Dordogne village in the Vézère valley, surrounded by caves and rock shelters of prehistoric Europe.
Les Eyzies-de-Tayac is the self-proclaimed "capital of prehistory," and the claim is justified. This small village in the Vezere valley of the Dordogne sits at the centre of one of the densest concentrations of prehistoric sites in the world. The limestone cliffs that line the valley are riddled with caves and rock shelters that have been occupied by humans for over 250,000 years.
The star attraction is Grotte de Font-de-Gaume, one of the last caves in France where you can still see original polychrome paintings from around 14,000 BC. The 130-metre cave contains over 250 paintings of bison, mammoths, horses, and human hands — astonishing work created by Magdalenian people using the natural contours of the rock. Visitor numbers are strictly limited; book well in advance.
The National Museum of Prehistory, housed in a dramatic cliff-face setting above the village, provides context for the region's archaeological wealth. Two kilometres east, Les Combarelles holds over 600 Paleolithic engravings in a narrow crack of a cave — the largest such collection in France. The Cro-Magnon rock shelter in the village is where the bones that gave Cro-Magnon people their name were found in 1868. The village itself is tiny — a few restaurants, a couple of hotels — but makes an excellent base for exploring the valley by car, on foot, or by canoe on the Vézère River. The surrounding countryside of walnut groves, honey-coloured villages, and river cliffs is beautiful in its own right.
Guide
Books
The Cave Painters by Gregory Curtis (2006) is the most accessible account of the discovery and interpretation of Ice Age cave art, from Altamira to Chauvet. Curtis writes as a journalist rather than an archaeologist, which makes the book engaging without being dumbed down. Essential reading before a visit to Font-de-Gaume.
The Mind in the Cave by David Lewis-Williams (2002) proposes a controversial but compelling theory about why Paleolithic people made cave art — connecting the imagery to shamanic altered states and the neurological phenomenon of entoptic patterns. You may not be convinced, but the book will make you look at the paintings differently.
The Dordogne by James Bentley is an older but reliable regional guide that covers the Vézère valley's history and landscape alongside the prehistoric sites. It reads more slowly than modern travel writing but contains a lot of information not easily found elsewhere.
Guide
Getting There
Les Eyzies lies in the Vézère valley, about 45 kilometres southeast of Périgueux and 20 kilometres north of Sarlat. By train, Les Eyzies has its own station on the Périgueux–Agen line (the Bordeaux–Sarlat route), with several connections daily. The journey from Bordeaux involves a change at Le Buisson or Périgueux and takes around two and a half to three hours.
By car from Paris, allow six to seven hours. From Bordeaux the drive is about two hours via the A89 and then minor roads through the Dordogne valley. The valley itself is best explored by car — public transport between sites is very limited, and the caves are spread across several kilometres. Cycling is also popular; the valley roads are flat beside the river and there are bike rental options in the village.
Guide
When to Go
The caves are open year-round, but summer (July–August) is the hardest time to visit: Font-de-Gaume's limited tickets sell out weeks in advance, and the Vézère valley becomes busy with French domestic tourists. The best time to come is May–June or September–October. The weather is mild, the crowds are manageable, and you have a realistic chance of getting a ticket for Font-de-Gaume on short notice.
Spring is particularly beautiful in the valley: walnut trees in leaf, the river running clear, the limestone cliffs glowing in slanted light. Autumn brings the walnut harvest, local markets, and the prospect of truffles. In winter the caves are open but some restaurants close; it's quiet and atmospheric, and Font-de-Gaume tickets are easy to obtain.
