The Gouffre de Padirac’s standing as one of the best caves in the Lot, and indeed France, means it’s a standard feature on any keen explorer’s French itinerary. The 45-minute tour provides an excellent introduction to the history and geology of the cave, allowing visitors plenty of time to explore this magnificent cavern. For those willing to pay a little extra, it’s even possible to be lowered from the roof of the chamber in a specially designed, rotating viewing platform, offering close-up views of the stalactites and petrified waterfalls that descend from the canopy.Īs the sound and light show begins, the story of the cave is revealed, stage-by-stage, casting eerie shadows and illuminating the remarkable crystal formations that hang from the walls. Today, visitors enter this Dordogne cave in darkness.

In winter, the hole at the top of this extraordinary cavern emits plumes of smoke, which, long ago, led local residents to believe that the fires of hell were burning just below the surface, ready to ensnare unsuspecting sinners. Known locally for centuries as the ‘Devil’s Hole’, the Gouffre de Proumeyssac is the stuff of legends.

Dordogne caves map