Lascaux International Center of Parietal Art

Impressive Museum In order to preserve the original cave, the French government approved 40 or 50 years ago to seal the real cave and do other caves that are re-enactment of the original. This strategy is a must in order to preserve this historical treasure. The site you visit is actually really good and literally a perfect copy. It is well worth it and is very informative, both explaining the discovery of the site and the creation of it. It is one of the best 3 palaeontological sites in Europe. Obviously super worth it!

It's a shame we can't go to the original cave, as it needs to be preserved against humidity. However the Lascaux IV cave is an exact copy of the original. The whole setup of the complex is amazing with excellent descriptions and information about the cave and its drawings. The only downside is the carpark is a fair distance away from the complex.

Just an amazing experience. It really feels like you're in the cave, and yet at the same time I am so glad that they have sealed off the real cave to preserve it. Our guide was very informative, and the design of the museum surrounding the cave is stunning and takes incredible advantage of the natural setting.

Absolutely amazing. Even though you can not visit the original caves the replica gives you and incredible opportunity to view the paintings in a protected environment.

It is OK. The fact that it is not the real cave takes away a lot of the point. I feel like watching a good HD documentary would do the trick. Most of the experience is digital : games, movies, touch screens,....

An absolutely mind boggling exhibit! Have known about the Lascaux cave art for decades, but was visiting friends nearby, so took the opportunity to visit. So glad we did. The tour guide was passionate and knowledgeable. The little snack bar/café had a tasty selection of food and snacks. Very much worth the visit.

The design of the exhibit is extraordinary. You have no idea you are not in the original cave. Every detail has been meticulously attended to. Our guide, Danny, did a wonderful job and the use of headsets to hear him was brilliant. The experience really gave us a new understanding and appreciation for 21,000 years ago!

Excellent tour in English. The facilities were good. But, I did not like that you could not leave and come back into the museums at the end of the tour. There is a lot to see and if you want to come out to have lunch or just a break, you are not able to return. I didn't really understand why this was and we did not see everything because we were hungry and needed a break but would have liked to have been able to come back in to enjoy the rest of the exhibits.

This is a "must see" kind of place for anyone interested in Neolithic cave art. The displays in the museum give context and insight into the astonishing art you see in the cave itself. The tour of the (meticulously reproduced cave) really brings out the wonder of the art, which was completed over a 500 year period 21,000 years ago! The tour guide spoke excellent English and showed a thoughtful and complete knowledge of the art and context.

This is Lascaux IV: #1 is the original cave discovered in 1940 by an 18-year-old and his dog, which was closed to public in 1963 when the light, heat, humidity, and exhalation produced by visitors was too damaging to this valuable artifact. #2 the replica opened in 1983 on the same hill. Unfortunately, the many tourists, along with their motor vehicles, continue to threaten the original cave. Thus, #4, grandly named Lascaux International Centre for Cave Art, was completed in 2016. (#3 is a traveling exhibit.) Lascaux IV can only be visited by joining the guided tour. I highly recommend you to reserve and prepay online, especially if you don't speak French, as there are very few tours in English and other languages. If you walk in and they are full, all you can see is the gift shop. At the tour, you get an tablet and a headphone. After some introduction, you walk into a replica of the cave. The cave replica was developed through 3D laser scanning and casting technologies to replicate the original cave form to a 1 millimeter tolerance. 25 artists spent 2 years hand-painting 900 meters of resin rock reproductions, using the same pigments that the prehistoric painters used 20,000 years ago to recreate the 1900 paintings and engravings that adorn the walls of the cave. Afterwards, you can spend as much time as you like in the multimedia exhibition, taking your time to take photos of the drawings, listen to more in depth explanation of each painting and watch videos about many aspect of the archeological site, which really makes me appreciate the artwork even more! Truly, the dynamic, expressive cave paintings are impressive. And that they are so ancient really give me a different impression of our prehistoric ancestors. The interactive exhibit is totally awesome, let me learn so much more than what a guided tour allows. I hope one day I can make it back again.

There is a very detailed informational review in English so I will just add that the guide was superb and the tour very interesting - lasting an hour - and then time to explore more in the museum

Try to learn when tours are given in your language before you arrive. This will help save time because you have to tour first before anything else is available. Do something elsewhere before you come here. I think many local sites sell tickets for a set of sites. At least this place sold for 4 other sites. Thot is close and is one of them. 20 minutes away and a nice stop. Beautiful building. I love the way and the effort they say they put into reproducing the original cave to allow easy viewing and yet preserve the original cave. Tour guide was wonderful and knew an answer for every question. She showed great interest in the topic.