Musée National de Préhistoire
Perched dramatically inside a cliff-face fortress above the village, this national museum holds one of the densest collections of Palaeolithic artefacts on earth. Carved venus figurines, engraved reindeer antlers and flint tool kits span 400,000 years of human ingenuity in a single building.
What's inside
The permanent galleries are arranged chronologically, walking you from the earliest Acheulean hand-axes right through the explosion of Magdalenian art around 15,000 BC. Highlight cases include the Laussel Venus bas-relief and a jaw-dropping wall of sculpted bison.
Temporary exhibitions regularly bring in international loans, so even repeat visitors find fresh material. The museum's conservation labs are partially visible through glass — a rare chance to watch prehistorians at work.
Planning your visit
Allow at least two hours; the upper terrace café has a terrace overlooking the Vézère valley and serves decent croque-monsieurs and Périgord walnut cake.
Audioguides are available in six languages and are genuinely worth the small extra fee — the contextual commentary transforms a display of chipped stones into a gripping human story.
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