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La
Roque St-Christophe
Location:
Just off the D706 at Le Moustier, 10km NE of Les Eyzies. Free parking,
small café and picnic tables at the site with lots of shade.
General info: Opening times – daily in peak season 10.00 -7.00.
Tel: 05 53 50 70 45 other times.
Description:
La Roque St-Christophe is a pre-historic troglodyte site dating from
the Mousterian era, which has been lived in by successive generations of
man. Its situation is very dramatic with good views, rising
vertically 80m from the Vezère valley. The whole site is half a mile long
and rises in five galleries dug out from the rock. The fascinating remains
of some of the buildings can be seen – like the Church, as well as some
medieval weaponry, while other parts of the site have been excellently
reconstructed.
Our recommendations: For children this is possibly the most
interesting above ground pre-historic site – particularly for those who
are not keen on either underground visits or families who prefer an
unguided visit (leaflet provided with an English translation).
It is possible to take a light-weight buggy around the site although care
is needed in places. |
Our favourite
caves in the
Dordogne:
- Gouffre de Padirac
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Gouffre de Proumeyssac
-
Grotte du Grand Roc
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La Roque St-Christophe
-
Lascaux Show Caves
There are
several websites that you may like to browse giving further information on
caves in the region:
-
Perigord dot com
-
Showcaves
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Best
Caves in the Dordogne
Due
to the number of rivers and the local
geology it's no surprise that the Dordogne has some
magnificent cave complexes. You will find two
different types: "Gouffres" are underground caves, whilst "Grottes"
are usually accessed from a rock face. Most offer traditional stalagmite/stalactite formations, although
some are famous for their ancient cave paintings. The Gouffres
de Padirac and Proumeyssac are our favourites.