Good stop when visiting caves. Lots of flints, some signs are in English. Animal displays are cool,…read moreand the museum continues along the hillside for great views.

Take a walk back through time Our tour guide brought us here…read morefor a tour of this museum. The collection, the documentation, the displays cataloged with a "Smithsonian" perfection were just overwhelming for the short period of time we were there. I understand this area of France is a little off the beaten path for the large American tour companies. This is a shame, the museum deserved much more time for discovery and contemplation. Even with so much use of French in the museum, a visitor can still be filled with a sense of wonder.

Steve and Judy Burman, ex-pat English archeologists, offer an exclusive B&B and personalized tour…read morepackage of the painted caves and castles of the Dordogne region of southern France. My wife and I engaged Steve for a two day private tour of cave art at Lascaux, Le Thot, Cap Blanc, Font-de-Gaume, Las Combarelles and the National Museum of Prehistory in Les Eyzies. We were forewarned that we would return after a day with Steve completely exhausted. And we did. Each day, with Steve as our guide and mentor, we learned about he paintings, engravings and sculptures of the "Cromagnons" often times only inches away from the art they created. We climbed, crouched and twisted our way into cave recesses to see ancient paintings of bison, aurochs, mammoth,and raindeer, quickly understanding that these were made by highly competent artists. Steve not only explained the art and its merits but also set for us the geologic and archeological background which spawned the people who created these masterpieces. Steve was generous with his knowledge, generous with his time and, over lunch or while driving us from one site to another would also patiently explain customs, courtesies and modern French lifestyle in the Dordogne. I can't say enough for Steve and Judy Burman's Caves & Castles tours.

From the owner: Classé au Patrimoine mondial de l'Unesco Le site préhistorique de la vallée de la Vézère comporte…read more147 gisements remontant jusqu'au paléolithique et 25 grottes ornées. Il présente un intérêt exceptionnel d'un point de vue ethnologique, anthropologique et esthétique avec ses peintures pariétales, en particulier celles de la grotte de Lascaux dont la découverte (en 1940) a marqué une date dans l'histoire de l'art préhistorique. Ses scènes de chasse habilement composées comprennent une centaine de figures animales, étonnantes par la précision de l'observation, la richesse des coloris et la vivacité du rendu. Classé au patrimoine mondial de l'Unesco en 1979. Ci-dessous, la liste complète des monuments classés au patrimoine mondiale de l'Unesco en France.

CHATEAU DE MONBAZILLAC Chateau de Monbazillac…read more24240 Monbazillac http://www.chateau-monbazillac.com 05 53 61 52 52 and 05 53 63 65 00 An afternoon visit to the Chateau de Monbazillac was the highlight today. We arrived at the home of the famous sweet wine after a 70 km trip. Built around 1550, the chateau stands today almost exactly as when built by the AYDIE family more than four centuries ago. This was a very interesting visit indeed, highlights including the Grand Salon, the Mouney-Sully Hall, the Grand Staircase and the Hall of Bottles. The world renowned vineyard was first cultivated in the 11th century and is famous for using the noble rot method to make its sweet wines which draw thousands of visitors every year. We availed of the tasting service, naturally, and purchased some of the golden nectar along with some Bergerac Rouge and Bergerac Sec. In entering this place, you are entering a part of the History of France. So says one of the chateau's leaflets. Today, the Wine Cooperative of Monbazillac owns the chateau and makes every effort to look after the monument and open it as much as possible to visitors. For EUR6.40, we thought it was very good value indeed.

The famous sweet white wines of Monbazillac are grown in the vineyards surrounding this historical…read moremonument dating from 1550. We visited on a day that it rained followed by sunshine and were delightfully greeted with double rainbows arching over the vineyards and behind the Chateau creating postcard perfect memories. Le Chateau boasts twenty furnished rooms with unique and original architecture. Make sure to go down the stairs to the wine cellars and read some of the historical documents. When we visited, the top floor dining room was hosting a very odd art show of trash and garbage. We weren't sure what the meaning was, however, we decided to think about it as a nod to the importance of recycling. The view from the northern terrace offers extraordinary landscapes over the Bergerac valley and the Dordogne river. The white wine was too sweet for our California palate, but would be delicious over ice cream as a dessert!

This is a "must see" kind of place for anyone interested in Neolithic cave art…read more The displays in the museum give context and insight into the astonishing art you see in the cave itself. The tour of the (meticulously reproduced cave) really brings out the wonder of the art, which was completed over a 500 year period 21,000 years ago! The tour guide spoke excellent English and showed a thoughtful and complete knowledge of the art and context.

This is Lascaux IV: #1 is the original cave discovered in 1940 by an 18-year-old and his dog, which…read morewas closed to public in 1963 when the light, heat, humidity, and exhalation produced by visitors was too damaging to this valuable artifact. #2 the replica opened in 1983 on the same hill. Unfortunately, the many tourists, along with their motor vehicles, continue to threaten the original cave. Thus, #4, grandly named Lascaux International Centre for Cave Art, was completed in 2016. (#3 is a traveling exhibit.) Lascaux IV can only be visited by joining the guided tour. I highly recommend you to reserve and prepay online, especially if you don't speak French, as there are very few tours in English and other languages. If you walk in and they are full, all you can see is the gift shop. At the tour, you get an tablet and a headphone. After some introduction, you walk into a replica of the cave. The cave replica was developed through 3D laser scanning and casting technologies to replicate the original cave form to a 1 millimeter tolerance. 25 artists spent 2 years hand-painting 900 meters of resin rock reproductions, using the same pigments that the prehistoric painters used 20,000 years ago to recreate the 1900 paintings and engravings that adorn the walls of the cave. Afterwards, you can spend as much time as you like in the multimedia exhibition, taking your time to take photos of the drawings, listen to more in depth explanation of each painting and watch videos about many aspect of the archeological site, which really makes me appreciate the artwork even more! Truly, the dynamic, expressive cave paintings are impressive. And that they are so ancient really give me a different impression of our prehistoric ancestors. The interactive exhibit is totally awesome, let me learn so much more than what a guided tour allows. I hope one day I can make it back again.

MUSEE DE L'AUTOMATE Europe's largest automata exhibition is…read morein the abbey of Souillac. It has some 300 pieces, mostly from the 19th and 20th century. Admission is six euro and is worth a visit particularly if you have kids in tow. Our favourite was Charlie Chaplin, hanging onto a lamppost and cheekily trying to kick his way out of his glass cabinet. A jazz band and a man with an uncontrollable laugh also brought enjoyment.

From the owner: L'homme et la Machine Le Musée de l'Automate de Souillac est le plus grand musée d'automates…read moreanciens et de jouets mécaniques d'Europe. Avec une collection datant des 19ème et 20ème siècles, la collection du musée présente de véritables témoignages de ces objets de jeu qui ont su traverser les époque. La collection provient essentiellement des ateliers Roullet Decamps.