Are you ready for a trip to the center of the earth? Then follow the trails with these 8 caves and caverns to visit in Occitanie!
You’ll need a good pair of shoes and something to cover up, as temperatures don’t rise above 14 degrees. Once you’ve got all that, you’re ready to plunge into the bowels of the earth to the kingdom of underground rivers, aragonite sculptures and exceptional cave paintings. Even the most skeptical will be fascinated by the spectacle offered by the depths. Here’s a selection of 8 caves and caverns to visit in Occitanie.
1. The Cabrespine chasm
Photo credit: Facebook – Gouffre Géant de Cabrespine
Nearby attractions include Carcassonne, the Cathar fortresses and the Canal du Midi.
For thrill-seekers, this is one of the best caves to visit in Occitanie! First of all, it’s one of the most beautiful chasms in France, and the play of light highlights its depth. You can admire the depths from a glass platform, with 200 metres of emptiness below!
Alternatively, you can opt for the more unusual option of an adventure course with zip-line and company. Or take on the role of a spelunker with a 3-hour exploration of the underground river with a guide.
How to get there?
The route is signposted from the A61 freeway. From Carcassonne, follow signs for Mazamet and the Gouffre.
2. Limousis cave
Photo credit: Facebook – Grotte de limousis
Nearby attractions include Carcassonne, the Canal du Midi and the Cathar fortress of Lastours.
In all, the site comprises 7 chambers and two underground lakes, which project their reflections onto the walls. Like all caves of this type, here you can admire stalactites, stalagmites, draperies and columns. But that’s not what the site is famous for.
Indeed, the cave is famous for housing one of the world’s most beautiful geological curiosities, a giant chandelier of aragonite. This marvel resembles hundreds of translucent white stars intertwined with one another. Another curiosity, this time a gastronomic one, is the tasting of Améthyste, a wine aged in barrels in the cave.
How to get there
From the A61, after taking the Carcassonne exit, follow signs for Mazamet and the grotto.
3. Niaux cave
Photo credit: Flickr – Tourisme en Occitanie
Nearby attractions: Foix castle, Bethmale valley.
The Niaux cave is one of the most beautiful caves to visit in Occitanie. And with good reason: it’s one of the largest decorated caves in Europe, along with Lascaux!
Unlike the latter, it is one of the few still accessible to the public, who can admire its cave paintings. The 1.5-hour tour culminates in the « black room », where the most impressive animal paintings, estimated to be 13,000 years old, are displayed. Visitors can observe representations of Pottok-like horses, bison, ibex, deer and fish.
How to get there
From Foix, take the N20 south to Tarascon-sur-Ariège. Then follow the signs for the hamlet of Niaux. To reach the site, follow a small mountain road.
4. The Castela underground
Photo credit: Facebook – Vos vacances dans le Tarn
Nearby attractions: Toulouse, Albi and Cordes-sur-Ciel.
Who hasn’t dreamed of playing Indiana Jones and exploring an ancient feudal underground? It’s possible with the Castela underground tour! Among the caves and caverns to visit in Occitanie, this one dates back to the 11th century and was dug under the motte castrale.
At 142 meters long, with vaults dug out with iron picks, this underground passageway was used to shelter the local population. Today, you can see ancient grain silos, latrines and a small chapel. Just like the famous archaeologist, it’s a mini underground city full of mystery that you’ll discover. However, only a limited number of people are allowed to visit, so book in advance if you want to have a chance of getting in.
How do I get there?
From Toulouse, take the A68 motorway and exit at Saint-Sulpice-la-Pointe. The town can also be reached by train on the Toulouse-Albi line, which stops at Saint-Sulpice.
5. La grotte des Demoiselles
Photo credit: Shutterstock – DOPhoto
Nearby attractions: Hérault gorges, Navacelle cirque, Montpellier.
The journey to the heart of the caves and caverns to visit in Occitanie continues! Les Demoiselles begins with a ride up Europe’s first underground funicular railway. Once you’ve got off to continue the tour on foot, you’ll run out of eyeballs as there are so many superb sculptures, giant draperies and forests of stalactites to admire.
In fact, the cave takes its name from the fact that peasants believed they were seeing fairies in place of the translucent white calcite sculptures. The visit ends in style in the aptly named « cathedral », due to its impressive dimensions and a stalagmite that looks like a statue of the Virgin and Child. By the way, keep an eye on the news: it’s said that the acoustics are perfect when concerts are held here.
How to get there
From Montpellier, take the RD986 towards Ganges. There is also a bus service to the caves from Montpellier, take route 108 Hérault Transport.
6. Pech Merle cave
Photo credit: Facebook – Centre de Préhistoire du Pech Merle – cave and museum
Nearby attractions: Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, Cahors, Causses du Quercy.
This is another of the most beautiful decorated caves to visit in Occitanie, with paintings dating back 20,000 years. It’s also one of the largest, with over a kilometer of galleries. It has been listed as a historic monument for its combination of geology and pictorial evidence of life in prehistoric times.
All the animals that lived during this period are represented, from mammoths to oxen and bison, but what’s most moving are the human footprints and the famous stencil-painted hands.
How do I get there?
The touristy village of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie is about ten kilometers from the cave. The easiest way to get there is to follow the signs for the Pech Merle cave.
7. Padirac chasm
Photo credit: Shutterstock – Stephane Debove
Nearby attractions: Rocamadour, Cahors.
Among the caves and caverns to visit in Occitanie, this one’s a must! Because it’s the most popular, you’ll need to make a reservation.
Once you’ve got past the long queue, you might be overcome by vertigo at the chasm’s 103-metre depth. The bravest and least patient will take the stairs to admire the immensity of the shaft, while others will opt to wait for the elevator. At the bottom, the journey continues by boat on the translucent underground river. At the end, we return on foot to admire the Great Dome Hall and Rain Lake.
How to get there
The chasm is only a few kilometers from the town of Rocamadour.
8. Aven Armand chasm
Photo credit: Facebook – Aven Armand
Nearby attractions: La Cité de pierres at Montpellier-le-Vieux, the Tarn gorges, the chaos of Nîmes-le-Vieux.
No two caves are alike, even though the natural process of water infiltration is the same. And in terms of water-sculpted wonders, the Aven Armand chasm is not short of them, with a « virgin forest » of fantastically shaped stalagmites. In fact, the largest known stalagmite in the world is 30 metres high!
A sound and light show highlights the details of the calcite « sheets » and « fins », particularly impressive in the last hall of unparalleled immensity.
How to get there
The chasm is located on the Causse Méjean in Lozère, on the D996, 12 km from Meyrueis.