The Grotte de Lascaux was discovered in 1940 by four boys who were, according to popular myth, looking for their dog and fell into a deep cavern decorated with marvellously preserved paintings of animals. Executed by Cro-Magnon people 17,000 years ago, the paintings are among the finest examples of prehistoric art in existence. There are five or six identifiable styles, and subjects include the bison, mammoth and horse, plus the biggest known prehistoric drawing, of a 5.5-metre bull with astonishingly expressive head and face. In 1948, the cave was opened to the public, and over the course of the next fifteen years more than a million tourists came to Lascaux. Sadly, because of deterioration from the body heat and breath of visitors, the cave had to be closed in 1963; now you have to be content with the replica known as Lascaux II, 2km south of Montignac on the D704 (Feb, March & Oct– Dec Tues– Sun 10am–12.30pm & 2–5.30pm; April– June & Sept daily 9am–6pm; July & Aug daily 9am–7pm; closed Jan; €8, combined ticket with Le Thot €10; www.semitour.com). There are 2000 tickets on sale each day but these go fast in peak season; you can buy them in person a day or so in advance, while telephone bookings are accepted only in July and August (05.53.51.96.23). Note also that in winter (Oct– March) tickets are normally on sale at the site, while in summer (April– Sept) they are only available from an office beside Montignac tourist office – the system and opening times are somewhat fickle, however, so it's safest to check in Montignac before heading up to the cave.

Opened in 1983, Lascaux II was the result of eleven years' painstaking work by twenty artists and sculptors, using the same methods and materials as the original cave painters. While the visit can't offer the excitement of a real cave, the reconstruction rarely disappoints the thousands who trek here every year. The guided tour lasts forty minutes (commentary in French or English). If you have bought the joint ticket to include entry into Le Thot prehistoric theme park (same opening times as Lascaux II; €5.50 for Le Thot alone, €10 for joint ticket; www.semitour.com), 5km down the Vézère near THONAC, it's best to visit the park first for an enhanced appreciation of the cave itself, particularly if you have kids. The video showing the construction of Lascaux II is particularly interesting, and there are Disneyesque mock-ups of prehistoric scenes and live examples of some of the animals that feature in the paintings: European bison, long-horned cattle and Przewalski's horses, rare and beautiful animals from Mongolia believed to resemble the prehistoric wild horse – notice the erect mane.