Grotte du Pech Merle

The Lot

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Discovered in 1922, the 1200m-long Grotte de Pech Merle is one of the few decorated caves found around the Lot Valley. It has several wonderful galleries of mammoths, bison and dappled horses, as well as unique hand tracings, fingerprints and human figures. Look out for the beautifully preserved adolescent footprint, clearly imprinted in the clay floor.

Reserve ahead by phone or online in peak season (ask for an English tour); visitors are limited to 700 per day.

Entry includes a museum and a 20-minute film (French and English). Find it perched high on the hills above the riverside town of Cabrerets, 30km northeast of Cahors.

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