--- title: "Musée de Préhistoire de Solutré: Visit and Opening Times" description: "Half-buried museum at the foot of the Roche de Solutré on Ice Age horse and reindeer hunters, with an archaeological park. Private driver from Beaune." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/musee-de-prehistoire-de-solutre lang: en updated: 2026-09-30 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/things-to-do/musee-de-prehistoire-de-solutre.png --- # Solutré Museum of Prehistory (Musée de Préhistoire de Solutré) > Solutré Museum of Prehistory: a half-buried museum at the foot of the rock, telling the story of Solutré's Ice Age hunters. Solutré Museum of Prehistory is in Solutré-Pouilly (Saône-et-Loire), 1 h 17 by road (105 km) from Beaune. Allow 1 to 1.5 hours · Private driver from Beaune: €280 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. At the foot of the Roche de Solutré, a discreet museum set partly underground presents finds from one of the richest prehistoric sites in Europe. It tells how Neanderthals and then modern humans came here to hunt horses and reindeer over tens of thousands of years. An outdoor archaeological park continues the story on the excavation site itself. ## Key facts - Type: Museums - Where: Solutré-Pouilly · Saône-et-Loire - Location: 80 km south of Beaune · Mâconnais - Coordinates: 46.2978, 4.7189 - 1 h 17 from Beaune - Allow 1 to 1.5 hours - Solutré-Pouilly - Nearby: [Pouilly-Fuissé](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/pouilly-fuisse) - Official website: [rochedesolutre.com](https://rochedesolutre.com/la-prehistoire-a-decouvrir/le-musee-de-prehistoire/) - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h 17 · 105 km - €280 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) - Or add it to our [full-day wine tour plus two hours, €700](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day). ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 1 h 17 by road (105 km), €280 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 site was discovered in 1866, when Adrien Arcelin and Henry Testot-Ferry found flints at the foot of the rock, at a spot called the Crot du Charnier. Their excavations followed, and Solutré gave its name to the Solutrean culture, dated to the coldest phase of the last Ice Age, around 24,000 years ago. Research continued through the 20th century, notably under the prehistorian Jean Combier from the late 1960s. The museum, financed by the Saône-et-Loire department, opened in May 1987. Designed by the architects Clapot and Dallery, it lies partly buried beneath planted ground to respect the protected landscape, and its entrance evokes a fault in the rock. In 2006 the excavation area beside it became an archaeological park with eight stations, designed by the architects Frenak and Mosbach, which visitors can walk through. ## What you will see The permanent exhibition presents flint tools, including the delicate laurel-leaf points of the Solutrean, bones of the hunted animals and finds from other prehistoric sites of the Mâconnais, such as Vergisson and Azé. One opening frames the summit of the rock, and a wide window looks east over the Saône valley. Outside, the park shows casts of the archaeological layers and a garden of local plants. ## Planning your visit The museum is closed on Mondays from September to March, from early January to early February and for part of December; check the official website for opening times. Allow an hour, then climb the rock or stop at the Maison du Grand Site, a short walk below. Audio guides are available in English, German and Dutch, and the museum is well equipped for visitors with disabilities. ## Did you know? On clear days, the museum's east-facing window looks more than 100 kilometres away to the Jura mountains, with the peak of Mont Blanc sometimes visible above them. ## Around Solutré Museum of Prehistory What to combine with Solutré Museum of Prehistory on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Pouilly-Fuissé](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/pouilly-fuisse) (3 km away): Burgundy's great southern white, grown beneath the limestone cliffs of Solutré and Vergisson. - [Saint-Véran](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/saint-veran) (5 km away): Fresh Chardonnay from villages that wrap around Pouilly-Fuissé, beneath the Roche de Solutré. - [Viré-Clessé](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/vire-clesse) (19 km away): Two neighbouring villages of the Haut-Mâconnais, joined in one appellation for generous Chardonnay. ### Châteaux - [Château de Fuissé](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-fuisse) (2 km away): The Vincent family's historic estate in Pouilly-Fuissé, home of the appellation's only monopole premier cru. - [Château de Chasselas](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-chasselas) (3 km away): A three-towered castle with glazed-tile roofs in the Saint-Véran hills, long the heart of a wine estate. - [Château de Pierreclos](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-pierreclos) (4 km away): A medieval castle turned wine estate on a rocky spur near Solutré, full of Lamartine memories. ### Things to do - [Rock of Solutré (Roche de Solutré)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/roche-de-solutre), 1 km away: A limestone escarpment rising above the Pouilly-Fuissé vineyards, famous for its Ice Age hunters. - [Rock of Vergisson (Roche de Vergisson)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/roche-de-vergisson), 2 km away: Solutré's quieter twin, a limestone cliff above the village of Vergisson with views across the vineyards. - [Domaine Luquet Depuis 1878](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-luquet-fuisse) (3 km away): A family estate in the heart of Fuissé since 1878, with six generations of Pouilly-Fuissé and Saint-Véran. ### Restaurants - [L’O des Vignes](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/l-o-des-vignes-fuisse) (3 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A Meilleur Ouvrier de France cooking in the heart of Pouilly-Fuissé. - [La Table de Chaintré](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/la-table-de-chaintre) (5 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): One menu a week, one husband-and-wife team, in a former village grocery near Mâcon. - [L’Auberge du Cep](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/auberge-du-cep-fleurie) (12 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A historic inn in the Beaujolais cru village of Fleurie, starred again since 2021. ## Questions about Solutré Museum of Prehistory ### How far is Solutré Museum of Prehistory from Beaune? Solutré Museum of Prehistory is about 1 h 17 from Beaune by road (105 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €280 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### How long does a visit to Solutré Museum of Prehistory take? For the visit, allow 1 to 1.5 hours. ### When is Solutré Museum of Prehistory open? Opening days and times change during the year, so check the official website (rochedesolutre.com) before you go. Your driver can plan the day around them. ### Can a private driver take us to Solutré Museum of Prehistory? 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. → [Full-day wine tour plus two hours, €700](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=sight:prehistoire): €280 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - - --- Canonical page: