The Prestigious Visits of Lascaux IV

Every evening in summer, the International Center for Cave Art, Lascaux IV, organizes unique and very original tours of the Lascaux Cave: The Prestige Visits, it is 2 hours of discovery with a torch, to understand the cave like our ancestors 20,000 years ago. Immerse yourself with delight and emotion in the heart of the cave, with a mediator who will " enlighten " you on the context of the discovery, the history of the cave and its artists, the unique drawing techniques used, the symbols, meanings and codes… An absolutely fabulous highlight and very different from the usual experience, in full light. Follow us for a preview before you get there.

The Prestigious Visits of Lascaux IV

All summer long, the International Center for Cave Art, Lascaux IV, located in Montignac in the Périgord Noir, organizes special visits to approach the cave, its paintings and engravings, from a new angle. Timeless evenings, which will appeal to all audiences, amateurs or experienced on the subject.

3 types of visits are available:

The Prestige Visit, which lasts 2 hours with a mediator who accompanies you by flashlight, in a small group, to visit each room step by step and contemplate the painted panels, friezes, frescoes...
The Cro-Magnon Evenings are a Prestige Tour, followed by a meal inspired by the eating habits of our ancestors. A menu concocted with care and local, fresh and exceptional products by the chef of Café Lascaux (on the site itself).

The Cave Art and Gastronomy Evenings take place every Thursday evening of the summer, it is a visit of 2 hours and a whole and convivial evening, in the company of a mediator, to exchange on anecdotes, habits of life and all the questions you ask yourself about the cave and its historical context.

To make an appointment and find out more, visit the website of the Center International de l'Art Parietal.

The entrance to Lascaux IV

The Hall of the Bulls reveals its secrets

Visit the Lascaux Cave, by flashlight

Going to the Lascaux Cave with the only light point, the scintillating (electric) torch of a mediator, is a really different experience from a visit with the usual lights. Why? No image, no video can reproduce or pay homage to the genius of our distant ancestors. You will understand during a visit, the paintings come to life when you face them, they are skilfully applied, using a multitude of pigments, tools, taking into account the relief of the wall! The experts who have analyzed these paintings for decades are categorical: they are not simple graffiti or drawings made to deceive boredom... It is a sacred and spiritual work of art, which required a long and fine analysis of the asperities of the cave, before applying the ochres and mineral powders used to paint.

The Axial Diverticule, the "Sistine Chapel of Prehistory"

After you are equipped with an audio headset, you take the elevator to the Belvédère, the starting point of the visit.

The visit begins with a short film to place yourself in the (pre) historical and climatological context

In addition to the paintings, a multitude of engravings are found intertwined with each other, sometimes overlapping in the paintings. This is where the flashlight visit brings real added value: the relief of the cave comes alive, depending on where the flashlight is placed. The shadows reveal the engravings and it is with emotion that suddenly, depending on the angle where you are, a horse emerges, an engraved deer stands out from the limestone! I have already visited the cave several times during the day, I assure you that the Prestige Tour is a fascinating complementary discovery experience...

The Hall of the Bulls is the first, it is breathtaking and has more than 130 performances

We walk in a small group, everyone can see clearly and enjoy the magic of the paintings

The deer is an animal very often represented

The horse is also very present, there is even a "reversed" version.

A complete visit to understand the Lascaux Cave

The visit continues after walking through the cave, in the Atelier room in Lascaux. Hanging facsimiles are presented and allow you to see the invisible: engravings almost erased by time, sketches of drawings that can be difficult to see, paintings inaccessible as the only “ almost ” human representation found: a man with a bird's head in the Well, above the Nave. You will discover the tools that our ancestors used to paint, the techniques of application of the different pigments, the raw materials with which they created the colors… An essential complement of information for the curious, accompanied by your guide to unravel the mysteries unfathomable of these grandiose cave paintings!

The model of the cave

Hanging Facsimiles

Ithyphallic man (with a bird's head and erect sex)

You continue the visit through the Galerie de l'Imaginaire, where dozens of works by great masters of art who were inspired by Lascaux are offered to you, in a magnificent digital museography.

The Imaginary Gallery

A meal at Café Lascaux

Café Lascaux is a restaurant located on the Lascaux IV visit site. It is accessible at the end of your visit, or at the beginning! You can also come and eat there, even if you do not visit the cave, it is open all year round and offers a tempting and gourmet menu: on one side of the gourmet snacking, to eat on the go with delight, the other a catering menu offering dishes for all tastes, inspired by local Périgord products, cooked with local and fresh products. It is a real treat, for the taste buds as much as for the eyes.