Dordogne painted caves - reservations needed?
Mar 5th, 2016, 07:42 AM
#2
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For Pech Merle (which is the best one, IMO):
"Reservations : To preserve the Cave and the prehistoric paintings, the visitors are limited to a maximum of 700 a day. So it is better, especially in July and August, to reserve by telephone (05 65 31 27 05 from France or +33 5 65 31 27 05 from abroad), at least 24 hours in advance (3 or 4 days in advance in July and August).
Tickets must be bought 15 minutes before the time at which the tour is scheduled. Generally, on Saturday and Sunday it's not so busy."
http://www.pechmerle.com/english/tarif.php
For guided tours, online reservations are required:
http://80.15.52.21/cgi-bin/eResa/eResa.cgi?lg=gb
"Reservations : To preserve the Cave and the prehistoric paintings, the visitors are limited to a maximum of 700 a day. So it is better, especially in July and August, to reserve by telephone (05 65 31 27 05 from France or +33 5 65 31 27 05 from abroad), at least 24 hours in advance (3 or 4 days in advance in July and August).
Tickets must be bought 15 minutes before the time at which the tour is scheduled. Generally, on Saturday and Sunday it's not so busy."
http://www.pechmerle.com/english/tarif.php
For guided tours, online reservations are required:
http://80.15.52.21/cgi-bin/eResa/eResa.cgi?lg=gb
Mar 5th, 2016, 07:47 AM
#3
A lot of pressure has been taken off Lascaux by the opening of the Chauvet cave paintings which are more spectacular and which are exposed the same way as Lascaux 2.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chauvet_Cave
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chauvet_Cave
Mar 5th, 2016, 08:56 AM
#4
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Pech-Merle isn't in the Dordogne, in case that matters to you. It's one spectacular cave, though.
You have already missed the boat for a 2016 visit to Font-de-Gaume and Les Combarelles, the best of the original chromatic caves in the Périgord, unless there are cancellations (very seldom). They were all sold out through October 2016 a few months ago. Only 80 people are allowed in a day, and starting in May the line for the 18 or so persons who aren't holding tickets starts to form at dawn for a 9:30 entry.
On the very, very slim chance that you might want to visit Font-de-Gaume (and Combarelles) on June 27 at 1:35 pm, I am holding two extra adult tickets that I would be willing to sell at cost (7.50 euros apiece) for an English-language tour (hard to come by). Other than that, you likely won't get inside, which is a shame, because they will soon be closed forever.
There are plenty of other prehistoric sites that won't be a hassle, even in high season: Lascaux II (it always can accommodate just about everybody, but you may have to buy a ticket the day before in high season - and Lascaux IV is opening this summer, so it could be very crowded), La Grotte du Sorcier in St-Cirq, La Grotte de Rouffignac, various abris, Le Village Troglodytique de la Madeleine, La Roque St-Christophe, Bara-Baha, Proumeyssac, but none of these has the wow factor of the original chromatic caves - though for someone not used to these kinds of wonders I'm sure they have significant impact.
You have already missed the boat for a 2016 visit to Font-de-Gaume and Les Combarelles, the best of the original chromatic caves in the Périgord, unless there are cancellations (very seldom). They were all sold out through October 2016 a few months ago. Only 80 people are allowed in a day, and starting in May the line for the 18 or so persons who aren't holding tickets starts to form at dawn for a 9:30 entry.
On the very, very slim chance that you might want to visit Font-de-Gaume (and Combarelles) on June 27 at 1:35 pm, I am holding two extra adult tickets that I would be willing to sell at cost (7.50 euros apiece) for an English-language tour (hard to come by). Other than that, you likely won't get inside, which is a shame, because they will soon be closed forever.
There are plenty of other prehistoric sites that won't be a hassle, even in high season: Lascaux II (it always can accommodate just about everybody, but you may have to buy a ticket the day before in high season - and Lascaux IV is opening this summer, so it could be very crowded), La Grotte du Sorcier in St-Cirq, La Grotte de Rouffignac, various abris, Le Village Troglodytique de la Madeleine, La Roque St-Christophe, Bara-Baha, Proumeyssac, but none of these has the wow factor of the original chromatic caves - though for someone not used to these kinds of wonders I'm sure they have significant impact.
