Niaux Cave

Most decorated caves in France are closed and shown as replicas. Niaux is one of the exceptions: small groups are taken about eight hundred metres into the mountain, without fixed lighting, each carrying a lamp, to the Salon Noir, a domed chamber whose walls carry bison, horses, ibex and deer drawn in manganese black around fourteen thousand years ago. The animals were placed where the acoustics of the chamber are strongest, which researchers have measured. Visitor numbers are strictly capped to protect the paintings, so booking well ahead is necessary. The walk in is over uneven rock in the dark.

What you actually see

• The Salon Noir - bison, horses and ibex drawn in manganese black.
• The lamp-lit approach - eight hundred metres in with no fixed lighting.
• The acoustic placement - figures set where the chamber resonates.
• The original surfaces - genuine paintings rather than a replica.

When to go

Year-round in season; the cave closes some winter periods and numbers are capped daily. Booking weeks ahead is normal in summer. It is cold inside, around twelve degrees.

Honest expectations

Places are limited and sell out well in advance; turning up on the day rarely works. The walk is long, dark and over uneven ground, unsuitable for limited mobility. Photography is prohibited.

Nearby

Foix lies north; the Pyrenees rise south.