This is the experience of visiting Lascaux Caves (France): schedules, prices

We already know that not everyone likes it visit caves during trips.

But if you are a regular reader of Travel Guides, you will also know how much we like it visit caves with spectacular rock formations stalactites and stalactites and, above all, power see cave paintings.

And if there are caves in the world whose visit becomes an aspiration, these are Altamira in Cantabria y Lascaux al south west france.

For this reason our recent trip through the Dordogne region In that country, one of its main objectives was the enclave of Lascaux.

Curiosities about the history of the Lascaux Cave

In this regard, we must refer to the place where the famous cave is located, since for many years now, as a measure to protect the paintings, the original cavity cannot be visited.

Where is the Lascaux Cave

La Lascaux cave It was discovered in 1940 by four young people who were looking for their dog on a hill near the town of Montignac.

This cave is located in the Vezere Valley, where numerous caves with cave paintings, and opened to the public for visits in 1948.

Know that Lascaux is the greatest exponent of what is known as the parietal art.

This is the name given to the caves where the paintings are at the bottom of them, while it is considered rock art if the paintings are located in the external area or near the entrance of the cavity.

Can you visit the original Lascaux cave?

In 1963 the Lascaux Cave was closed to the public. due to the great deterioration that the paintings were experiencing due to the moss generated by the more than 12.000 visitors that Lascaux received per day.

There was a period of time when it could be visited with very special passes, but finally access to the cave was completely closed.

To facilitate its knowledge, in 1983 it opened Lascaux 2, a place located about 200 meters from the original cave where a faithful replica of the initial cavities what is in it, the Bull Hall and Axial diverticulum.

It took 10 years to build this Lascaux replica, since it was a completely manual process.

How to visit and what to see in Lascaux 4

But when you now want to visit this exceptional exponent of the paintings, the ideal thing is to visit the new Lascaux 4 Parietal Art Center

What is Lascaux 4

This exhibition center which opened to the public in December 2016 is located on the outskirts of the aforementioned town of Montignac, on a plain at the foot of the hill from the original cave.

It is a large and modern building with a faithful replica of the cave almost complete and several exposition halls where you can know the keys to this prehistoric art.

Specifically, in Lascaux 4 you can go through a 80 percent replica of the original cave, with a depth of 250 meters, which has been built with the most modern technologies.

How long does the Lascaux 4 visit last?

La visit of Lascaux 4 will take you some two hours and it starts with a Digital tablet in your hands and the company of a guide, climbing the Scenic overlook from where you have a panoramic view of the current landscape that surrounds the cave.

This image will serve as a reference to compare it to 20.000 years ago, when the men who began to paint the cave lived.

You will see this comparison through the two minute video which is exhibited in the first of the rooms in the area known as Refuge where the replica of the original cave.

It was a glacial time in which in summer in this Dordogne valley The maximum temperature barely reached 18 degrees and in winter it dropped to 20 degrees below zero.

The landscapes at that time were similar to those we can see today in the Arctic zone of the Nordic countries, without forests, and where reindeer and other animals, such as cave lions, were abundant.

Then you access the area of ​​the cave replica, where you must dedicate your time to contemplate the paintings that have been reproduced with the utmost fidelity.

En Lascaux 4 The visit is made in groups of no more than 30 people, with the cold ambient temperature of the original cave.

What will first surprise you is to know that Lascaux It is the cave where there are more paintings, with more 2.500 pictures of different sizes, characteristics and periods.

It should be noted that in the emulation of the cave the floor level has been lowered compared to that existing in the original cave to facilitate the passage of visitors and the view of the paintings, in a similar way to what also happens in the Altamira neocave in Cantabria.

During your visit you tour the different rooms where the different types of paintings are shown and explained.

Lascaux paintings

On this walk you will see the most famous sets of paintings in Lascaux, As the terraced bison or the big black cow, and places like the Apse. the well scene and Bull Hall.

After going through the emulation of the cave, the visit of Lascaux 4 is completed by reaching a large room known as the workshop.

There the main corners of the cave are explained and represented in a didactic way, with information that you yourself consult on the digital tablet.

Lascaux 4 It also organizes various activities and you can see theatrical performances, 3D cinema or other exhibitions.

As a curiosity, I would like to tell you that there is also a Lascaux 3, name of a traveling exhibition that travels to various places around the world.

Hours and ticket prices Lascaux 4

The Lascaux 4 visiting hours They vary depending on the time of year, being in July and August from 8 in the morning to 10 at night.

Here you can consult these Lascaux schedules.

The Lascaux 4 ticket prices They are, for adults, 22 euros; children from 5 to 12 years old, 14,50 euros; and children under 5 years old, free.

Map: how to get to Lascaux

El Lascaux 4 Parietal Art Center It is located next to the town of Montignac, in the department of Dordogne southwest of France, two hours east of Bordeaux.