Village de la Madeleine — Attraction in Sarlat-la-Canéda

This is a tough place to rate. It is unique - it gave its name to the magdelanien period of human history and here were discovered two of the stone age bone / wood carvings that have come to typify that period.

You visit the caves used by early humans 15,000 years ago and see structures built into them over the last 1000 years, so we give 5 stars for uniqueness and it is unspoilt, you can really imagine life thousands of years ago.

The problem is that it could be so much more. clearly the actual artifacts are in museums around the world, but there is no attempt here to exhibit replicas. little is known about how people lived, so it is not possible to accurately recreate the insides of the caves, but even some 'artists impressions' of how they might have looked would help to understand what is there. for very good reasons, no attempt has been made simce discovery in the 1800s to construct new buildings or replace timber beams or walls, so what you see is completely authentic, but with no furniture, textiles or other clues you need good imagination

Finally, as with many popular places, in summer it is simply overrun so avoid july and august if you want tome to appreciate what...

Abri de la Madeleine is a really wonderful place. The situation over the Vézère river is quite idyllic, and the site itself a really interesting one. On the day I visited there were a number of artisans practicing mediaeval crafts around the site, which were really interesting to watch and talk to. I didn't get to visit the farm, but that's something for another day. There are good interpretation materials around the site that explain what you're looking at in French and English. The site is easy enough to walk around, but the ground is quite uneven, so something to be aware of for anyone who's...

Great attraction! We were there during a heat wave. We received a free drink from the counter at the entrance, against drying out! Wow ... what a good customer service! Very friendly! Entrance prices are fine. We also get a guide book. which gave enough info at our own language. The view is great! Great vista over the river. The castle ruins are also very nice. Castle itself you can not enter. But the smaller buildings/area under the cliff (bellow) you can! With these buildings also a small church. You can walk around the castle (top) where you find a vista with some benches. We...