Les Eyzies-de-Tayac Things to Do

Housed in the castle above the town and built into the rock, the Museum houses displays of finds from the area of prehistoric man.

Although well laid out the contents are rather sparse for the grandiose entrance and entrance fee!

I can't say that I learned too much.

Outside overlooking the town is a large statue of a prehistoric man, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Wayne Rooney the English soccer player!

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The first floor of the museum is devoted to the technics used by primitive man to make both artistic and utilitarian objects before metal instruments were devised. The second floor contains the objects by period and subject. The earliest fertility figures look crude but may be ritualistic exaggerations since other carvings show graceful female torsos and antelopes. The ability to engrave stone is striking because it is so much harder to work than wood with such tools as they had.

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The Musee National de Prehistorie is in the old castle of Tayac which the Barons of Beynac built (11,12, &16 C) under an overhang on the side of a cliff looking down on Eyzies. Standing at the front door is a statue of Prehistoric Man (by Darde). Frm this platform one can see not only the town, but parts of the Vezere and Beune rivers. Looking up one sees fragments of the castle.

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It is like the other caves but is more accessible and close to town. It requires a reserved admission and you would be lucky indeed to be able take the next tour when you arrive. So be prepared as we were to reserve our visit later during the day. (We were at the office when it opened). (See our Introduction). After climbing a path for about 440 yards you are at the entrance. Photography is not permitted . (Our pictures are from a book we bought long ago). The first objects seen on entering the cave are disfigurements added by the first "sightseers"2 centuries ago. Some of the "paintings" are multicolored and are mostly from the Magdalenian period. Some are quite skillful.

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Les Eyzies de Tayac –Cliffs/caves of Cro-Magnon man along the Vezere River.

Le Ferme de Tayac: This was our 2nd base B&B, which is an 1100 AD Abbey.
There are several buildings which are all restored and full of fun antiques. Giant lounge rooms for reading and music. Not a TV in the place. There is a large swimming pool, hammocks to nap in, and areas where we had several picnics. It was located about 3 blocks out of the town Les Eyzies. Run by Mike and Susanna, retired South Africans who were perfect hosts. The rooms have stone walls and decorated with vintage clothing items hanging on the wood beams. Our bathroom used an antique baby chair as the toilet paper holder. We did a second canoe trip from here along the Vezere River to La Roque St. Christophe, which was more peaceful trip, very tranquil and full of nature. We only saw a handful of other boaters during this 3-hour journey.

During the summer of 2006 (14th June to 13th November) , there is an excellent temporary exhibition on the large fauna found in the south of France during Palaeolithic times, including lions, hyenas, sabre-toothed tigers, wolves, bears, rhinocerous, and mammoth.
Entry is included with the ticket price.

During the year, there are free themed talks, in French, given by specialists at the Museum and l’Abris Pataud. Phone them for details and reservations. There are about seven during the year, and start at 9.30pm. They are technical in nature.

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The MNP arranges a lot of activities connected with prehistory in the region, and it is worth contacting the museum if these kinds of activities are interesting, as reservations are usually needed.

The activities include:
Explanation of prehistoric cultures – 1 hours 30 minutes every day (except Saturday) at 11am and 4pm in French and at 2pm in English.
A Prehistoric Laboratory Workshop with hands-on work on artefacts – 1 hours 30 minutes on Wednesdays at 2.30pm (10 years an up).
Special guided visit to Laugerie-Haute and L’Abris de Poisson – 2 hours at 10am on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Special guided visit to La Micoque and La Ferrassie – 2 hours at 2.30pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Special guided visit to Le Moustier – 1 hour at 10am on Thursdays.
Special guided visit of the Grotte de la Mairie a Teyjat – every Saturday between 10am and 5pm.
Introduction to Archaeology Workshop at La Chaumiere – 2 hours hands-on on Wednesdays at 10am (8 years and up)
Introduction to Prehistoric Art – 2 hours hand-on on Thursdays at 10am (6 years and up)
Introduction to Palaeolithic Sculpture – 2 hours hands-on on Thursdays at 2.30pm (10 years and up)
Introduction to “l’art mobilier” – 2 hours hands-on on Mondays at 2.30pm (8 years and up)

Note that the MNP itself and all special guided visits are wheelchair-accessible, except for the sites at L’Abris de Poisson and Le Moustier.
The costs of the activities vary but are generally E6.30 for the explanation of prehistoric culture and E9.50 for the laboratory workshop. The Introduction workshops are E10.50.
The special guided visits are E6 for the visit plus E3 per site.
Each activity has a different price and the reductions (children, elderly, students, etc) vary; the prices shown above demonstrate that it’s not going to break the bank. Go to their website or phone up for full details.

Opening times: July-August 09.30 to 18.30 daily
June and September 09.30 to 18.00 daily except Tues
October to May 09.30 to 12.30 and 14.30 to 17.30 daily except Tues

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Much use is made of short videos to demonstrate and explain different aspects of both the prehistoric cultures and the archaeological methodologies used to discover and interpret these cultures. These videos and the display panels are all in French, but in each section there are English language sheets that can be borrowed and read while you go around.

The first floor has the famous “threads of time” timeline of prehistory, starting with the Lower Palaeolithic and ending with the Mesolithic. The origins of each group of artefacts in this timeline are indicated so that visitors can head off to see the site (if it is open, and many still are).The second floor covers the development of industries and themes. Some people find it easier to look at everything by theme rather than by timeline; it would be easier to start the museum on the second floor at the far end and then do the first floor.

For the casual visitor, the MNP may be just too much, in which case the visitor centre at Le Thot or the museum at L’Abris de Pataud are recommended as easier alternatives.