Lascaux: Why You Cannot See the Original Cave (and What to Do Instead)

The original Lascaux cave near Montignac in the Dordogne has been closed to the public since 1963. It was discovered in September 1940 by four teenagers following their dog down a collapsed tree root shaft and opened to visitors in 1948. Within a decade, the carbon dioxide and humidity from 1,200 daily visitors had triggered algae and fungus growth on the paintings. The French Ministry of Cultural Affairs closed it in 1963, and the cave has been managed under strict conservation conditions since then. About 30 researchers and conservation specialists are permitted to enter each year; tourist access is permanent. The question for visitors is therefore what experience of Lascaux is actually available, not whether to visit the original.

The answer, since 2016, is Lascaux IV - the International Cave Art Centre (Centre International de l’Art Parietal) in Montignac, 2 kilometres from the original cave site. It is the most technically sophisticated replica and interpretation of a Palaeolithic site anywhere in the world.

Lascaux IV

The Centre opened in December 2016 at a cost of approximately 62 million euros. The building is a striking concrete structure designed by Snohetta (the Norwegian architectural firm that designed the Oslo Opera House) that is partially embedded in the hillside, the roof form echoing the geology of the Dordogne landscape.

The core of Lascaux IV is a full-scale digital and physical replica of the original cave’s most important sections - the Hall of the Bulls, the Axial Gallery, the Apse, the Shaft, and others - reproduced to within millimetre accuracy using photogrammetric scanning and robotic carving. The surface textures, natural undulations, and even the mineral deposits that Palaeolithic artists used to give dimensionality to the animals are replicated. In the original cave, the artists used projecting rock surfaces to suggest the muscles and haunches of bulls and horses - the replica preserves this. Lighting reproduces the flickering effect of animal fat lamps that would have illuminated the original work.

What you’re looking at: the paintings at Lascaux are 17,000 years old and represent the most concentrated single site of Upper Palaeolithic art in France. The Hall of the Bulls alone contains four black bulls (aurochs), the largest of which is 5.2 metres long. The Axial Gallery has horses, ibex, deer, and a rhinoceros - approximately 600 individual figures throughout the cave system in total. The technique includes outline drawing, infill using manganese dioxide and ochre pigments, and deliberate use of rock surface topography. These are not primitive scratches. They are deliberate compositional works made by artists who had complete control of their materials.

The interactive digital museum at Lascaux IV also provides context across the broader Vezere Valley cave art tradition - Font-de-Gaume, Rouffignac, Les Combarelles, Pech Merle - with digital displays and a research library open to the public.

Admission: adults €20, children 5-12 €13, under-5 free. Open daily, hours vary by season (generally 09:00-20:00 in high summer, shorter hours October-March). Guided tours of the cave replica are included; timed entry slots are allocated at booking. Reserve in advance at lascaux.fr, especially July-August when waits can be several days.

Lascaux II and Lascaux III

Lascaux II, 200 metres from the original cave entrance, is an earlier partial replica opened in 1983, reproducing the Hall of the Bulls and Axial Gallery. It is smaller in scope than Lascaux IV and less technically impressive, but is still a legitimate cave-like experience and is cheaper (adults approximately €12). Lascaux III is a travelling exhibition.

Most visitors with limited time should go directly to Lascaux IV. Lascaux II makes sense if you’re specifically interested in the contrast between the 1983 and 2016 reproduction technologies.

The Vezere Valley Cave Circuit

The Dordogne’s concentration of Palaeolithic art sites is unique. Within a 30-kilometre radius of Lascaux, at least six other caves have significant prehistoric art.

Font-de-Gaume near Les Eyzies is the only original polychrome cave open to the public in France - not a replica. The paintings include bison, mammoths, and horses rendered in red, black, and brown pigments on naturally textured walls. Access is strictly limited to 180 visitors per day, in groups of 12, with advance booking (fontdegaume.fr, adults €9, French nationals free). Book as early as possible; slots in summer sell out weeks ahead.

Rouffignac (the Cave of a Hundred Mammoths) near Rouffignac-Saint-Cernin-de-Reilhac offers a unique visit: an electric train takes visitors 1.5 kilometres into the cave on a narrow-gauge railway past engravings and drawings of mammoths, rhinoceros, and horses covering the walls and ceiling. Approximately 150 individual figures. Adults €8.50, booking recommended (grottes-rouffignac.fr).

Les Eyzies-de-Tayac is the small village that functions as the base for the cave circuit and has the National Museum of Prehistory (Musee National de Prehistoire, adults €7, closed Tuesdays) in a cliff-side building with the most comprehensive collection of Palaeolithic artefacts in Europe.

Where to Eat

Le Relais de la Cote de Jor in Montignac (place Bertran-de-Born, dinner around €30-45 per person) is the most reliable kitchen in the immediate area, serving Perigord classics: confit de canard, magret de canard, cèpes sautes, and walnut cake. The Dordogne produces both black truffles (winter, December-February, very expensive) and cèpes - the porcini-equivalent wild mushroom - in abundance in autumn. If you visit September-November, order cèpes wherever you see them on the menu.

Sarlat-la-Caneda is the larger medieval town 25 kilometres south and worth a lunch stop. The Saturday market in the old town centre (Place de la Liberte and surrounding streets) is one of the best markets in France - foie gras producers, walnut oil, truffle sellers in season, charcuterie. For dinner in Sarlat, Le Grand Bleu (Rue Adrien Planieux, starred, dinner €60-90 per person) is the reference point for fine Perigord cooking.

Where to Stay

Chateau de la Fleunie (Condat-sur-Vezere, 10 km from Lascaux, from €120-190 per night) is a 13th-century chateau in a forested property with an outdoor pool, straightforward for the area. Breakfast included.

Manoir de Hautegente in Coly (10 km from Lascaux, from €140-200) is a former mill property converted to a hotel; the rooms in the old mill building have the most character. Dinner on site is possible (set menu around €45).

For Sarlat-based visitors covering the whole valley: Hotel de Selves (from €90-140) is a clean, modern option in the town centre. Sarlat adds 25-35 minutes of driving each way to Lascaux and the northern cave sites but is better positioned for Font-de-Gaume and the Les Eyzies cluster.

Getting There

Fly to Bergerac (Bergerac Perigueux Dordogne Airport, BVE, served by Ryanair from London Stansted, Dublin, and various European cities) or Bordeaux (BOD, 2 hours south by road). From Paris, the TGV to Libourne or Bordeaux connects to regional trains to Perigueux or Sarlat. Driving from Bordeaux takes 2 hours; from Paris, allow 5 hours. The cave sites are spread across 30+ kilometres and are not accessible by public transport; a car is essential. July-August is the peak season and accommodation fills months in advance; book in November or December for summer visits.