font de gaume

I heard that you have to reserve well ahead of time to get in the caves. Is it worth it?

what about the grotte de grande-roc

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It%26#39;s well worth it - and how far ahead would probably depend on time of year etc. If you mean in summer, then I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;re right that you would want to book as far ahead as possible (especially if you want an English language tour, as there are fewer of them).

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Additional western France touring cave info:

http://www.grottes-en-france.com/uk/west.html

www.leseyzies.com

As can be seen, there are numerous other cave adventures to be had and if your 1st choice is booked-up, choose another lesser-known option ---- examples; there are plenty of other caves in the LesEyzies area and more, across France, like Gouffre de Padirac in the %26quot;Lot%26quot; region , a cavern w/ an underground river tour, in a boat.

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I emailed the font de gaume a couple of days ago and have not heard back. Should I be worried? I know July is still a long way off.

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I wouldn%26#39;t worry - among other things, there have been huge storms in that area in the last couple of weeks plus France often just isn%26#39;t quite at the same speed as we would expect in N. Am. when it comes to customer service, responses to inquiries, etc. I would wait a few days before writing again (it%26#39;s possible, e.g., that the response has been delayed because the person whose English is good enough to communicate has been out, or whatever).

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Thanks I did try to write in French, I am getting better at it. I had a french teacher look it over first and I did a pretty good job.

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Did you ever get a reply to your email? I emailed about 2 weeks ago and did not receive a reply. I also tried calling on Fri and got a recording with the hours and number to call for reservations, but it was the same number I was calling. I suppose they could have closed early that day--will have to get up early tomorrow and try again.

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Font de Gaume is well worth it. We went on the English tour and there were only 5 of us! Later went to LasCaux and it paled in comparison. Font de gaume is very moving and personal. I arranged reservation by email in advance and I think I emailed on a Saturday and heard back on a Wednesday. This is the web site I used. I was also required to reconfirm the reservation 48 hours ahead. This was in fall of 2007.

reservation.prehistoire@culture.gouv.fr

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fontdegaume@monuments-nationaux.fr

I used the above email address to make our reservation for the English speaking tour. I requested a reservation and then had to send my credit card information in a second email. They confirmed my booking in yet another email. Good Luck!

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I sent an email and received no reply, then tried their phone number, and got a recording. I just had my hotel call, and when the operator tried the same number, she reported that Font de Gaume is closed for construction until March 31. (I%26#39;ll miss it this trip, helas!)

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BTW, this is the phone number that I called:

+33 (0)553 06 86 00