Les Combarelles Archaeological Site

Address: Les Combarelles (archaeological site), near Les Eyzies-de-Tayac, Dordogne, France

Les Combarelles is a decorated Paleolithic cave in the Dordogne department of southwestern France near Les Eyzies and forms part of the Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley UNESCO World Heritage ensemble. It contains a dense concentration of prehistoric engravings created by Upper Paleolithic artists.

The cave walls are covered with hundreds of engravings depicting animals such as horses, bison and reindeer alongside abstract signs and marks. The engraved panels are closely spaced in narrow passages, making the site especially important for study of Magdalenian-era rock art.

The artworks date to the Upper Paleolithic period, produced by hunter-gatherer communities during the Magdalenian culture roughly at the end of the last Ice Age. The cave was documented by archaeologists in the early 20th century and has been the subject of ongoing study and conservation.

Les Combarelles lies in the Vézère valley in Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, a concentration of prehistoric sites and museums clustered around the village of Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil.

• Artwork: The cave contains hundreds of Paleolithic engravings of animals and humans and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing for the Vézère Valley.
• Access: The site is protected and access is tightly controlled to preserve the engravings; researchers and specialists visit under strict conditions while general access is restricted.

• Les Combarelles is accessible only by guided tour with limited group sizes-reserve tickets in advance (especially in high season) and arrive at opening to avoid being turned away.
• Tours are timed and photography is not allowed inside the cave; use the visit to focus on the engravings and then head to the nearby National Museum of Prehistory in Les Eyzies for extended context that many skip.