Grotte des Demoiselles

The cave was known locally as a fairy hole, which gave it its name, and Protestants sheltered in it during the persecutions after 1685. Edouard Martel explored it properly in 1884. The main chamber is around a hundred and twenty metres long, eighty wide and fifty high, called the cathedral for the obvious reason, and one large stalagmite in it is known as the Virgin and Child from its outline. A funicular built in 1931 through a tunnel in the hillside carries visitors up to the entrance, which was among the first such installations in a European cave. Guided routes run through the chambers on made paths.

What you actually see

• The cathedral chamber - a hall about 120 metres long and 50 high.
• The Virgin and Child - a large stalagmite named for its silhouette.
• The funicular - a 1931 tunnel railway up into the mountain.
• The formation galleries - draperies and columns on the guided route.

When to go

Year-round; the cave holds a steady temperature around fourteen degrees. Christmas concerts are held in the main chamber. Summer visits book up.

Honest expectations

Visits are guided and timed, and the route has many steps. It is cool and damp inside. Photography rules vary by tour.

Nearby

Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert lies southwest; the Cevennes are north.