Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
paintings
are at the Grotte de Lascaux, 2km southeast of Montignac. Far from the
comparatively crude etchings of some of the Vézère's other caves, Lascaux' paint-
ings are renowned for their astonishing artistry: the 600-strong menagerie of animal
figures are depicted in Technicolor shades of red, black, yellow and brown, and
range from reindeer, aurochs, mammoths and horses to a monumental 5.5m-long
bull, the largest cave drawing ever found.
The original cave was opened to visitors in 1948, and public interest was unsur-
prisingly massive. But within a few years it became apparent that human breath and
body heat was causing irreparable damage to the paintings, and the cave was
closed just 15 years later in 1963. In response to public demand, a replica of the
most famous sections of the original cave was meticulously recreated a few hun-
dred metres away - a massive undertaking that required the skills of some 20
artists and took over 11 years.
There are several guided tours every hour; ask at the ticket office about the avail-
ability of tours in languages including English. From April to October, tickets are
sold
only
in Montignac at the ticket office next to Montignac's tourist office
(
05
53 51 82 60;
www.tourisme-lascaux.com
; place Bertrand de Born;
9.30am-12.30pm
& 2-6pm Mon-Sat)
.
Information
Tourist office
(
05 53 06 97 05;
www.tourisme-terredecromagnon.com
;
9am-noon &
2-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-noon & 2-5pm Sun)
Getting There & Away
Les Eyzies is on the D47, 21km west of Sarlat. The train station is 700m north of
town, with connections to Périgueux (€7.20, 30 minutes, 10 daily) and Sarlat
(change at Le Buisson; €8.60, 50 minutes to 2½ hours depending on connections,
three daily).
La Roque Gageac & Around
POP 431
La Roque Gageac's jumble of amber buildings crammed into the cliff-face above
the Dordogne have earned it recognition as another of France's
plus beaux villages
, with flourishing gardens thanks to its microclimate.
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