This cave is in Burgundy, an unusual place for a decorated cave. The Grande Grotte at Arcy-sur-Cure has long been a well-known show cave, but the paintings were not discovered until the 1990's! Today, the geological formations are still the focus of the tour, but now they show some of the drawings at the end of the tour. These drawings, while not as spectacular as Chauvet, have the distinction of being the second oldest cave art in Europe, dating to about 30,000 years ago, the same era as Chauvet. There are over 140 drawings, mostly in red, and 60 of them are depictions of animals. This cave is the largest of a group of nearby caves and the others are not open to the public. In one of them, the Grotte du Renne, many Neanderthal artifacts have been found, some dating to over 90,000 years ago.
Guided tours only, lasting about 90 minutes. English is not usually spoken on the tour. Open from Easter to mid-November.
Address: Bois des grottes, 89270 Arcy-sur-Cure, France
Services: Free parking, toilets, gift shop, cold drinks, picnic area
