Come and discover an exceptional grouping of prehistoric sites at Les Eyzies-de-Tayac in Dordogne-Périgord (Aquitaine), most of which are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Encounter Homo sapiens, the remains of his habitat, his daily activities and his art.
A major testimony to the rock art of the Magdalenian Period, the cave of "Font de Gaume" contains an exceptional collection of polychrome paintings, as well as engravings. The shelter of "Cap Blanc" presents remarkable carved architecture.
This Prehistoric cave from the Magdalenian era lies just a few kilometres east of Les Eyzies on the right bank of the Beune river. It was classified as a listed site in 1926 in recognition of its unique sculptures. The frieze covers all but two metres of the 15-metre deep cave and features horses, bison and deer, some of which overlap. Originally, the sculptures were probably coloured since traces of ochre pigment were found during earlier archaeological digs.
The remarkable depth and vibrancy of these sculptures carved with flint tools make the Cap-Blanc Cave one of the greatest masterpieces of Prehistoric art from the Upper Palaeolithic period. A museographical area around the friezes gives an overview of Cap-Blanc life and art.
The Font-de-Gaume cave is a marvellous example of prehistoric art from the Madgalenian period with a truly remarkable group of polychrome wall paintings and engravings. For reasons of conservation, the number of visitors is limited to 180 each day with a maximum of 12 people per group.
Hall d’accueil de Font-de-Gaume
4, avenue des Grottes
24620 Les Eyzies-de-Tayac
Tel: +33 (0)5 53 06 86 00 / +33 (0)5 53 59 60 30