The small town of Les Eyzies in the Dordogne has long been described as the World Capital of Prehistory. Not only is the National Prehistory Museum here, there are also some of the best decorated Ice Age caves in the town, as well as some historically important prehistoric. With so many archaeological sites to choose from, where do you start? The Pôle Préhistoire, as it is known, is the place to start. This is more of an orientation centre, an introduction to the prehistory of the Vézère Valley. When creating your itinerary for the area, be sure to include the centre at the start of your exploration of the area.
- Thomas Dowson
- Last Checked and/or Updated 17 February 2024
- No Comments
- France, Travel Tips
A listed UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979, the Vézère Valley has 147 prehistoric sites and 25 decorated caves. Not all of these sites are open to the public, and they are not all managed by the same organisation. So you get to the Les Eyzies area, wanting to see as much of the prehistory as possible, and even with the best research ahead of time it can be difficult to know where to go first. This is the purpose of the Pôle d’Interprétation de la Préhistoire. Here I suggest a few reasons why you might add the centre to the start of your exploration of the Vézère Valley.
For any first time visitor to the Vézère Valley, I strongly recommend that you make the Pôle d’Interprétation de la Préhistoire your first point of call. There is no admission charge and it was set up (inaugurated in July 2010) with the specific aim of providing information to visitors wishing to explore the prehistory of the area. Whether it is just a few of the caves and/or museums you would like to see, or you are interested in exploring the prehistory of the area more thoroughly – the facilities on offer here makes this a perfect information centre for everyone to get their bearings.
Set just below the cliffs of Les Eyzies and above a stream the Pôle Préhistoire, it is within the town limits and easy to get to on foot from anywhere in the town. For those not staying in Les Eyzies there is a large car park opposite the centre, where parking is free of charge. So it is very easy to access.
The centre is staffed by very helpful, multilingual assistants who are eager to help with your requests for information. They have an extensive collection of leaflets to give you advice on all the major sites and attractions in the area, as well other tourist activities. If you have a question they know the answer, or will know someone who does.
For anyone interested in buying a few books on the prehistory of the Vézère Valley, there is a vast number of academic and popular titles for you to choose from. For both adults and children. Although most books on this topic are published in French and English, they do have some titles available in other languages. And, it is not just prehistory, they have other general books about the area, and specific title on other aspects of the regions heritage, such as cuisine. Two other places in Les Eyzies with a good selection of books: the Font de Gaume ticket office and the Maison de la Press (newsagents) in the centre of town. There ae also some souvenirs available to purchase, but in my experience, nothing you will not see anywhere else.
Theis is not a centre that aims to be a museum, to tell the story of the 400,000 years of prehistory in the Vézère Valley. It is an information centre, first and foremost. But there are a series of modern and minimalist but state-of-the-art displays that provide a very good, but basic introduction to the area and its archaeology.
Some of the features include:
- A display about the first archaeologists in the area, that gave rise to the field of prehistoric archaeology.
- A 3D map Vézère Valley shows the locations of all sites, caves and museums.
- Life-size models of a neanderthal man and a cro-magnon man. With information panels to explain the difference between these two species of hominin.
- A timeline for the period to set everything straight! Although I will point out, the prehistory museum also has some very good timelines.
- A video wall that provides an engaging introduction to prehistory, the people and how they lived.
You will certainly not need more than half an hour here. When I lead cave art tours in France, I would start here for the Dordogne section of most tours and all of my guests commented favourably on the experience. The displays provide a solid but basic background to this period of prehistory, that is invaluable when then visiting the museum and the caves. When you visit the caves you have to take a guided tour. Most of the guides are very well spoken in a number of languages, not just French. But even with the best will in the world, it is not always easy to hear what they are saying in the caves. And in the short amount of time you have in the cave, there is only so much they can tell you. My recommendation is to start here, then visit the National Prehistory Museum, and then visit the various cave art and archaeology sites of your choice. For more information about visiting the decorated caves, see our Guide to the Cave Art of France and more specifically, our Guide to Visiting Les Eyzies.
Add the Pôle Préhistoire to Your Itineraries & Travel Lists
If you are already planning a trip to France to see the cave art, you can create your own travel lists (such as places you have been to, places you would like to visit) and an itinerary for your visit. These can also be shared with your friends and on social media. You can see how this is done by watching our Using the Itinerary video on YouTube, or reading the Using the Itinerary page.
For more ideas and suggestions, sites and museums to visit, see our Guide to the Cave Art of France, our Regional Guide to Nouvelle-Aquitaine, and our France Travel Guide.
Pôle d'Interprétation de la Préhistoire
Inaugurated in July 2010, the centre provides visitors to the region with the necessary information required to visit the decorated caves and other archaeological sites and museums in the Vézère Valley. Besides being able to get your physical bearings, the centre also has a series of state of the art displays that introduces visitors to the archaeology of the Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons.