Can you visit the real Chauvet Cave?
The real Chauvet Cave (Grotte Chauvet) is a few kilometres down the road and under 24/7 closely guarded surveillance. Only a handful of people (archaeologists and speleologists mostly) are allowed to enter per year.
Is the Chauvet Cave closed?
The cave has been sealed off to the public since 1994. Access is severely restricted owing to the experience with decorated caves such as Altamira and Lascaux found in the 19th and 20th century, where the admission of visitors on a large scale led to the growth of mold on the walls that damaged the art in places.
Why is the Chauvet Cave closed?
From at least around 21,000 years ago onwards until its rediscovery in 1994 CE, the Chauvet Cave was completely sealed off to visitors due to the entrance having collapsed.
Is the Chauvet Cave open to the public?
Although it has been on Unesco’s World Heritage list since 2014, it has not been open to the public to protect the paintings from fungal damage, which happened at Lascaux cave. In 2015, a replica of Chauvet, the Caverne du Pont-d’Arc, opened less than a kilometre away from the original.
Can you visit Lascaux caves?
After the war, Lascaux was open to the public for many years until it was closed in 1963. The continuous flow of visitors (1500/day) and the carbon dioxide and human breath began to degrade the prehistoric paintings in the decorated cave. Today the original Lascaux is closed.
Is Chauvet Cave open to the public?
How old are the paintings in Chauvet Cave?
between 30,000 and 32,000 years old
Within a year of Chauvet’s discovery, radiocarbon dating suggested the images were between 30,000 and 32,000 years old, making them almost twice the age of the famous Lascaux cave art in south-west France (see map).
How do you get to Chauvet Cave?
Access : How to get to the cave
- Car Pooling. Share a car and come along together with www.blablacar.co.uk !
- By car. From the north via the A7 and the A49, take exit 18 at Montélimar Sud.
- By train / bus. Travel to Valence TGV or Montélimar train stations,
- From regional airports.
Why is the Lascaux cave closed?
The Lascaux cave became a popular tourist site after World War II. But it had to be sealed off to the public in 1963 because the breath and sweat of visitors created carbon dioxide and humidity that would damage the paintings.