Grottes de Gargas

Aventignan

The cave has long been known: François de Belleforest cited it in 1575, and Marc-François de Lassus described it in 1758. Félix Regnault excavated there in 1872, 1880 and 1890 and recovered tools, bones and hearths. In 1906 he finally noticed the painted hands on the walls. Émile Cartailhac and the abbé Breuil first counted 80, then 150; today more than 200 are known, mostly black, 80 of them red. They were made by blowing or dabbing pigment around a hand placed on the rock. Many have incomplete fingers: it was long thought these were mutilations, but the current view favours folded fingers, without knowing why. The hands are attributed to the Gravettian, about 27,000 years ago. The lower gallery also bears more than 150 engravings of animals, from the Aurignacian to the Gravettian. The cave was listed as a historic monument on 9 April 1910. The Nestploria interpretation centre, designed with a scientific committee chaired by Jean Clottes, welcomes visitors.

Tourisme Occitanie — Grottes de Gargas ↗

Getting there: Route de Gargas (D26), 65660 Aventignan, 10 km from Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges. Reception at the Nestploria interpretation centre; booking compulsory by telephone (number of visitors limited), guided tour of about 50 minutes; steps, not accessible to people with reduced mobility. Coordinates of the cave entrance from OpenStreetMap, at 550 m above sea level; the reception centre is 700 m further north, on the D26.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound