National Prehistoric Museum (Musée National de Préhistoire)
1 Rue du Musée, Les Eyzies, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, 24620
Bone-crafted artifacts and stone tools abound at the National Prehistoric Museum in Les Eyzies, offering Dordogne visitors a voyage into the past. Located near the Vézère Valley—a region known as the capital of prehistory—the museum showcases some 18,000 artifacts, all curated to retrace millennia of human life in the region and beyond.
The basics
The museum is in a small town in the Perigord Noir region of the Dordogne, known for its prehistoric relics and caves. It’s not near the main tourist towns, so it doesn’t feature on many tours. Getting there is easy with your own transportation. Once inside, browse the collections independently or on a prebooked 1.5-hour guided tour. The museum’s tours are free to children under 13 and ideal for families interested in prehistoric times.
Things to know before you go
Free entry is available to everyone on the first Sunday of every month.
Students in the European Union ages 18 through 26 can enter free.
Visitors who hold a full-price entry ticket for the Abri Pataud (National Museum of Natural History) can enter with a discount.
The rooms of the museum are wheelchair-accessible with ramps and elevators.
How to get there
The National Prehistoric Museum in Aquitaine is on rue du Musée, Les Eyzies-de-Tayac Sireuil. Drivers can reach it easily from the nearest big town of Périgueux-Sarlat in around half an hour via the D47 road. Those using public transportation can take a train to Gare des Eyzies. From there, it’s a 10-minute walk to the museum.
When to get there
The museum is open daily in July and August and daily except Tuesdays for the rest of the year. The doors are open from early morning until early evening. However, off-peak visitors (between October and May) should avoid visiting around lunchtime as the site closes for 1.5 hours in the middle of the day. The museum is also closed on Christmas Day and January 1.
Denis Peyrony and the museum today
The museum owes its existence to local researcher and archaeologist Denis Peyrony, who founded it in 1918. He focused the museum's mission on ancient prehistory, and that work snowballed to create the sizable collection that visitors see today. To ensure the artifacts got the space they deserved, Parisian architect Jean-Pierre Buffi expanded the museum and gave it a fresh face in 2004.
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