ISSN :1767/5537
2012
autumn
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AQUITAINE TOURIST BOARD NEWSLETTER INFORMATION
SOMMAIRE SUMMARY
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Cycling holidays
• Services adapted to bike tourism • The Eurovéloroute website
Subtainable tourism
• European eco-label: 7 new certified providers
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Gastronomy
• Foodie holiday in Périgueux - The 12th Salon du livre gourmand (Food Book Fair) - A foretaste of the foie gras markets - Château life in town Castel Peyssard
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Accommodation
• Le Clos du Rocher, a new complex in Périgord Noir • Stay at the heart of Bordeaux, in a 200 year-old hotel, La Cour Carrée • Guest house Dousud in the Sauternes area
Wine tourism
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• Viniti tasting workshop • Sleep at the Domaine de Fonteneau • Guest house at the Château Lestange • The Crushpad experience in the village of Bages • Guest house at the Château Pape Clément • Sleep in a wine vat in Moulon • Bordeaux Wine Trip, a practical application • The organic tours of the Berticot cellars
Prehistory
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• Castel Merle in Périgord
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News in brief
AQUITAINE
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CYCLING HOLIDAYS ON THE AQUITAINE COAST
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The Vélodyssée®: another way of spending your holidays In the spring edition of Aquitaine News, we announced the opening of the Vélodyssée on 30 June 2012, one of the 15 EuroVéloroutes. Let's head out to discover this route that follows the Atlantic coast.
The Vélodyssée in Aquitaine: a 388 kilometres long route Everyone will enjoy it, be they sporty or contemplative, couples or families, for nomadic holidays or day-long trips. It is a completely clean site, particularly in Gironde and the Landes, where it is safe and accessible to all. In the Basque Country (45km of the route), the region is more mountainous, it goes up and down! Here, the route is sometimes on cycle paths, sometimes on roads.
A welcoming natural peninsula After crossing Brittany, Vendée and Charente-Maritime, the veloroute follow a straight line down the Aquitaine coast. Between Royan and the Pointe de Graves, crossing the Gironde estuary, the largest in Europe, is a unique experience, a gateway to Gironde region and the Médoc peninsula. Renowned for its wines, Médoc is also famous for its seaside towns: Soulac-sur-Mer, Hourtin, Carcans, Lacanau. 19th and 20th century villas, long beaches of fine sand, great waves for surfing: here you can feel the power of nature and the great landscapes it sculpts.
Arcachon Bay: oysters and dunes A bit further south, the Arcachon Bay welcomes visitors to its oyster harbours. Put down your bike to step aboard a boat with an oyster farmer, stop in a hut to taste oysters in the sunshine with a glass of white wine. You will have enough energy to take on the Pilat Dune - 106 metres high - listed as a major national site, a desert scene near the ocean. Afterwards, you can start the gentle ride through the Gascony Landes forest, which stretches out as far as the eye can see either side of the cycle path.
• Bordeaux Executive Travel : an agency that “creates curiosity”
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Transport
• Strasbourg-Bordeaux • Lille-Bordeaux
©Joël Damase
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NEWS from
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NEWS from AQUITAINE pro.tourisme-aquitaine.fr
Services adapted to bike tourism
©CRTA
The Vélodyssée is supported by the national brand Accueil Vélo. Whether they are innkeepers, renters-repair companies, tourism offices, tourist sites, professionals who are granted the Accueil Vélo label commit to providing services that meet the quality standards adapted to cyclists.
Huge lakes to relax in the midst of nature From the Cazaux lake, you will ride along some of the largest lakes in France, such as Biscarosse lake. After Aureilhan lake, one of the smallest, you can cycle into the wilderness around the Courant d'Huchet nature reserve, our "Green Venice", before reaching Hossegor, a chic resort on the Landes coast and Capbreton port.
Along the route, you will come across a variety of accommodation: campsites, hotels, guest houses, holiday camps which offer a luggage transport service from one stage to another. Certified accommodation located less than 5km away from the route. Easy to identify, the logo is present along the whole route, guiding you on your way.
To find out more, go to the website: www.lavelodyssee.com
©Joël Damase
The Vélodyssée is now available in French and English. It enables you to prepare your trip using interactive maps, emblematic sites on the route, special offers from Accueil Vélo certified service providers, photo albums.You can create your own workbook and share it, download the GPS data, comment and/or post photos and those from the community, sharing your experience on social networks.
Rocky coast in Basque country The Adour river, which you can cross in Bayonne, marks the end of the Landes forest and heralds the landscapes of the Basque Country. As soon as you head south towards Biarritz, along the beaches of Anglet, Bidart, Guéthary, ride past small coastal villages with red and white houses, before arriving in Saint-Jean-de-Luz bay, and then on to Socoa Fort. Several kilometres of schist cliffs await you, before a last downhill ride towards Hendaye beach and the Spanish border. The Basque coast is also the kingdom of surfers, and original food, spiced with Espelette chilli, from a small village that celebrates its red chilli during the last weekend in October.
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SUBTAINABLE ] [ TOURISM European eco-label: 7 new certified providers in Aquitaine Five campsites in Dordogne are certified, Le Paradis in Saint-Léon sur Vézère, Maisonneuve in Castelnaud-la-Chapelle, Le pont de Mazerat on the banks of the Tamniès lake, Les Deux Vallées near Sarlat, Peyrelevade in Brantôme as well as one hotel and a self-catering house, Le Domaine de La Rhonie, in Meyrals and a holiday camp, Le Village Louis Forestier, located in Seignosse, on the edge of the ocean, in the Landes. Dordogne is now the French Département with the most European Eco-label certified services Aquitaine remains 1st region in France.
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AUTUMN 2012
[GASTRONOMY ] Foodie holiday in Périgueux The 12th Salon du livre gourmand (Food Book Fair), a fun and delicious event For 22 years, the Salon International du Livre Gourmand (International Food Book Fair) takes over Périgord and has become a favourite event for cooking and food lovers. Lifestyle, food, books, literature, culture and art all come together in the Fair held there every two years. From 16 to 18 November 2012, the best food publications, a varied selection of books of all genres, 500 titles and 130 authors, will rub shoulders with many talented chefs. Basque, Basque cuisine is the honoured guest this year, and Périgord chefs will give cooking demonstrations on the theatre stage. Also on the programme: shows, concerts, films, exhibitions, meetings and debates. Open to all, the fair is an opportunity for visitors to discover or rediscover the Gallo-Roman remains of the ancient city of Vesunna, as well as its rich medieval heritage, old alleys and picturesque squares, as well as magnificent Renaissance town houses. www.livre-gourmand.fr - www.tourisme-perigueux.fr
© CRTA OT Périgueux
A foretaste of the foie gras markets The date of the fair marks the start of the traditional foie gras market season. In winter, these markets are held everywhere in Aquitaine; you will find capons (chicken fed on maize), duck, geese and their foie gras. You can find a list of all the foie gras markets of Aquitaine on www.tourisme-aquitaine.fr In Périgueux, foie grad markets are held every Wednesday morning and Saturday morning from November to the beginning of March, with four award-winning markets and a truffle market in December (truffle season from December to February).
To enjoy the markets and the book fair, you can stay in the Château. This elegant 19th century castle is in a prime location in Dordogne, in the town centre of Périgueux, surrounded by over a hectare of landscaped park. The slate roofs and Dordogne stone walls glisten in the sun all day long. This picturesque home has four comfortable rooms in an intimate environment. From 30 to 38 sqm, they are decorated following themes: film, Cleopatra in Oriental colours, Out of Africa African colours, Indochina for Asia and Bengal tiger for India. The chic Bistrot serves original and friendly cuisine and the dining room can welcome around thirty guests. Add to this a trendy "English pub", a very cosy relaxation area, an eternity lap pool as well as an area dedicated to well being, the Spa du Castel, which has chosen the Rituels de Soin® Cinq Mondes and French beauty products by Carita. Prices from €185 to €220 per night depending on the room and season ■ Information and bookings Tel.: +33 (0)553 359 190 - www.castelpeyssard.com
©Castel Peyssard
Château life in town at Castel Peyssard
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NEWS from AQUITAINE pro.tourisme-aquitaine.fr
[ACCOMMODATION ] Visit to the country of first man in The Clos du Rocher in Dordogne
©Clos du Rocher
Located in les Eyzies de Tayac, near the banks of the Vézère river and 300 metres away from the town centre, this Village Center is an ideal starting point for all the Unesco World Heritage listed prehistoric sites: caves, troglodyte villages, Museums, etc Designed with the environment in mind, this holiday complex has 116 apartments that can house 2/4 to 4/6 people each, spread out in small buildings around a swimming pool. Shared areas are in a landscaped park, in the peace and quiet. Plan to rest and discover the region. Prices: From €78 a night. ■ Information and bookings Tel. : +33 (0)5 53 35 50 00 www.perigord-reservation.com
Stay at the heart of Bordeaux, in a 200 years-old hotel, La Cour Carrée
©La Cour carrée
This air conditioned hotel has free Wi-fi, and welcomes you to the centre of Bordeaux, 100 metres from the Place des Grands Hommes, the Allées de Tourny and Place Gambetta, the lively shopping neighbourhoods, where boutiques, restaurants and terraces invite you to get a feel for the town. Housed in a 200 year old building, the establishment has been entirely renovated. The hotel is in a quiet street, has 16 elegant rooms and a patio on a terrace. The rooms are modern but have retained their wooden beams and visible stone walls.They all have an LCD television, some have a lounge area. A breakfast buffet is served every morning. 100 metres away, on Place Gambetta, you will find busses to Bordeaux airport and Saint-Jean Station. Prices: From €85 a night. ■ Information and bookings
5 rue de Lurbe 33000 Bordeaux Tel. : +33 (0) 557 350 000 contact@lacourcarrée.fr - www.lacourcarree.fr
Dousud is an ideal starting point for this beautiful area of the Landes Girondines and its tourist attractions: the Sauterne and Graves vineyards, as well as the historic castles nearby. Cazeneuve was home to Henri IV of France and Queen Margot, Roquetaillade, a medieval castle restored during the Renaissance by renowned architect Violletle-Duc, Villandraut, one of the purest examples of architecture of the 1300s in the region as well as the City of Bazas and its cathedral, which is listed as UNESCO world Heritage in the framework of the Way of Saint James listing. You can hike, cycle and ride horses from the domain, and your horse can be stabled. Five charming, comfortable and independent guest rooms, in a landscaped park with a swimming pool and winter garden. At the table d'hôte, you will be to appreciate the regional cuisine of the South West. Prices: from €60 for 1 person in low season. ■ Information and bookings Tel.: +33 (0)556 254 323 - +33 (0)688 430 703 www.dousud.com 4
©Dousud
Walk in the vines and visit the Sauternes area châteaux from the Dousud guest house in Gironde
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AUTUMN 2012
[WINE TOURISM ] Head out and discover Médoc and the Gironde estuary with the Médoc Wine Inn Tour Three wine growers, two owners of guest houses and picturesque cottages, a river tour company have join forces in the association Bordeaux Wine Inn Tour. Six service providers specialised in wine tourism welcome you to the heart of Médoc, offering a wide range of activities and trips focusing on vines, wine and the estuary.
©Médoc Wine Inn Tour
Their aim: take visitors to discover picturesque vineyards, enable them to visit the houses, go to tastings, taste grand cru wines, organise meetings with wine growers who are passionate about their job and oenologists, while housing them in comfortable cottages and guest houses. www.wineinntour.fr The members of Wine Inn Tour: • The Oeno-lodge is a Bed & Breakfast in Saint Germain d'Esteuil, in an 18th century building. Meals are also served, and there is a wine bar; heated swimming pool, seminar room and bikes on loan. Certified by the London Wine & Spirit Education Trust, it also runs oenology training and award level 1, 2 and 3 WSET® diplomas. www.wsetglobal.com www.oeno-lodge.com
• Castéra castle, is one of the oldest Château in Médoc, located in Saint-Germain d'Esteuil, which dates back to the 14th century. On the programme, a visit of the castle, the cellar and a tasting of the wines produced by the château, before exploring the English gardens, which have been awarded a Best of Wine & Tourism.
• In the Tour Castillon Château, you can enjoy a visit and taste the wines produced by the château, a guided walk in the vines, with a Médoc picnic, jazz concert, tapas and aperitif. www.vignoblespeyruse.com
• In the Domaine des Prés de Joussac, a picturesque 1850s home, on the banks of the Richard canal, offers great quality cottages and a guest house.
• Les Ormes Sorbet Château, in the village of Couquèque, can organise personalised visits of the property all year round, such as the tasting of various vintages.
• Cœur d'Estuaire welcomes you on their motor boats (12 passengers), a schooner (22 passengers) and a large plate, a flat bottomed boat (12 passengers) to explore the Gironde estuary, the largest in Europe, and its islands or the vineyards on the banks of the estuary, alone, with family or friends.
www.les-pres-de-joussac.eu
www.ormes-sorbet.com
www.coeurdestuaire.com
www.chateau-castera.com
©Aurélie Dejean
Fun and friendly: Viniti tasting workshops Viniti organises tailored tasting workshops (beginners, team-building), during which contents and duration can be adapted to the public, groups, private people, colleagues and aims: understanding wine, matching a meal and wine, discovering the art of tasting, improving communications and team work. Workshops may be held on clients' premises or in the Bordeaux Lac Mercury hotel. Guided by a professional, you will be able to learn to appreciate the difference between
the "terroirs", their specificities and the know-how of good wine makers. Following an introduction to tasting, you will draw on your memories of smells to identify the characteristic scent of wines, then apply the knowledge by tasting a selection of 5 wines, writing down your impressions in a tasting booklet. Tel. : +33 (0)535 542 361 www.viniti-degustation.com
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NEWS from AQUITAINE pro.tourisme-aquitaine.fr
[WINE TOURISM ] On the Bordeaux hillside, the Domaine de Fonteneau, a former vineyard home from the 18th century, opens on an 85 hectare wooded park. A stay in the Bordeaux countryside only 10 minutes away from Place de la Bourse (town centre), 5 minutes away from the station, 3 minutes away from the ringroad and 20 minutes away from the airport. Its spacious, furnished and decorated rooms are in a 18th century style, with large bathrooms and separate toilets, as well as a minikitchen. A large lounge with a television is open to guests. In this countryside setting, you can enjoy a large private swimming pool, the nearby riding school, tennis courts and a health course in the woods. The owners have called on an important name of Bordeaux cuisine, Jean-Pierre Xiradakis, to offer a package holiday with meals for 2 people in Tupina at lunch or the Kusina in the evening, for €200 including the taxi there and back. Your hosts will provide you with a private taxi to discover the hotspots of Bordeaux gastronomy, the great Bordeaux wines of the heritage of the Unesco listed city. You can book a babysitter, or an English, German, Spanish, Portuguese or Russian-speaking guide. The Domaine de Fontenau can also be rented out completely for a week or a day. A catering service is available by booking.
©Frédérick Diot
Sleep surrounded by antiques at the Domaine de Fonteneau
If you are tempted by piece of furniture, an object, or a painting, the owners will take care of transporting them all over the world. Prices: from €70 (Junior room) to €130 ■ Information and bookings Tel. : +33 (0)613 632 746 www.domaine-de-fonteneau.com
Located in the Entre-Deux-Mer region, between the Garonne and Dordogne, the Château is only 14 km from Bordeaux, a town listed as Unesco World Heritage and 47 km away from Saint-Emilion and its famous vines, also listed by Unesco. The castle was built in 1685 on the location of what had become a coaching inn, on the Way of Saint James. It is a gem amongst the castles of the right bank of the Garonne river. The accommodation there, a guest room and suites, an independent cottage and a cottage attached to the castle has led it to be referenced in many guides. Prices: from €130 to €180 depending on the room and €500 to €700/week depending on the cottage and the season.
©La Villa Ferret Design
Guest house at the Château Lestange
■ Information and bookings Tel. : +33 (0)673 008 619 www.chateau-lestange.com
Live the Crushpad experience in the village of Bages
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produce the best wine possible, this partnership will enable you to feel at home at the heart of the Médoc area. The Hotel Relais & Châteaux Cordeillan-Bages and its restaurant which has been awarded two stars by the Michelin® guide, the guest house at the Château Les Ormes de Pez, the Café Lavinal, the Cercle Lynch-Bages (tasting course), and many other services linked to French art de vivre and wine tourism will welcome you. Since 2009, over 300 clients from over 20 countries produce their own barrels of high quality wine with Crushpad. Become a real Bordeaux wine maker. ■ Contact ©Stephen Boelger
Born in California, with a centre in Bordeaux since 2009, Crushpad is a company for wine lovers, individuals, clubs and small businesses enabling them to produce quality wines from the most renowned vineyards, Margaux, Pauillac, Saint-Emilion, Canon-Fronsac, themselves. The worldwide leader in home wine making has joined forces with one of the most renowned producers of Bordeaux: the Cazes family, owner of other vineyards in France and abroad, from Château Lynch-Bages, a classified Pauillac Grand Cru. Crushpad has fitted its own wine-making cellar in the village of Bages; it will be ready for the 2012 grape harvest. The equipment is adapted to the production of individual batches of wine in small volumes. You will also enjoy the oenologist's advice, a consultant for four of the five First Bordeaux Premier Crus in 1855. In addition to all the equipment needed to
Stephen Bolger Winery : +33 (0)556 595 080 Cell : +33 (0) 626 015 769 stephen@makebordeauxwine.com www.makebordeauxwine.com www.jmcazes.com
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AUTUMN 2012
Prestige guesthouse in Château Pape Clément
©Château Pape Clément
Owners of great vineyards all over the world, producers of Grand Crus, founders of the Bernard Magrez Cultural Institutes, patron, Bernard Magrez has also created an incoming agency Bernard Magrez Luxury Wine Tourism. This wine lover has recently opened 5 prestigious guest rooms in the Château Pape Clément, a classified Grand Cru of the Pessac-Léognan appellation in the Graves area. Of worldwide renown, located on the edge of Bordeaux, the ancient châteaux houses luxury rooms with finely decorated, either sophisticated or refined. White, light coloured, green, red or black marble in the bathroom, period furniture, Louis 16th, Charles 10th, Art Déco or modern, Boulle cabinets, works of art by Buffet, everything is there for your greater comfort. Prices: from €190 to €270 ■ Information and bookings Tel. : +33 (0)557 264 306 - www.luxurywinetourism.fr
©Lionel Lizet
New: sleep in a wine vat in Moulon
Bordeaux Wine Trip, a fun and practical application
Imagine opening the door of a former wine vat and discovering a comfortable, modern and stylish room, the "Cuve à mon loup" or a refined concrete gem as well as a room named "Design", a tribute to modernity. What do the owners of this Bed & Breakfast in the Entredeux-Mer area propose: two completely different bedrooms, inspired by the names of the vats they are build in. The Château La Mothe du Barry guesthouse is an ideal place to stay when discovering the vineyard with a rich architectural heritage (Romanesque churches, mills, fortified farms), and beautiful landscapes, near Saint-Emilion and its famous vines, under 30 km from Bordeaux. Prices: La cuve à mon loup: €90 - Design: €110 ■ Information and bookings Tel. : +33 (0)557 749 398 - www.vignoblesjoelduffau.fr
The organic tours of the Berticot cellars
The application is available in French, English and Chinese.
■ Information and bookings Tel. : +33 (0)553 837 547 - www.berticot.com
Working with the Aquitaine Regional Tourism Board, and the Gironde Département Tourism Board, the Bordeaux Wines interprofessional Council (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux - CIVB) has created a new tool for wine tourism and visitors to the Bordeaux vineyard. Designed as a Smartphone (IOS & Android), tablet, and Internet application, Bordeaux Wine Trip enables you to find wine tourism activities and providers depending on location, preferences and destination.
©Chloé Audureau
Châteaux, wine merchants, cellars, tourism offices and wine houses, restaurants and wine bars, accommodation, events, visits, experiences, you will find all the providers related to wine.
In 2011, the Berticot cellar opened its vineyard and wine discovery trail at the heart of the Duras winery. Available in French and English, this trail enables you to understand what environment enables a balance between animal and plant species in organic farming. Insect hotel, compost, weather centre, bat and blue tit shelters, seeds, ladybirds, the soil, grape varieties, work in the vines... a dozen stops and panels translated into English are set up along the trail, so that visitors can visit without a guide or in a more authentic and fun way with a wine maker, in the framework of "Organic Berticot Wednesdays". The visit will start with a guided walk and continue with a tasting of organic wines from Berticot's BB range and a countryside lunch around an Assiette de Pays® (local specialties) with wine makers. Prices: • discover the organic trail (open all year round): €2 per adult, free for children under 11 years • "Organic Wednesdays" (in the Summer only): guided walk only: adults: €6 - children: €3 /free for children under 6 • Guided visit with lunch (in the summer only): adult: €16 - children under 11: €8.
