Padirac Abyss

Welcome to the Gouffre de Padirac

Near Rocamadour, The Padirac Abyss is in the Dordogne Valley on the Causse du Quercy in the Lot, a little over an hour away from Sarlat.

The Gouffre de Padirac officially opened its cave to the public on 10 April 1899. It is then among one of the tourist sites of France in the 19th century. Fitted out for the visit, it is preserved in excellent condition and has not changed since. Only the reception building was built in 1930 for an adapted and comfortable public entrance.

Without hesitation, the Padirac chasm is the most beautiful in France, its dimensions are out of the ordinary: First of all, a 35-metre diameter and 103-metre deep well that you have to contemplate from above but also from below with its breathtaking view. The descent can be done by a lift or a staircase.
At the bottom of the cavity, you will discover the entrance to an underground network no less than 42 km long. You will walk down a first gallery leading to an underground lake. There a boatman is waiting for you for a discovery by boat.
Arriving on the opposite bank, your guide will take you to marvel at the work of time. Giant limestone formations, underground lakes, incredible sculptures in the shape of pendentives, piles of plates or whatever you and your children like to imagine... everything is brought to light to magnify the different caves, the impressive stalactites and stalagmites, and the most surprising nooks and crannies.

The Gouffre de Padirac officially opened its cave to the public on 10 April 1899. It is then among one of the tourist sites of France in the 19th century. Fitted out for the visit, it is preserved in excellent condition and has not changed since. Only the reception building was built in 1930 for an adapted and comfortable public entrance.

Private exploratory visit

For one evening, live the incredible underground adventure of the Gouffre de Padirac, as Edouard-Alfred Martel lived it in 1889, during his first descent into what was then called the "Devil's Hole". Lighted with a lantern, you will feel the Abyss fully in silence, darkness, freshness.

The Abyss will be told to you according to the many writings and testimonies that Edouard-Alfred Martel has left us... an extraordinary multi-sensory experience and a privileged discovery of the natural wonders of this site that has been dazzling us since 1889!