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Historic sites

Font-de-Gaume and the Vézère valley

France Dordogne Saint-Cyprien

Font-de-Gaume and the Vézère valley
Photo: Aangelo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Vézère valley around Les Eyzies holds an exceptional concentration of prehistoric caves and shelters, a World Heritage Site. Font-de-Gaume is one of the last caves with original polychrome paintings still open to visitors, with around 200 figures of bison, horses and mammoths. Nearby, the Abri de Cap-Blanc has a carved frieze of horses.


Visits to Font-de-Gaume are limited to small groups, so book well ahead. The National Museum of Prehistory in Les Eyzies is a good place to start.

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