Cave of Niaux

With the emotion of an explorer and by the light of a lamp, follow in the footsteps of the Cro-Magnons: you have an appointment with a part of your history.

The cave of Niaux is unique and this is not a false promise. The 1h45 guided tour allows you to admire, like nowhere else, the authentic paintings of our ancestors who are concentrated in the Salon Noir. No facsimiles here but superb paintings of animals associated with enigmatic signs that transport you to distant times for a sacred adventure.

WARNINGS : The cave is neither fitted out nor lit, the route (2,5km in total) is hilly and must be done in a limited time, which is why the visit is not possible for people with motor disabilities, strongly discouraged for children under 6 years old and people with locomotion difficulties.
> Walking sticks, backpacks, canes, strollers, baby carriers and photos are prohibited.

an exceptional natural site

55 meters high, 50 meters wide, the porch of the Niaux cave has aroused all the curiosities since Prehistoric times

The men of the Magdalenian did not fail to notice this immense porch located at 678m in height and to leave their imprints there.
Abbé Henri Breuil said when speaking of this place: “ Nature seems to have predestined Tarascon-sur-Ariège to become an important center of prehistoric habitat. We are there (…) in the vicinity of the great plain, also at the entrance to one of the deepest penetrating valleys of the central chain. It is the passage of the great path dug by Ariège that animals and man had to
follow at all times. »

The entrance to the Grotto is marked by a daring contemporary creation, marking the artistic permanence of the Prehistory of Humanity to the present day. In 1994, the Italian artist Massimiliano Fuksas signed a completely new reception building located in and outside the porch. Its architecture surprises, questions and invites visitors to forget their world and prepare for a journey to the origins of art ...

a guided tour to our origins

Walk through the Grotte de Niaux, go back in time to the Salon Noir by the glow of your lamp and finally discover the unique…

The cave of Niaux extends over two kilometers of spacious galleries, low vaults and underground lakes. About a hundred animal representations and several hundred signs were found on the walls and on the ground.

Here no spots or LEDs! Accompanied by a guide, you move in the dark, lit only by portable lamps. Lasting around 1h45, the visit starts with a 800-meter walk through a vast gallery. The vaults are several meters high, even several tens of meters, and, in places, are lost out of reach of the lamps. The ground has remained unchanged since the dawn of time ...

In this gallery, we can see graffiti left by visitors, the oldest dating from 1602. But we can especially see "the sign panel" on which are concentrated many geometric signs generally painted in red, the meaning of which is still mysterious. . These signs are also scattered throughout the cave ...

The apotheosis of the visit is found during the discovery of the Salon Noir, a vast rotunda with an impressive vault height. It is in this majestic room that our ancestors chose to represent more than 70 paintings of animals: bison, horses, ibex and deer.

Made between 17 and 000 years before our era, they provide everyone, initiates or not, with incomparable emotion: the unique encounter with our History, the one-on-one with Cro-Magnon, between poetry, magic and questioning.

A protected site

Since the closure of the Lascaux cave to the public in 1963, scientists have shown the need to regulate visits for conservation purposes. At the Niaux cave, studies on the cave's climate were set up in 1972 and made it possible to set a visit protocol in the 1980s.
Groups are now limited to 25 people and must respect a certain time interval between them.
Since the application of these rules, no destabilization of the cave's climate has been observed. This approach, certainly restrictive, will allow future generations to also admire the drawings and paintings and rule out any possibility of the site being closed.

For conservation reasons, only the first 800 meters of the cave are open to the public. In order to allow you to appreciate all the riches found in the cave of Niaux, like the paintings and footprints of the footsteps of the Clastres Network, facsimiles have been reproduced at the Prehistory Park of Tarascon sur Ariège, do not hesitate to go and discover them!

a restaurant nearby

Where to eat at the Grotte de Niaux?

Complete your day with a visit to the Prehistory Park and take the opportunity to have lunch in its restaurant! Near the cave, the restaurant at the Parc de la Préhistoire offers you a friendly setting and a panoramic view of its lakes and waterfalls.
In accordance with the gastronomic traditions of Ariège, we favor local cuisine with quality products in short circuits and offer you a wide choice of menus from 14 to 26 €.

billetterie

• Mandatory reservation
• Online ticket office accessible 24 hours a day

Mandatory reservation.
Different visit times are possible, more information on online ticketing.

By car : from Toulouse take the A61 motorway towards Montpellier. Then take the direction Foix by the A66 motorway. Go past Foix on the RN 20, exit at Tarascon-sur-Ariège. Take direction Niaux. Then follow the Grotte de Niaux signs.

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