Vallée des grottes de Saulges - Musée de préhistoire

About the museum

The prehistory museum, open since 2017, is located in the Erve valley in Mayenne, near the Margot and Rochefort caves. Excavations in these caves have yielded objects, bones and artistic remains from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic, which now form the collections. The site is run by the Communauté de communes des Coëvrons.

The Margot cave, one of 22 caves in the valley, is the only decorated prehistoric cave open to the public in western France and north of the Loire. Laid out for visitors as early as 1861 and listed as a historic monument since 1926, it is 319 m long. In 2003 archaeologists discovered Upper Paleolithic engravings there: horses, woolly rhinoceroses, bison and birds, as well as Gravettian paintings of hands, a bison and a deer.

The Rochefort cave formed in limestone around 300 million years old. An excavation carried out in 2001 uncovered a Solutrean settlement dating back about 22,000 years. The visit descends by miller's ladders to a chasm and an underground lake.

Highlights

• Margot cave: prehistoric engravings, the only decorated cave open to visitors in western France
• Rochefort cave: excavation site, a 15 m descent by ladders to a chasm and an underground lake
• Prehistory museum with archaeological display cases, touchscreens and a holographic showcase
• Immersive 3D reconstruction of the Mayenne-Sciences cave, closed to the public
• Mixed-reality experiences and a video game developed by the museum team

Permanent exhibition

• Collections archéologiques du musée de Préhistoire – Stone tools, objects made of reindeer antler and shells, animal bones, cave art and Neolithic models, with digital modules and a 3D reconstruction of the Mayenne-Sciences cave.

Founded

2017

Operated by

Communauté de communes des Coëvrons

Admission & discounts

Base rate: museum on a free visit (€5 adults, €3.50 reduced), included in cave tickets. Online booking is mandatory for the caves (limited capacity); tickets may be sold on site depending on availability, but reservations by phone are not possible. Online payment by bank card only; at reception by bank card, cash, check (from €15) or ANCV Chèques-Vacances.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

The museum is fully accessible, with wheelchair access between the display cases. The caves are not accessible to visitors with reduced mobility or to strollers. An accessible parking space is located next to the museum's lower entrance (ring the intercom and show your disability card). An easy-read booklet is lent free of charge on request at reception. A sensory-focused guided tour of the valley is offered for blind and visually impaired visitors. The valley is classified as Natura 2000 and is only partially accessible.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

Margot cave is accessible from age 3, Rochefort cave from age 6. Free activity booklets are available at the museum on request (Kit Baby-Sapiens from age 2, booklet for ages 6 to 9, Hamok for ages 10 to 12, upon presentation of a child ticket). The caves are not accessible by stroller.

Getting there & parking

Access by car, on foot or by bike only. Évron station is 25 minutes away by car, Laval station 40 minutes. By car: 40 minutes from Laval (D57 as far as Vaiges), 1 hour from Le Mans (A81, exit 1 Loué, then D357), 1 hour 30 minutes from Rennes. Bike rack beside the restaurant.

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant
• Museum shop

Reception and shop at the prehistory museum; a restaurant appears on the valley map, and other eateries are listed nearby.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit