Solutré Museum of Prehistory (Musée de Préhistoire de Solutré)
A half-buried museum at the foot of the rock, telling the story of Solutré's Ice Age hunters.
- Museum
- 1 h 17 from Beaune
- Allow 1 to 1.5 hours
- Solutré-Pouilly
€280one way from Beaune with a private driver
At a glance
- Nearby
- Pouilly-Fuissé
- Official website
- rochedesolutre.com
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 1 h 17 by road (105 km), €280 one way for the whole car.
Or add it to our full-day wine tour plus two hours, €700.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About the place
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.
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.
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.
Planning your visit
Tips for 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.
Around here
What to combine with Solutré Museum of Prehistory on the same day, nearest first.
Questions
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.
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.
Sources
Solutré Museum of Prehistory with a private driver
€280 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests