Musee National de Prehistoire
Musee National de Prehistoire
Musee National de Prehistoire
4
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 6:30 PM
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Top ways to experience Musee National de Prehistoire and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
32 within 5 kms
Attractions
53 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
816 reviews
Excellent
327
Very good
284
Average
142
Poor
48
Terrible
15
Samuel007
Exeter, UK335 contributions
May 2022
Prehistory is not a great interest of mine, but I was very pleased with this extremely well-organised museum. There is not a bewildering quantity of exhibits, thank goodness, but a sensible number of carefully selected artefacts and displays, with interesting descriptions in French and English. And the view from the terrace at the top is outstanding.
Written June 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
fi11fi61
Alexandria, VA26 contributions
Mar 2024 • Couples
We really enjoyed this museum and found it an excellent table-setter before visiting any of the many prehistoric caves in the area. We especially enjoyed the black and white movie of the many early discoveries in the area. Lots of artifacts on display. They now have booklets in English and many of the displays have English translations. Work was ongoing on the upper floor terrace so we did not go there.
Written March 25, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
claire42016
Hertfordshire, UK15 contributions
Jul 2024 • Couples
The museum building is very modern and airy. If you are interested in seeing display case after display case of prehistoric flints used as tools and for hunting, then this is your place. We thought there would be interesting displays on the evolution of man, but this was not the case.There is a pretty impressive model of a woolly mammoth in the foyer.
Written July 31, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
amber d
Yelverton, UK24 contributions
Apr 2024 • Couples
€6 entry. A truly amazing array of all things prehistoric.In a modern setting & very well displayed. We are English & don’t have a good command of French but there were good interpretation signs in English plus a booklet. If you love prehistory then you will love this place.Lots of exhibits from this intriguing area.
Written April 20, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Seldoc
Glocester, RI54 contributions
May 2014 • Couples
We visited the Dordogne several years ago, and, had the mistaken impression that this museum was nothing more than a tourist trap. So, I didn't bother to visit it. That was a big mistake. This is a serious museum and research facility loaded with artifacts, many recovered from nearby caves and digs. Besides the displays of tools, bones and prehistoric art, there are numerous videos describing various aspects of prehistoric life. The museum leads you through a step-by-step look at the development of prehistoric man. To do it justice, you need to plan on spending a least of couple of hours there, and, at that, you'll only scratch the surface.
As other reviewers have mentioned, the museum is a little difficult for those who don't speak French, but there's enough information in English and several other languages to make the visit worthwhile nevertheless.
As other reviewers have mentioned, the museum is a little difficult for those who don't speak French, but there's enough information in English and several other languages to make the visit worthwhile nevertheless.
Written May 9, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TheBrainiac
Sedalia, CO127 contributions
May 2011 • Couples
Mrs. Brainiac and I had heard that Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil was well worth a detour during our two-week Dordogne driving tour and that this Museum was a highlight. We had stopped in to see the Lascaux facsimile caves and enjoyed that so we were looking forward to this as well.
Ouch and Yikes! This museum is one of the most boring that we have ever seen. There are rows upon rows of artifacts that might appeal to a PhD in Anthropology, but NOT to a normal contemporary human being. Once you have worked your way up to the top floor, you exit onto an outdoor area that allows you to see some prehistoric cave dwellings. Those might hold your interest for about ten seconds, and if you have been to other cave dwellings, like Mesa Verde, you may not even notice these.
All in all, this museum tends toward the technical and academic. For the lay person, skip it.
Ouch and Yikes! This museum is one of the most boring that we have ever seen. There are rows upon rows of artifacts that might appeal to a PhD in Anthropology, but NOT to a normal contemporary human being. Once you have worked your way up to the top floor, you exit onto an outdoor area that allows you to see some prehistoric cave dwellings. Those might hold your interest for about ten seconds, and if you have been to other cave dwellings, like Mesa Verde, you may not even notice these.
All in all, this museum tends toward the technical and academic. For the lay person, skip it.
Written June 21, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ski_bum2205
Perth, Australia101 contributions
Sept 2019
This museum is fascinating! I loved the way artefacts are organised by time (horizontal) and layers (vertical by tools, fauna and remains). There was also an indication of climate variations with time, above and below average (should be a present-day spike there - extent unknown!)
