Lascaux — Attraction in Sarlat-la-Canéda

A very disappointing experience for a mum of a 1.5yo toddler as I was not able to go inside with her. Please read for full details.

My French in-laws and extended family had a booked an afternoon outing for the family to visit this place. However, the night before, my sis in law noticed on the website (we could not find this information on the English version) that pushchairs were prohibited. After having had a recent operation on my wrist, holding my baby - let alone changing her nappy, or even on a sling was going to be tricky and out of the question - especially when she weights 10 kg. So we called them in the morning to ask if there was a reason why we could not take a pushchair (because most likely she would be napping) or at least get a refund if we were not able to take in our pushchair. This is where the disappointment started. My husband spoke to them (he is French so the message was pretty clear) and we were told that 1) pushchairs were not allowed as it takes up space and is not safe 2) when asked why pushchairs were not allowed and wheelchairs are - they have to legally allow disabled and people in wheelchairs and that we were lucky our baby was not disabled (yes they said that!) - so it is safe for a wheelchair but not safe for a pushchair? (makes no sense) 3) there were enough people in our group to pass the baby around to hold her if needed to and 4) if she became too noisy we would have to leave and rejoin the next tour.

We just simply wanted to take the pushchair as our girl would most likely be napping and we shouldn't be discriminated for this. When we also asked if we (my and my girl) could just hang outside and go for a walk - they said pushchairs are just not allowed outside either.

So my in-laws and French relatives were shocked as was I. I have now stayed at the house with our little girl whilst the rest of the family have gone to the caves. I think 35 euros were paid per ticket and that has gone down the drain as I was unable to go and be with the family - because pushchairs are not allowed.

I thought this was really unacceptable. This has been the most shocking experience as mother...

We had a wonderful experience. I was a little doubtful as to how good this would be as a reproduction and the vast concrete structure that formed the entrance to Lascaux 4 seemed Incongruous in the landscape.

That said, we arrived at 8am as the sun rose above the mist in the valley which made for a magical start to our visit. Our booking was for one of the few English speaking guide slots available throughout the day and as we only booked online the day before, our only option was the 8.30 tour. This early start is recommended! Easy parking and peaceful! Out guide was an American (josh?) Brilliant guide with a silky voice and an expert in the subject. He dispelled alot of misconceptions about the creators of the art. These were modern humans who lived in a cold climate and the cave was not their main residence. After setting the scene, we were taken into the cave complex. All the sensations were as if we were in the actual cave. It was dark, the temperature cool and as we descended from the entry point as the boys who discovered it would have, we gazed in awe upon the magnificent art as our guide pointed to all the interesting features. At the end of the tour there’s an interactive exhibition area to further explore and take photos. One thing we would recommend that is strangely lacking is that there is very little focus on the original cave entry point. We had to go searching for it afterwards. Drive up the hill to Lascaux 2. Park and then walk to the sign posted ‘historic monument’ you can just glimpse the doorway behind the green fence and hedge! Took us a while but we felt it important to know where the original cave was! It seems the museum don’t! All in all a superb memorable day....

See also below!!

I was directed to Lascaux II which might have been my fault. Here is my review of that experience - Incredibly disappointing. You have to go on a tour (virtually all in French) and when I arrived I’d have to wait two hours for the next one. Very tourist hostile.

Having noticed my error I went to the main exhibition, which the vast majority of visitors head for, contained in a vast low rise modern concrete complex. It is a modern reconstruction of the ancient cave painting which exist in a nearby cave. They describe it as the Sistine Chapel of the Stone Age. I have to say that throughout my visit I likened it to going to The Louvre to see a fake Mona Lisa - it’s just not the real thing. I wouldn’t take anything away from the reconstruction which I assume is accurate. When I bought my expensive ticket (€22) I used my school boy French so was included on a French tour - I wasn’t offered anything else - and it was very hard to understand very much. At the end of the tour of the ‘cave’ there is the opportunity to see more modern copies using a hand-held audio guide. Sadly the technology was complicated and very difficult to navigate. Not tourist hostile this time big but far from a satisfactory experience. I would only recommend if you are very interested in pre-history and cave paintings are you thing. Otherwise you won’t miss much by...