France’s International Centre for Cave Art, also known as Lascaux IV, is marking its 10th anniversary with a range of events to celebrate one of the country's most famous historic sites.
The Centre is a full-scale replica of the Lascaux cave, which is home to over 600 prehistoric wall paintings, and has been a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1979.
It is also a particularly good option if looking for a day out that allows you to escape the hot weather this summer.
We share our experience of visiting Lascaux IV in a family group including a seven-year-old and some younger children.
What to expect if visiting Lascaux IV
To be honest, the impression you get when you arrive is less than impressive. The car park is anonymous, the landscape is flat and bare. There's not much by way of other attractions nearby either, so we were slightly ‘meh’ about the whole thing.
We didn't realise that Lascaux II was still open to the public, or we might have chosen to go there instead.
Apart from the price (adults €16 for Lascaux II and from €23 for Lascaux IV) the difference is that Lascaux II, opened in 1983, is a much older facsimile which is only 85% accurate.
Lascaux IV, opened in December 2016, is absolutely 100% accurate in every detail. The visit includes a comprehensive modern exhibition about the caves, a lot of it using interactive IT stations.
Lascaux III, if you're wondering, has been touring the world's museums since 2012 and isn't expected back in France before at least 2028, if ever.
So off we trooped, dutifully carrying our hoodies, because it is chilly in the reproduced caves. We were on a guided tour, which you can book in English, French or Spanish, and had to climb down a staircase into the cave. This is also an exact replica of the staircase that was installed in the original caves in 1947.
Once we had taken a couple of steps into the caves, however, the whole experience felt completely authentic. The paintings are extraordinary, and it is mind-blowing to think they were drawn around 23,000 years ago.
As we shuffled through the caves, our group was small enough that we were not crowded, everyone could see everything and we had time to gawp for as long as we liked. The guide was very informative, although personally I find it hard to listen to explanations and absorb artworks simultaneously.
The story of how the caves were discovered varies but the most usually accepted version is that in September 1940, a local lad, Marcel Ravidat, was walking Robot his dog, when the faithful hound disappeared in pursuit of a rabbit. A fallen tree had opened up a hole a couple of feet wide in the earth, and investigating this, Marcel realised that it opened into a larger space, which he thought must be an underground tunnel from the nearby chateau.
Four days later, he came back with three friends to investigate further. They dug their way into the hole and discovered the first cave and the paintings on the walls. It wasn't long before their parents found out, and soon afterwards their retired teacher, who realised that it was an exceptional discovery.
By the end of the year the caves had been classified as 'monuments historiques' and a large metal door was installed to keep people out of the caves in 1946. Works were carried out in 1947 to make the caves accessible to the public, but sadly they also resulted in extensive damage in the form of mould and fungal growths.
A million people visited the caves between 1948 and 1963, when they were closed to the public. Today, to preserve the caves only scientists can enter them, and even then only for a total of 200 hours per year.
The visit to Lascaux IV was in fact fascinating, very educational. The kids loved it, and we all agreed it was worth the money. But next time, before it closes to the public, I might visit Lascaux II which people say has an even more authentic atmosphere, and less crowds so you can take your time.
