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All 79 Dordogne Attractions »

Grotte du Pech-Merle

Cabrerets, France
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Ranked #7 of 63 attractions in Dordogne
5.0 of 5 stars 7 Reviews
Type: Caverns/ Caves
Description: One of the world's finest painted prehistoric caves.
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7 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
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Date Rating
Wroclaw
Contributor
14 reviews 14 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
38 helpful votes 38 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 12 May 2012
1
person found this review helpful

To understand where we come from and to awake one's imagination everybody shoud see at least one paleolitic cave with drawings and paintings. The most famous, Lascaux, can be visited only with special permisions but you can see the contemporary copies in Lascaux II. So to feel he atmoshpere of original prehistoric art it's best to go to Pech Merle.... More

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Houston, Texas
Top Contributor
51 reviews 51 reviews
Reviews in 36 cities Reviews in 36 cities
22 helpful votes 22 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 May 2012

We went to the cave today and were extremely impressed with the features of the cave (disks, cave pearls, spinning tops, huge rooms and the stalactites, But all that was far surpassed by the cave art. The pictures of the horses were truly special. This is an attraction that everyone should visit. More

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Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 26 April 2012

I have only visited the Grotte once, but it was a wonderful experience to see those two painted horses - an artwork that is world famous. Well worth a visit. More

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Geneva, Switzerland
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 January 2012
2
people found this review helpful

Visiting the caves at Pech-Merle was a truly moving experience. To see the work of our ancestors so long ago was awe-inspiring and the natural formations of the caves themselves are a spectacular sight. Our guide, who spoke English and French, was excellent, presenting just the right amount of information and happy to respond to more detailed questions. The tour... More

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Newport
Contributor
18 reviews 18 reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
11 helpful votes 11 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 12 September 2011
2
people found this review helpful

Unlike the other main showcave in this area (Lascaux) visitors are still allowed into the original cave at Pec-h Merle. The 7 caves which are open to the public are spectacular in their own right with beautiful concretions. However, it's the paintings from 25,000 years ago which make this site so special, especially the dotted horses and the hands. Photographs... More

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Derbyshire
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 August 2007
5
people found this review helpful

Pech Merle was the highlight of my visit to the Dordogne and Lot. Without the paintings it would merit rave reviews simply as a show cave, with its spectatcular geological formations. Add to this the cave paintings, and you have a stunning experience. Tours are in French, but therer are booklets in English and our guide made certain that we... More

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St-Denis
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 3 August 2010
3
people found this review helpful
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