The Pech Merle cave is one of the most beautiful decorated caves that can be visited without restriction due to its gigantic dimensions. It features marvelous paintings dating back over 20,000 years. She is known for these famous spotted horses. An artist like Picasso would have been inspired by it.

Its vastness does not limit the number of visits. The mineral aspect of this cave is as superb as its parietal frescoes. A must !

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Manfred 🔎

October 21, 2021

Hiking

Peche Merle is a 1,400 m long cave, in which Cromagnon people, who already belonged to the genus Homo Sapiens, lived 29,000 years ago. Around 800 cave paintings were discovered in the cave, in which hunting animals (bison, mammoths, bears, wild horses) were painted into the walls. The paintings look so fresh as if they were created just a few years ago. The cave was discovered in 1922 and opened to the public in 1927.

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Frank en Nancy 🇧🇪

April 11, 2022

Hiking

The two-kilometer-long cave contains prehistoric rock paintings that are considered to be among the most beautiful in France. It is also a beautiful stalactite cave.

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Routes here

Best Hikes to Pech Merle Cave

4.4

(8)

hikers

1. Circuit du Pech Merle Parc — loop from Caberets in the Parc Naturel Régional des Causses du Quercy

5.67km

01:55

200m

Moderate hike. Great for any fitness level. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

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Moderate

4.6

(15)

hikers

2. Cliffs Along the Lot River – Saint-Cirq-Lapopie loop from Saint-Cirq-Lapopie

28.9km

08:43

880m

Hard hike. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

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Hard

4.8

(14)

hikers

3. Cliffs Along the Lot River – Saint-Cirq-Lapopie loop from Cabrerets

22.8km

06:46

620m

Hard hike. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

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Hard

Details

Informations

Elevation 300 m

Weather

Saturday 31 January

10°C

6°C

98 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 17.0 km/h

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Location: Cabrerets, Cahors, Occitania, France

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Pech Merle Cave

1. Circuit du Pech Merle Parc — loop from Caberets in the Parc Naturel Régional des Causses du Quercy

2. Cliffs Along the Lot River – Saint-Cirq-Lapopie loop from Saint-Cirq-Lapopie

3. Cliffs Along the Lot River – Saint-Cirq-Lapopie loop from Cabrerets

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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