Guide

Visiting Lascaux and the Vézère valley caves

The original Lascaux cave is closed to visitors, but Lascaux IV, a full replica in Montignac, lets you see its paintings, and the caves and rock shelters of the Vézère valley are all close to our routes. Cycling in the Dordogne spends a night in Montignac, and Castles & Caves of the Dordogne begins with a full day in Les Eyzies.

By Cassie · 11 October 2026

Lascaux

The Lascaux cave, near Montignac, holds some of the most famous prehistoric paintings in the world. To protect them, the original cave has been closed to the public since 1963. Lascaux IV, the International Centre for Cave Art in Montignac, opened in December 2016 with a full-size replica of the cave. An earlier facsimile, Lascaux II, opened in 1983.

In Cassie’s words: “The Lascaux caves are a wonderful experience, very cleverly done. Be sure to book your tickets in advance!”

A stone-lined path leading down to a small doorway in a grassy bank among trees: the entrance to the original Lascaux cave — The entrance to the original Lascaux cave, now closed to visitors

Visitors silhouetted beneath painted bulls and horses on the curved walls of the Lascaux II replica — Visitors in the Hall of the Bulls in Lascaux II, the 1983 replica

A prehistoric-style painting of a horse in black and red ochre on the rock wall of the Lascaux IV replica — A painted horse in the Lascaux IV replica

The Vézère valley caves

The Vézère valley’s prehistoric sites and decorated caves have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. Rock shelters, cave art and the National Museum of Prehistory are all within easy reach of Les Eyzies. The listing covers 15 prehistoric sites, most of them in and around Les Eyzies. Font-de-Gaume, near Les Eyzies, is one of the few caves with original prehistoric paintings still open to visitors, with a strictly limited number of visits each day.

A limestone cliff above the rooftops of Les Eyzies, with the museum building set into it — The National Museum of Prehistory in the cliff at Les Eyzies

Stone steps climbing beneath an overhanging cliff to the entrance of the Font-de-Gaume cave — The path up to the entrance of Font-de-Gaume, near Les Eyzies

La Roque Saint-Christophe

La Roque Saint-Christophe is a limestone cliff about 1 km (0.6 miles) long, rising some 80 m (about 250 ft) above the Vézère between Les Eyzies and Montignac. People sheltered at its foot in prehistoric times, and in the Middle Ages they carved a fort and a troglodyte town into its five terraces. Its written history begins in 976, it was a French stronghold in the Hundred Years’ War, and it was dismantled in 1588, during the Wars of Religion. The visit includes reconstructed medieval lifting machines.

On Cycling in the Dordogne, the longer ride on day 6, from Les Eyzies to Montignac, runs along the Vézère beneath its cliffs.

Cassie at a stone gateway on the cliff terraces of La Roque Saint-Christophe

Walking under the rock overhang at La Roque Saint-Christophe

Which holidays pass nearby

Cycling in the Dordogne stays a night in Montignac, home of Lascaux IV, and a night in Les Eyzies.
Castles & Caves of the Dordogne begins in Les Eyzies, where a full day gives you time for the caves and the museum before you head south.

The town of Montignac across the calm Vézère river under a blue sky — Montignac on the Vézère

Booking tips

Book your Lascaux tickets in advance, as Cassie says. Tickets are sold for a set time slot, and the busiest months sell out first.
The caves with original paintings, such as Font-de-Gaume, take a limited number of visitors a day, so book those ahead too.
Tell Cassie which caves you’d like to see when you enquire, and she can suggest where they fit in your days.

A long, low modern building set into a green hillside, with a path leading to the Lascaux IV entrance — The entrance to Lascaux IV in Montignac

Sources

Lascaux IV, official site: https://www.lascaux.fr (the replica, opening, tickets and time slots)
Lascaux-Dordogne, Vallée Vézère tourist office: https://www.lascaux-dordogne.com (online ticket booking for Lascaux)
UNESCO World Heritage List, “Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley” (no. 85): https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/85 (1979, the 15 sites)
La Roque Saint-Christophe, official site: https://www.roque-st-christophe.com/en/introduction-and-history-of-la-roque-saint-christophe/ (prehistoric shelters, the five terraces, 976, the Hundred Years’ War, 1588)
Lascaux-Dordogne, Vallée Vézère tourist office, “La Roque Saint-Christophe”: https://www.lascaux-dordogne.com/en/patrimoine-culturel/la-roque-saint-christophe-fort-et-cite-troglodytiques/ (1 km (0.6 miles) long, 80 m (about 250 ft) high, the medieval fort and town, the lifting machines)
Wikipedia, “Lascaux” and “Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley” (the 1963 closure, Lascaux II in 1983, Lascaux IV in 2016, Font-de-Gaume’s visitor limits)
Already on our site: the UNESCO listing since 1979 and the museum (Castles & Caves page), Montignac and Lascaux on Cycling in the Dordogne, Cassie’s Lascaux words (About and Hidden gems).