--- title: "Grottes d’Arcy-sur-Cure: Guided Cave Tours and Booking" description: "Cave paintings about 28,000 years old, about half of them mammoths, on guided tours only. Book, allow 1 to 1.5 hours, 1 h 30 from Beaune by driver." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/grottes-d-arcy-sur-cure lang: en updated: 2026-09-30 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/grottes-d-arcy-sur-cure.png --- # Arcy-sur-Cure Caves (Grottes d’Arcy-sur-Cure) > Arcy-sur-Cure Caves: a limestone cave by the river Cure with the oldest cave paintings open to the public in France. Arcy-sur-Cure Caves is in Arcy-sur-Cure (Yonne), 1 h 32 by road (133 km) from Beaune. Allow 1 to 1.5 hours · Private driver from Beaune: €340 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Along the river Cure, the Grande Grotte of Arcy-sur-Cure winds through an ancient coral reef turned to limestone. Its halls hold small lakes, stalactites and a rare treasure: cave paintings about 28,000 years old. They are the oldest cave paintings in France that the public can still visit, and guides lead every tour. ## Key facts - Type: Nature & viewpoints - Where: Arcy-sur-Cure · Yonne - Location: 100 km north-west of Beaune · Yonne - Coordinates: 47.5917, 3.7666 - 1 h 32 from Beaune - Allow 1 to 1.5 hours - Arcy-sur-Cure - Official website: [grottes-arcy.net](https://grottes-arcy.net/) - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 32 · 133 km - €340 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) - Or add it to our [long-day wine tour, €880](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/long-day). ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 1 h 32 by road (133 km), €340 one way for the whole car. Coming by train or plane? [Transfers from stations and airports](https://www.cote-privee.com/transfers) Estimates per vehicle for up to 4 guests, tolls included. Your price is confirmed when you book. ## History The Grande Grotte has been known for centuries. Jacques de Clugny, a friend of Colbert, described it in 1666, and the naturalist Buffon visited in 1740. An inscription dated 1762, thought to be his, survives in the last chamber. The archaeologist André Leroi-Gourhan later made Arcy a school of modern excavation, working on the other caves along the river. Yet the paintings in the Grande Grotte stayed hidden. In 1976 the manager of the estate had the cave walls cleaned with pressurised water mixed with hydrochloric acid. Workers noticed ochre running down the walls, but the cleaning went on until 1990. That year the first painting, an ibex, was recognised. Excavations led by Dominique Baffier and Michel Girard followed, and more than 140 painted figures and signs have since been identified. ## What you will see Guides lead you through the galleries by the underground lakes to the painted panels. The red paintings show mostly mammoths, along with bears, a rhinoceros, a feline and birds, a mix close to that of the Chauvet cave. There are also eight negative hand stencils and many signs. The standard tour lasts about an hour, a longer tour shows more paintings, and an in-depth visit of three to four hours takes small groups closer to the walls. ## Planning your visit Visits are guided only and must be booked by phone or online. Allow an hour for the discovery tour, or 90 minutes for the prehistory tour. Arcy is about 1 hour 30 minutes from Beaune, 20 minutes from Vézelay. Bring a warm layer, as caves stay cool all year. The caves are open from April to November, and closed on Wednesdays outside school holidays. Please check the official website for opening times. ## Did you know? About half of the animals painted at Arcy are mammoths. The site calls these paintings, about 28,000 years old, the oldest still open to visitors in France. ## Around Arcy-sur-Cure Caves What to combine with Arcy-sur-Cure Caves on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Irancy](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/irancy) (16 km away): The red wine village of the Yonne, set in a bowl of vines and cherry trees. - [Saint-Bris](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/saint-bris) (19 km away): Burgundy's Sauvignon village, built over a maze of medieval cellars. - [Chablis](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/chablis) (25 km away): Burgundy's northern outpost, where Chardonnay grows on fossil-rich limestone above the river Serein. ### Châteaux - [Château de Vault-de-Lugny](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-vault-de-lugny) (13 km away): A moated castle with a tall square keep near Avallon, now an intimate five-star hotel. - [Château de Bazoches](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-bazoches) (24 km away): The castle Vauban bought with a royal reward, and turned into a workshop for his military engineers. - [Château de Chastellux](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-chastellux) (24 km away): A towered fortress at the gateway to the Morvan, still lived in by the family of its name. ### Things to do - [Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Vézelay (Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de Vézelay)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/basilique-de-vezelay), 14 km away: A Romanesque masterpiece crowning a hill, where Saint Bernard preached the Second Crusade. - [Maison Jules-Roy](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/maison-jules-roy-vezelay) (14 km away): The writer Jules Roy's last home in Vézelay, with his study kept as he left it and terraced gardens facing the basilica. - [Zervos Museum of Modern Art (Musée départemental d’art moderne, collection Zervos)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/musee-zervos-vezelay), 14 km away: Picasso, Calder and Miró in the Vézelay house where the writer Romain Rolland spent his last years. ### Restaurants - [Le Valucien](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/le-valucien-vault-de-lugny) (13 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred table with Mauritian accents inside a moated castle near Avallon. ## Questions about Arcy-sur-Cure Caves ### How far is Arcy-sur-Cure Caves from Beaune? Arcy-sur-Cure Caves is about 1 h 32 from Beaune by road (133 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €340 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Arcy-sur-Cure Caves take? For the visit, allow 1 to 1.5 hours. ### When is Arcy-sur-Cure Caves open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (grottes-arcy.net) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Arcy-sur-Cure Caves? Yes. Your driver collects you in Beaune or at your hotel in an electric Polestar 2 (up to 4 guests), waits while you visit and plans the rest of the day with you. The driver speaks English, French, Mandarin Chinese and Arabic. → [Long-day wine tour, €880](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/long-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=sight:arcy): €340 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - --- Canonical page: