tomatogal

My DH and I are planning a trip to France in May-June. We are flying into Barcelona (cheapest ticket at the time) and renting a car. We are heading to Dordogne via Lourdes and Pau. On our return to Barcelona I would appreciate some opinions on whether we should go to Pech Merle or Tarn Gorges. We are staying at a B&B outside Les Eyzies for 5 days and will have visited Lascaux ll, Grotte de Font-deGaume and Grotte de Rouffignac. Is Pech Merle that much different or should we take the opportunity to go to Tarn Gorges? We can not do both as I have already committed to 5 nights in Les Eyzies and a firm return date out of Barcelona.

StCirq

Pech Merle is a prehistoric cave. The Gorges du Tarne is a geographical area. Apples and oranges, so it's a bit unclear what kind of choice you're making. Also, the Gorges du Tarne are way far east and not even remotely on a likely route back to Barcelona.

tomatogal

Thank you for your reply. I am interested in how similar Pech Merle is to the caves Grotte de Font-de-Gaume and Grotte de Rouffignac?

StCirq

Well, first of all, Font-de-Gaume is a chromatic cave; Rouffignac is not. Pech Merle, also a chromatic cave, is certainly on a par with Font-de-Gaume, and some would say it's even better. But if I were staying in the Les Eyzies area for a whole five days, with ample opportunity to see many prehistoric sites, I'm not sure I would then travel to Pech-Merle to see another. I might make a (long) daytrip to see it (and many would argue for seeing St-Cirq-Lapopie as well, though I wouldn't be among them).

Because the chromatic caves of the area all date from roughly the same period, they are all fairly similar. There are minor differences in the animals portrayed, whether or not there are symbols, handprints, etc., and how well the contours of the rock formations of the cave are used for relief...even whether there are representations of humans, as in the cave in my commune...but you certainly won't get wildly different experiences visiting several caves.

I'm sure you know about La Roque-St-Christophe and the Village Troglodytique de la Madeleine - those would be different prehistoric experiences from chromatic caves. And then there are Bara-Bahau, Grotte du Grand Roc, Abri Pataud, Cap Blanc, Le Moustier, La Férassie, Bernifal, Laugeries Haute et Basse, Villars, Combarelles...so many.

BTW, I'm not arguing against making the trek to Pech-Merle. It's a wonder. But so are many of the other sites.

ParisAmsterdam

It's close to 5 hours mostly straight east from Les Eyzies to Sainte-Enimie where you could enter the Gorges du Tarn. It's then 56 km but a slow drive to Millau where you could emerge and get on the autoroute.

StuDudley

Gorges du Tarn & surrounds (there are many stalactites & mites there too - better than in the Dordogne, IMO) deserves a full day. You really don't have enough time for that.

Pech Merle has nice stalactites & mites, handprints & a footprint of pre-historic man (which I don't recall seeing in the other caves), plus cave drawings in color. Except for Lascaux II, I think Pech Merle has "more to offer" than the other caves on your list. Take a drive along the scenic Cele River & visit St Cirq Lapopie.

Stu Dudley

kja

I thought Pech Merle sufficiently different from Font de Gaume to justify the visit. As others have noted, Pech Merle is more interesting geologically than Font de Gaume. But in addition, it has cave art that both precedes and follows the art of Font de Gaume, at least according to the information I received when I visited these sites last May. And the techniques were somewhat different - at least from what I heard and saw. And as StuDudley mentions, Pech Merle has a pair of footprints. But I can't say whether you would find it worth your time - I was moving on in that direction no matter what.

For context, I saw Font de Gaume, the Grotte des Combarelles, Abri de Cap Blanc, Lascaux II, and Pech Merle. I was awed by them all, and thought they provided a nicely diverse selection of prehistoric art. In fact, I still get chills down my spine when I think of these places!

I didn't see the Grotte de Rouffignac.

Hope that helps!

Michael

I would skip the Gorges du Tarn and Peche-Merle and choose to visit the Cathar area between Carcassonne and Perpignan.

sobster

Keep in mind that Lascaux II is a replica. The other 2 sites you mention are the "real" thing. You'll be walking where your ancestors walked.

Michael

<i>Keep in mind that Lascaux II is a replica.</i>

That gives it two reasons to admire it: what the original was, and the craft that it took to duplicate it.

StCirq

What Michael said. It's not only an incredible experience of what the original was but a goosebump-causing explanation of how they replicated it. Awesome.

kja

> Keep in mind that Lascaux II is a replica.
>Michael: That gives it two reasons to admire it: what the original was, and the craft that it took to duplicate it.
> StCirg: What Michael said. It's not only an incredible experience of what the original was but a goosebump-causing explanation of how they replicated it. Awesome.

Ditto! And if you see Lascaux II and pay attention to why it is a replica, perhaps you will see the other prehistoric sites in the area a bit differently.

tomatogal

Thank you so much for all of your input. You have given me a lot to think about. If I do the Tarn Gorges, it would be for a full day. We would drive to Florac via Rocamadour, spend the night in Florac and the whole next day in the Tarn Gorges, ending up in le Rozier to spend the night and leave from le Rozier to Barcelona.
I toured Carcassone, Toulouse and Albi 2 years ago. In fact we loved the cathedral in Albi so much we are planning to detour by there to see it again since previously the sltar was being restored and was covered in canvas. I'm assuming the altar restoration is complete now. (Does anyone know? I should check out the Albi forum to see if there is info on that.) Anyway, the Tarn Gorges would add so much mileage to the trip, I will probably let my DH (who is also my dear driver) make the decision.

ira

Hi tg,

>...will have visited Lascaux ll, Grotte de Font-deGaume and Grotte de Rouffignac. Is Pech Merle that much different or should we take the opportunity to go to Tarn Gorges? We can not do both ....<

If you were a real cave fan, you wouldn't be asking.

Considering what you have told us, I suggest visiting the gorges.

Will you be staying overnight or just driving through?

StCirq

Just in case you actually have to use the phrase while there (if you go), it's the Gorges du Tarn, not Tarn Gorges.

And it's not only the 5 hours there from the Dordogne to consider, but once you get there, it's slow going around the perimeter of the gorges.

If you need a recommendation for lodging, I have one for an amazing B&B outside Florac.

But seriously, the whole area around the Gorges du Tarn and Florac deserves its own trip, as in a week or more. Having spent considerable time there, I can't imagine just driving over to view it for a day, especially considering the time involved.

klondiketoo

Ditto StCirq's viewpoint.

Also, consider the possibility of bad weather/fog. When we visited, the whole Gorge was hidden in fog which made for extremely slow traveling down the switchbacks AND you couldn't see anything. (It was actually quite scary at times) It was magical when we got to the bottom, but not worth 10 hours of driving, unless you were going to be able to stay a while and experience it more in depth. imo.

Carlux

I agree that you need more time to see the Gorges properly. In fact just getting to and from Pech Merle will take most of the day. Don't underestimate the travel time from one location to the next. I've had all kinds of people (mostly Americans I have to say) tell me that of course they can make it to Albi and back, or similar distances, in half a day. T'aint so. Driving here is not like driving on straight roads.

That said, I dont know that with 5 days available, you would get a lot more from Pech Merle than from the caves you would already be seeing in the Dordogne itself. They are all wonderful, but there are also markets, chateaux, beautiful villages, Romanesque churces,etc.

My personal recommendation to all is to skip Lourdes, but that's because I find it deeply irreligious and commercial. There are lots of sites that are much more beautiful.

StCirq

<<My personal recommendation to all is to skip Lourdes, but that's because I find it deeply irreligious and commercial.>>

Amen to that!

annhig

a place that we loved when we were staying in the dordogne was the gouffre de Padirac - although not exactly close to where you will be staying, it's a lot closer than the Tarn, and was really terrific - wonderful stalagmites and stalactites, a boat trip on an underground river, fantastic huge caverns - well worth the trip.

and here's another vote for Lascaux ll. plus, after our tour which we found really fascinating [make sure you book one in english unless your french is very good] because we were hungry and it was getting late for lunch in France we broke our normal rules and followed the "advice" of an elderly gent in the car park to follow the signs to his restaurant, about 5 mins drive away. we were really glad we did and had a terrific meal.

Michael

There is one reason to visit Lourdes, which one must pass by if coming from the Col du Tourmalet or Cirque de Gavarnie: http://www.lourdes-visite.com/