The ticket office for Font de Gaume. The benches have numbers painted on them to tell you your place in line.
This is the only cave with polychrome paintings that is still open to the public. The first paintings in Font-de-Gaume were "discovered" in 1901, but more were found over the years as the cave was excavated. There are gorgeous paintings of animals that have a three-dimensional effect by using the natural contours of the cave wall. There are 230 figures in the cave, but only about 30 are shown on a tour. The paintings and engravings are thought to date to the last period of paleolithic art, the Magdalenian, about 16,000 years ago (the same as Lascaux). The paintings have faded a lot in recent years.
Since the cave is so fragile, access is limited to 78 people per day. Guided tours only, 13 people per tour. Tours are in French only right now.
The entrance to the cave is on the right. Since the cave is narrow, you must leave your bags in the cave on the left, behind a locked gate.
There is a steep walk to the cave from the ticket office, but the cave itself is not very big and the ground is level.
Open all year.
Purchase Tickets Here (French site)
Address: 4 Avenue des grottes, 24620 Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil, France
Services: Free parking, gift shop, toilets at the cave entrance after a steep climb
