Discover the emblematic sites of the Vézère Valley at a smart price

Discover Perigord & the Dordogne

The Vézère Valley is located in Périgord Noir. It is a high place of prehistory in the Dordogne, there is an incredible concentration of cultural and heritage sites, not only tourist sites but real places of world-class historical importance! Walking in the Vézère Valley is a real journey through time, to meet our ancestors. Artists, ingenious, sociable, courageous, get an idea of their way of life, their customs and preferences, how they lived in the Vézère Valley thousands of years ago... Come and visit Les Grottes de Lascaux, the International Center of Parietal Art, taking advantage of an advantageous rate on the Parc du Thot site a few kilometers away and Les Abris de Laugeries Basse a little further in Les Eyzies. To save money without sacrificing your pleasure or depriving yourself, the Prehistory Pass is the idea to know for your stay in Périgord Noir.

Photos of the article © Guide du Périgord and © Sémitour

Lascaux IV, the International Center for Parietal Art

Whether during the day on a classic visit or during special VIP evenings and the various themed visits organized during school holidays and in summer, visiting Lascaux is a must. In Montignac-Lascaux, these caves are known worldwide, they have acquired an unparalleled notoriety because they reflect a period, a know-how, a way of life of our ancestors. The paintings reveal much more than simple artistic skills and a good part of their mysteries remain suspended... Come and visit the incredible International Center of Parietal Art (Lascaux IV, because Lascaux III is a traveling exhibition and Lascaux II, the partial and primary reproduction of the original cave).

The Parc du Thot in Tursac to go further than Lascaux

The Parc du Thot is a complementary site to Lascaux, you will see life-size animals painted in the caves! It is a site that appeals to the whole family, it is also very well thought out for children. Part of it is a nature walk, with different places to encounter deer, aurochs, goats, and even wolves. The keepers are there to give you information (we recommend the guided tour) and you can also participate in animations and moments of animal care. Workshops are organized on site for adults and children, to take themselves for a real Cro-Magnon! Learn to make fire with flint and tinder (a mushroom), discover archaeological excavations and their tools, learn cave paintings, make a grease lamp... To go further, an original and unique animation in 3D allows you to touch extinct animals, sometimes contemporaneous with our ancestors, in any case who populated these lands tens or even hundreds of thousands of years ago.

The Shelters of Laugerie Basse: Cliff to go back in time

The prehistoric shelters of Laugerie Basse are a unique place (open to visitors). In Les Eyzies, along the Vézère, the cliffs have been places of rest, work, hunting and refuge for man for more than 15,000 years. It is an archaeological site, we drilled cores and made stratigraphic sections, which allow us to realize the extraordinary remains present. This site is now open to visitors with an attractive museography to make the information it transmits simple and fun. Another way to save money is to take advantage of the combined ticket with La Grotte du Grand Roc, a superb cave with concretions which is right next door. It conceals eccentrics, concretions which have not grown straight like stalactites but in all directions! Did you know that the Grotte du Grand Roc is the only concretion cave in the Valley classified as a World Heritage Site?!

The Semitour Geology Prehistory Pass

To visit these sites at preferential rates during your holidays in Périgord Noir, book your Prehistory Pass now ! This allows you to visit the 4 sites, in the order you want and on the days you choose. We recommend that you first visit Lascaux IV and then Le Thot, which are a 10-minute drive from each other. The next day, head to Les Eyzies to enjoy the other 2 sites (Laugerie Basse and Grand Roc) which are in the same place. On vacation with family or friends, this is the best way to save money by having a very good overview of the occupation of our valley in prehistoric times and even before.