cave of font-de-gaume
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cave of font-de-gaume印象
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My husband and I had a marvelous experience to the Cave of Font de Gaume with Christian Mayer -- a private guide, multilingual (Spanish, French and English). Not only was the cave exceptional but Christian able to give much detail on the Dordogne valley. His website is: sightseeinginfrance.com. An excellent guide and one we hope to see again for our next visit to southern France.
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As with other prehistoric attractions, it is necessary to arrive early and queue up to obtain tickets to the exhibits as there are limited positions available each session and there may be only one or two sessions either in the morning or afternoon. As we have previously tried but found that all tickets had been sold for the day, and as you cannot book ahead, we returned two days later when it wasn't as busy and obtained the tickets for an English speaking guided tour. And talking to the guide prior to the tour, he informed us that many of the attractions will close in coming years due to the effect that the elements are having on the drawings. So do not wait.Having said that, we were shown some stunning 15000 year old cave art in the forms of animal drawing and it was truly a rewarding experience and although you cannot take photos, buying a copy of a booklet can remind you of this wonderful experience. We spent a week staying in Sarlat which is about an hours' drive to most of the attractions in the region. You need to plan you days with the grottos as they do not open until either 9:30 / 10:00 AM and then close at Midday and do not reopen until 2:00 PM in the afternoon and close around 4:00 PM.
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If you are interested in seeing original cave drawings dating back to almost 15,000 BC then the Font de Gaume caves are probably one if not the only place to go. Located an easy one hour drive away from the village of Sarlat France, the caves are easy to find. We toured in early October so the crowds were small but even then the tours were full to capacity. Be advised that you simply cannot drive up to the entrance and purchase a ticket and go on a tour. The site is very fragile and susceptible to damage so the numbers of people that are allowed to tour the caves are limited to 50 or so per day. So during the busy summer months you need to arrive VERY early in the morning, stand in line and hope you are lucky enough to get in. We have heard of people actually camping outside the entrance in order to be among the first in line. As you read these reviews you will note that even some of those who arrive very early have been turned away. Unfortunately, I don’t believe you can reserve tickets online or by phone, although we did hear from someone on our tour that there is a way to reserve if you are connected with a tour group?All this said, I would stand out in the snow and rain for days to get a ticket, the drawings are just that impressive. Our guide, (who did the tour in English) was just fabulous. His passion and attention to detail were so obvious to us; it really made the tour special. He must have given this tour/talk a thousand times before but to us it seemed like we were the first people he had ever done the tour with. Highly highly highly recommended. Do whatever you need to do to get a ticket AND don’t give up and go to the Lascaux reproduced cave paintings; you will be disappointed in comparison.
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Just lucked into finding out about this place while in the area touring castles of the Dordogne. The history here is fascinating, going back 10,000 years plus. Cave drawings were amazing, and a very cool tour. You do have to line up in the morning to be there in time for the limited amount of tickets they issue each day.
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What an amazing thing to walk into a cave and see artwork created over 15,000 years ago. Our guide was fantastic and very informative. If you are the least bit claustrophobic don't try it; one member of the group that came in with us panicked and had the be taken out and that was one spot that someone else could have used. The day we were there they were only allowing about 62 people in total. You go in in small groups. Be sure to get there at least 2 hours before the ticket office opens or you will more than likely not get in. And some people think one person can show up and hold a spot for others to show up right before it opens; I would not recommend trying it. The morning we were there a woman in line before me was holding 9 spots and the mob of people (there were at least 50 people waiting by the time the ticket office opened) pretty much told her to get in the back of the line when her group showed up. Also, the ticket agent told her she could buy a ticket for herself but not the others and that she could not hold spaces. I think the website says you can do this but it did not work for her group; if you want to go in, you wait in line.
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So worth it! The only original drawings from 15,000 years ago that are still open for viewing. Our fantastic guide Jean-Marie made it even better. He totally captured my son's interest. He explained how the artists worked with fire light and used the stones' shape and form to create perspective in their drawings. It really made them come alive. We were all marvelled. Really!! Make sure you reserve ahead of time.
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Very few caves with artwork like this are still open to the public. They only allow a limited number of visitors per day and entrance is on a first come first serve basis. This wasn't a problem for us since not many people vacation here in February, we walked in at 10:45 and saw the caves at 11:15. I have a problem with claustrophobia but as soon as I saw the artwork in was so amazing I forgot all about it. Of course no photos are allowed so buy some postcards. I was so in awe of standing in front of beautiful drawings of bison, horses, etc made so long ago.
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You could no longer make reservations in advance when we went there in October. We were advised to get there long before the ticket office opens at 9:30am. We arrived about 7:15am and there were already a dozen people ahead of us in line. I was concerned that some were buying tickets for others but we found out that you can only purchase one ticket per person and the total number sold was 52. We were able to get tickets on the English speaking tour at 11:15am. So we drove into town to have a coffee and a pastry as it was freezing outside. Our tour guide was outstanding and even though we were limited in the time that we had in the cave, he stayed with us outside until all the questions were answered when the following group went in. He was pleased when people asked him questions showing that we had a real interest in what we saw. The quality of the drawings was amazing considering the primitive conditions in which they were made. This is the last prehistoric cave showing polychrome paintings open to the public in the world!
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We were fortunate to have booked an English tour for these original cave paintings. Our guide was adorable. She was passionate about the paintings, taking her time and answering all our questions, even though we were the last tour of the day. If you are in Bordeaux, this is a must see!!
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This is an amazing place, a must for anyone with an interest in history. This cave may not be open much longer, so make it number one on your visit list-stunning!