You can find caves and prehistoric sites in all areas of France, dating back to the earliest civilisations in Europe. Here we explore some of the most famous and most visited of these cave and sites.
We realise that a cave is not always a prehistoric settlement and a prehistoric settlement is not always a cave...but the two are often the same so we include them all in this section...
Aquitaine
Font-de-Gaume (Dordogne)
The caves at Font-de-Gaume are one of the last caves in France where the public can still see original cave paintings
See Font-de-Gaume guide
Grotte de Rouffignac (Dordogne)
The Grotte de Rouffignac contains engravings and drawings of more than 100 mammoths
See Grotte de Rouffignac guide
La-Roque-Saint-Christophe (Dordogne)
The prehistoric dwellings built in the cliffs at La Roque-Saint-Christophe are one of the most extensive of their type in France
See La-Roque-Saint-Christophe guide
Lascaux caves (Dordogne)
The Lascaux Caves are famous worldwide because of the large number of prehistoric cave paintings to be seen
See Lascaux caves guide
Laugerie-Basse (Dordogne)
Laugerie Basse is a prehistoric shelter in the Vezere Valley in the Dordogne
See Laugerie-Basse guide
The Grotte du Grand Roc (Dordogne)
The Grotte du Grand Roc is a beautiful natural cave system in the Dordogne.
See The Grotte du Grand Roc guideCorsica
Filitosa (Corse-du-Sud)
Filitosa is a rare site of prehistoric engraved megaliths, between Ajaccio and Propriano in Corsica
See Filitosa guideMidi-Pyrenees
Gouffre de Padirac (Lot)
The Gouffre de Padirac is the most popular cave system in France
See Gouffre de Padirac guide
Grotte de Lombrives (Ariege)
Not the most famous caves perhaps but the Grotte de Lombrives is the largest cave system in France
See Grotte de Lombrives guideSee more tourist attractions in France