet, and returned a few days later with three friends to explore what appeared to be an underground cavern. Clambering down, they entered a grotto where the flickering light of their oil lamp lit upon a painting of a bull.  

Ravidat had unwittingly stumbled across a series of subterranean caves decorated with drawings and paintings dating back 22,000 years to the palaeolithic era.

The depictions of horses, bulls, bison, goats, deer, cows, as well as lions, a bear, a rhinoceros and even a unicorn were so strikingly beautiful that Henri Breuil, the pre-eminent expert on prehistoric sites, declared the grotto was a “prehistoric Sistine chapel”. Experts from around the world clamoured to see the exciting new discovery.

The opening of Lascaux Cave after World War II rapidly changed the cave environment. The exhalations of 1,200 visitors per day, the presence of light and changes in air circulation created a number of problems which were detrimental to the cave which had remained untouched for so long. Lichens and crystals began to appear on the walls in the late 1950s and led to closure of the caves in 1963. 

Prehistoric cave painting of a horse from Lascaux cave in France Dordogne
Prehistoric painting of a dun horse at Lascaux

Lascaux II - a first replica for visitors

Lascaux II, a replica of the Great Hall of the Bulls and the Painted Gallery located 200 metres from the original, was opened in 1983, so that visitors could view the painted scenes without harming the originals.

2010: Lascaux III travels the world

In 2010, a fully mobile replica of the Lascaux caves went mobile - this travelling exhibition took prehistoric art on tour so that visitors around the world could more easily discover the marvels of the protected site.

Lascaux IV the International Centre of Cave Art

In 2016, a new reproduction of the entire cave was constructed for visitors thanks to the expertise and techniques of the Atelier des Fac-Similés du Périgord. Lascaux IV combines cutting-edge technology and in-depth scientific research, transporting visitors on an extraordinary journey back in time. The experience is enhanced by scenographic spaces that provide an in-depth understanding of cave art.

Visiting Lascaux IV by bike

Our cycle tour guides will lead you to the Lascaux IV visitor centre on day one of our Dordogne Castles and Caves trip. The magnificent visitor centre is a huge highlight of the tour. The replica cave is designed to feel like a real cave, with cool temperatures inside, and the tour guides provide a fascinating insight into the prehistoric world. 

Our Dordogne Cycle Tour starts from your arrival in Brive-la-Gaillarde. We stay in a hotel in Aubas which overlooks fields of deer and sheep running down to the UNESCO site around the River Vézère. Once fitted and set up with bikes, we limber up by riding to the village of Montignac, with its stunning architecture dating from the fourteenth century. Montignac is home to the Lascaux IV visitor centre, so we park our bikes and head inside to immerse ourselves in the world of cave art. 

How to book your cycling holiday in France and visit Lascaux

Click on the Book Now button of the Dordogne Castles and Caves tour to complete the booking form, or if you have any questions about this cycling vacation, travel options, ride gradients etc. don't hesitate to get in touch, we're always very happy to chat!