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NEWS from AQUITAINE pro.tourisme-aquitaine.fr
[PREHISTORY ]
www.castel-merle.com
[NEWS IN BRIEF ] Bordeaux Executive Travel: an agency that "creates curiosity" Atlantique Berlines, a chauffeured car company founded in 2004, is the leader in the Wine Tour business, with a team of 50 multilingual chauffeurs and 22 vehicles, has created Bordeaux Executive Travel, a luxury travel agency. With 8 years of experience, the agency has developed good relations with players in the wine world, particularly classified Grand Cru. Their team of Travel Designers develops tailored experiences for you and your clients, and can support them during their stay. They will be able to satisfy them and if necessary surprise them using their contacts to open hidden doors, and give the special access to the best kept secrets of our region. Offices open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Bordeaux Executive Travel Tel.: +33 (0) 557 859 921 - info@bxtl.fr - www.bordeaux-executive-travel.com
Comité Régional de Tourisme d’Aquitaine 4/5 Place Jean Jaurès CS 31759 33074 Bordeaux Cedex Tel. +33(0)5 56 01 70 00 Fax +33(0)5 56 01 70 07 tourisme@tourisme-aquitaine.fr pro.tourisme-aquitaine.fr aquitaine-bordeaux.fr
[TRANSPORT] Strasbourg/Bordeaux with Air France Air France flies to Strasbourg from Bordeaux 12 times a week. Operated by Regional, an Air France subsidiary, with an Embraer 170 seating 76 people, flights from €71 before tax single. www.airfrance.fr
Lille/Bordeaux and Strasbourg/Bordeaux with Volotea From October, airline Volotea will operate two additional flights between Lille and Bordeaux, 3 times a week and Strasbourg and Bordeaux, 5 times a week. www.volotea.com
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IL - 337 926 745 RCS.Bordeaux.
37,000 year-old works of art! In 2007, a team of French archaeologists under Randall White, from New York University, decided to continue digs in the Castanet Shelter, one of the sites with the
10-31-2222
titute them, archaeologists have to upturn rocks on the ground.
oldest traces of symbolic activity by Homo Sapiens in Eurasia. They discovered a lowrelief which proves that the site is over 37,000 years old. The information made the headlines of the scientific press in the spring, and makes this cave art the oldest in the world, hundreds of years older than the Chauvet cave. From beginning of April to the end of September, the site organises excellent guided visits and workshops that enable you to discover and live the day to day life of prehistoric humans: spear throwing, lighting fires in prehistory... Prices: adults: €6.5 - children aged 7 to 12 years: €3.5 - group (from 15 people) from 5 to €18 depending on the programme Open from 09/04 to 30/09 from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm – closed on Saturdays – Open all year round for groups, subject to booking.
Imprimé avec des encres à base végétale sur du papier issu de forêts gérées durablement certifié PEFC
The Castel Merle Valley is near the Lascaux caves (9 kilometres from Montignac). The Roches stream flows through the valley and into the Vézère River, and on either bank, at the foot of the cliffs, several prehistoric sites have been discovered since 1911: eleven Palaeolithic sites in an area measuring 300 square metres, shelters under rocks. They can't all be visited because the digs are ongoing... One of them, the Castanet shelter has already revealed many stone tools, arrow points in reindeer antler, mammoth ivory pearls, paintings, engravings, under the remains of rocks, the oldest works of art found to date, cave paintings, engravings and low reliefs in the rock shelters. In Dordogne, over 30,000 years ago, these recesses at the foot of the cliffs were often inhabited by Aurignacian Man. In most shelters, the walls and ceilings on which the figures were drawn have collapsed.To recons-
©Offices de Tourisme - Vallée Vézère
The oldest paintings in the world in Europe in Castel Merle in Périgord