Cave of Niaux, Niaux, France - SpottingHistory.com

The Cave of Niaux contains many prehistoric paintings of superior quality from the Magdalenian period. It is one of the most famous decorated prehistoric caves in Europe still open to the public. The paintings had been emerging on the cave walls during a long period between 11500 and 10500 years BC. From the very beginning of the seventeenth century the cave was of great interest for tourists, who left numerous traces on its walls.

Though its vast opening (55 metres high) which opens at an altitude of 678 metres, the Niaux cave extends for more than 2 kilometres. The guided tour of the Salon Noir, 800 metres from the entrance, will reveal to you more than 70 exceptional prehistoric paintings.

User Reviews

Ana Lages (5 months ago)
Amazing experience! Truly! Highly recommended to all that loves history and to discover places like this, where men left his mark for thousands and thousands of years! The drawings are simple Amazing...

Andy Kegel (8 months ago)
incredible. The tour is well organized - bring good shoes and prepare to walk on slippery rock. 10000, 20000, perhaps even 30000 years ago, people walked a kilometer into a dark cave to paint on the walls using light from lamps burning animal fat. And these aren't just my type of scribbles, but actual genius art. You must go to find out how capable our ancestors were. This is one of the few places where you can see the actual art and not just reproductions.

Lorraine Tilbury (9 months ago)
Amazing. One of the last remaining caves where you're able to visit the ORIGINAL Neolithic paintings, NOT a copy. Continuous measurement of carbon dioxide emissions & the limiting of human presence to 45 mn max guarantees the preservation of this precious relic.

Peter Vaughan (11 months ago)
This would not normally be my kind of thing, but it was incredible. The cave hasn't been overly disturbed since it was painted around 13,000 - 15,000 years ago! It's not been sanitised, it's only been made safe for us to visit (be ready for some tight passages and steep steps) and to keep the paintings safe from us. I would really highly recommend it.

Chiara Benini (13 months ago)
The most beautiful cave I've p ever seen, dripping with an atmosphere of misteriousness and resembling a place out of a fantasy book. For those scared of the dark and of tight places, prepare yourself for a thrilling adventure.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Alexxx1979

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The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is one of the main sights of St. Petersburg. The church was built on the site where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated and was dedicated in his memory. Construction began in 1883 under Alexander III, as a memorial to his father, Alexander II. Work progressed slowly and was finally completed during the reign of Nicholas II in 1907. Funding was provided by the Imperial family with the support of many private donors.

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