I just wish I could have read the explanations associated with all the displays. Unless you can read all the information available you only need allow an hour. If you CAN read all the information you could spend hours here.
Despite this, the museum is still very much worth visiting.
In a museum of this sophistication, with visitors from all over the world, audio commentary should be available in multiple languages. Groups of items could be numbered and the appropriate commentary selected by number. Chateau de Beynac uses numbers effectively and somewhere else we’ve been you selected suitable commentary by pointing a reader at icons on a page. I’ve seen people’s phones used in the past too. Better still would be some sort of proximity sensitive device. We have the technology!
I just wish I could have read the explanations associated with all the displays. Unless you can read all the information available you only need allow an hour. If you CAN read all the information you could spend hours here.
Despite this, the museum is still very much worth visiting.
In a museum of this sophistication, with visitors from all over the world, audio commentary should be available in multiple languages. Groups of items could be numbered and the appropriate commentary selected by number. Chateau de Beynac uses numbers effectively and somewhere else we’ve been you selected suitable commentary by pointing a reader at icons on a page. I’ve seen people’s phones used in the past too. Better still would be some sort of proximity sensitive device. We have the technology!
Written September 25, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Patrick C
Santa Fe, NM164 contributions
Sept 2018 • Couples
Les Eyzies is a great little French town on the river, complete with fine restaurants and places to stay! But the museum was really disappointing, and I am an archaeologist who loves real museums! I do not see why anyone would go here unless you are on a school field trip! The caves and the cave art are all worth going to, but you don not need the museum no matter how nice the French hoped it would be! If you want to know about the Paleolithic caves and their art, look them up on the internet. If you want to go to caves that are open to the public, go to the tourist office or to cave you are interested in nearby. I must say, in addition, the staff are very unwelcoming and not very interested in helping visitors to find which caves are open, which are to their interest, or how to gain access.
Written October 4, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephen H
Lacave, France70 contributions
Jun 2017 • Couples
If you visit the Dordogne, this is a must see for fans of paleontology. Engaging self-guided museum of southwestern France's 65,000 year history of early mankind.
Written January 20, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Arvid O
Palm Coast, FL2,759 contributions
Oct 2014 • Couples
This is a well laid out modern museum housing an impressive collection of modern man's first work of arts. The latest technology is used to bring history to life using various multimedia. The terrace commands impressive views of the Vezere River Valley.
Written January 1, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bonjour,
Pourriez-vous me dire quelle visite guidée vous avez faite. Sur le site j'en vois plusieurs et je ne sais laquelle choisir avec notre fils de 8 ans.
Merci beaucoup.
Written July 29, 2016
Désolé, je n'ai pas pris de visite guidée.
Written July 30, 2016
The first two charges made 7 months after our visit said "entree" which we assumed was for a meal at a restaurant. Now we wonder if the two charges were for "entrance" to the Museum? If so, this still does not explain why the charges came thru 7 months after our visit nor does it explain the very large charge attempt. We love France and feel terrible to report this bad experience but want the staff and visitors to be aware of the possibility for this to happen. I recommend taking credit cards because they are safer for the consumer to use. Using a debit card is not safe because it gives the person who has the number direct access to your bank account. We hope the person that did this is discovered and that it never happens to anyone else again.
Written February 3, 2015
We did not have enough cash and they did not take Master Card or American Express card so we had to use our Debit card and the number was used 7 months after our visit for 3 purchases but our bank fraud department was alerted and cancelled our card no more fraudlulent activity will continue. I hope the employee that did this is not still working there but wanted to warn others to bring cash and do not use bank debit cards. I just wonder if charges for "2 entrees" in this case means two meals from a restaurant or does it mean "2 tickets for entrance" to the museum? Either way, the charges occured 7 months after our visit and there was another very large attempted charge in Les Eyzies. Very disappointing... we are thankful that our bank stopped the charges in time. Otherwise, the theft of money from our bank account could have continued.
Written February 4, 2015
Showing results 1-2 of 2
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing