Pech Merle — Attraction in Cahors

Fabulous cave! This is one of the only caves where you can see the footprints and handpaintings of the Cro-Magnon people from 20,000 years ago. For that, the visit is 200 percent worth it. Furthermore, the guide was extremely helpful and very amicable. You could see this cave and its story seemed like a part of him.

Now, to the critique ( I think the cave should seriously look into this):

1. Too many people on one tour: While the website says each tour is capped at 25 people maximum, I counted 31 people on my tour. What a way to make money! I can't believe the cave management would allow this, given they have strict protocol to follow. If this continues, Pech Merle is going to speed its way towards a Lascaux-esque fate with a white or green disease spreading through its paintings.

2. Too many children and too many rude parents : While I love kids, I believe this isn't the right space for them. The kids are incredibly young, want to touch everything and the tour guide spends more time looking out for them, than their own parents. AND NOW FOR THEIR PARENTS!! Let me say one thing : some of these parents are incredibly rude, don't care about anyone else and hog up all the space by using their kids to block other adults from the front. Due to this, the adults, like us, either have to wait or literally have a stare-down with said parent. This is not what we were hoping for when we walked into a cave billions of years-old.

All in all, the cave is beautiful. However, its beauty is marred and will be marred by some of the people who walk in. I feel it is best the management starts to implement steps as drastic as Font de Gaume to ensure they don't have to build a replica of it 20 years...

Bad luck when visiting the Cave of Pech-Merle As our confirmed, booked tour in English did not take place and we speak French tolerably (proofed on other tours), we accepted the French tour. Unfortunately our guide of the French tour (Mr. Thierry) spoke very quickly and also slurred and with a regional accent. We repeatedly asked him to speak more clearly and more slowly. He made openly fun of the native speakers, refused in changing his behavior and referred succinctly to the possibility of an English tour (see above). For the 30-minutes introduction, we got ring binders in English and German with a selection of later views and overview information, which, however, were of no help in the context of the following tour due to the lighting conditions. Thierry turned out to be someone of an overbearing elementary school teacher (asking question like in an examination), making applause-seeking comments and making no effort whatsoever to speak clearly (there were other English-speaking foreigners in the group) - instead loving teacher-style question-and-answer games. The visit is impressive and should you be lucky enough not to meet an ignorant schoolmaster you can certainly take away many valuable details of information. As a result of his unfriendly behavior we left the very interesting place with some...

Undoubtedly on the big XXX of caves you must visit to complement, enhance and make real what you may have researched aforhand. All the eulogies are valid; this is an awesome step back 30,000 years ago. To stand where people have stood 30,000 years ago, to try and comprehend, to dream, imagine, compare. Go. Visit. Be moved.

My experience; the team, all of them, are beyond any serious criticism. Engaging, very knowledgeable, highly committed, linguistically able in English, Spanish, Italian. Proffering scripts to those who speak Chinese, German and undoubtedly many other languages. You will not have any the lessor experience because of where you come from. My curiosity led them to recommend Michel Lorblanchet's book "Naissance de la Vie". It is exhaustive yet highly comprehensible.

Our superb guide used English. Yet had insufficient time to explain many highly curious hypothesis quoted by academics who have studied the cave exhaustively.

For this cave prepare yourself. It's worth it.

One fact worth a mention is that most caves close November thru March. It helps the preservation. I am grateful I could see this cave in an almost...