France is well known for its Stone Age cave art; those stunning images that were painted or engraved on the walls of limestones caves of the Dordogne and further south tens of thousands of years ago. The most famous of these caves is of course Lascaux, now closed to the public for conservation reasons. There are, however, many other still open to the public that together offer a wonderful opportunity to see first hand some of the most spectacular prehistoric art in the World.
The greatest concentration of decorated caves that can be visited by visitors to France can be found in the Vézère Valley, in the Dordogne region of Aquitaine. In 1979 this area was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites because of the quantity and quality of archaeological sites in an area that measures about 30 km by 40 km: 147 Palaeolithic sites have been recorded, of which 25 have cave art. there are also other areas in France with Stone Age cave art, and some of these are open to the public.
For anyone with a particular interest in prehistoric art, or anyone wishing to see as many of the sites as they possibly can, I am able to produce an itinerary for you – whether you then wish to follow that yourself, or have me make your bookings for you, or even have me escort you around an agreed itinerary. Which ever level of service you require from, get in touch via the contact page and we can discuss your requirements.
Cave art is my passion, it is after all my background in archaeology, but I also appreciate some people come to France to see more than loads of bison and horses painted on cave walls. I have created an itinerary that takes in the highlights of France’s heritage, and this includes a day or two in the caves of the Dordogne; have a look at my Ultimate Culture page.
For a background on my research into the cave art have a look at a documentary I participated in, made by the BBC.
