cave of Gargas — France

About this spectacle

Deep within the foothills of the Pyrenees, the Cave of Gargas opens into one of the most remarkable Paleolithic sites in Europe. Visitors move through limestone passages adorned with engravings of mammoths, bison, rhinoceroses, and horses rendered by hands some 25,000 years ago. The cave is most celebrated for its extraordinary collection of hand stencils — hundreds of outlined human hands, many with fingers appearing mutilated or folded, covering the cave walls in haunting clusters. The air is cool and damp, the silence total. Guided tours illuminate these ancient marks by torchlight, allowing the stencils to emerge dramatically from the rock. There is an intimacy to the experience — the sense that human hands pressed against this very stone during the Upper Palaeolithic era — that few archaeological sites elsewhere can replicate. A small museum on site contextualises the finds.

When to go

Jan — Dec, peak Apr — Sep

Getting there

Nearest airport: LDE. Nearest city: Tarbes.

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