20 Attractions to Explore Near Chauvet Cave

The Pont d’Arc is a 60m high and 34m wide natural bridge carved out of the rock face of the gorge over the Ardèche River in Ardeche. It’s a geological wonder and thousands of years of water and wind have eroded the stone into shaping this natural entrance to the Ardeche gorges. In the near vicinity of the arch is the Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave, containing one of the earliest known Paleolithic cave paintings, about 30,000 years old.

The Chauvet 2 Cave - Ardèche is a replica of the Chauvet cave. Its construction began in October 2012 and it was opened to the public in 2015. It is a cultural, scientific, and technological project, unique in both its design and its size which in fact the largest ornate cave replica in the world.

The Aven d'Orgnac is a subterranean cavity classed as a Grand Site de France and situated near the town of Orgnac-l'Aven. With its origins going back more than 100 million years, the Aven d'Orgnac presents a sight of spectacular beauty. Time has fashioned fabulous and wildly diverse crystalline formations that can be seen in the gigantic chambers. One of the beautiful places in this area which shows light to natural beauty.

Bambouseraie en Cévennes is the perfect place to bond with nature. A uniquely special botanical gardens with over 1,000 varieties of bamboo, rare flowers, and remarkable trees and plants, offering visitors a magical and completely unexpected break in the Cévennes. It was ranked as one of France’s most beautiful gardens.

The Pont du Gard is a Roman aqueduct in Southern France. It is in the Gard département, in the area of the commune of Vers-Pont-du-Gard. The name should mean "Bridge over the Gard". The aqueduct supplied the city of Nîmes with water. It has a length of nearly 50 kilometers. The bridge is 49 meters high and has bows on three levels. It was probably built in the 1st century. In 1985, the Pont du Gard was classified a World Heritage Site.

A deep canyon carved by the clear water of the river, the Gorges du Gardon reveal all the beauty of the Mediterranean landscapes, from cliffs to garrigues and sheltered forests. The Roman aqueduct Pont du Gard and the 16th-century Pont Saint-Nicolas are two historic bridges that cross the Gardon. The Gorges du Gardon, which ends at Pont Saint-Nicolas, is a popular recreation area for kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, and hiking.

Mont Gerbier de Jonc is a mountain of volcanic origin located in the Massif Central in France. It is made of a type of rock called phonolite. It rises to an altitude of 1,551 m, and its base contains three springs that are the source of the Loire, France's longest river. It is the second most-visited site in the département of Ardèche, after the Ardèche Gorges.

The highest peak in the Cévennes range and it is commonly used for skiing during the winter months and offers some stunning natural scenery and is covered by coniferous plantations and 'broom' scrub moorland. Its vast, smooth expanses are dotted with rounded granite balls shaped by erosion. Small streams flow amid the peat bogs, which are home to precious endemic flora.

Located just south of the village of Vaison-la-Romaine, the Dentelles de Montmirail is a small mountain chain in France. St-Amand, at 734 meters, is the highest peak of the Dentelles. The range offers over 600 trails for hiking, rock climbing, and mountain biking.

The Pont d'Avignon is one of the most famous historic bridges in France, forming part of a World Heritage Site. According to the legend, the bridge was built in the 12th century by a young shepherd from Ardèche - Bénezet. It was later washed away several times by flood waters and rebuilt until it was abandoned in the 17th century. Today, all that remains are four arches and a chapel.

It is a museum and art gallery located in southern France's Avignon city. The Musée Du Petit Palais shows an excellent selection of Renaissance paintings from both the School of Avignon and Italy. It also contains 600 sculptures from the tomb of Antipope Clement VII, including the effigy head.

Jardin des doms is a rocky outcrop on the left bank of the Rhone that served as a shelter for the founding and development of the city of Avignon . It was set up as a public garden. It serves as protection for the foundation and then the development of the city. Its summit is covered with a public garden called Jardin des Doms.

The Cévennes National Park is a national park located in southern France, in the mountainous area of Cévennes. Created in 1970, the park has its administrative seat in Florac at Florac Castle. It is located mainly in the départements of Lozère and Gard and covers some parts of Ardèche and Aveyron. The Aven Armand cave is located in the park. In 2011, the Park was made a part of The Causses and the Cévennes, Mediterranean agro-pastoral Cultural Landscape UNESCO World Heritage site.

Avignon Cathedral is one of the renown Roman Catholic church situated in the Avignon commune of France. It was built in the twelfth century. It features a roman style of architecture and a gilded statue of the Virgin Mary atop the bell tower.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the palace is one of the largest medieval Gothic buildings in Europe. Palais des Papes is a historical and architectural landmark and primarily a tourist attraction. It is also part of Avignon’s thriving cultural scene and hosts concerts and exhibitions as well as the Festival d’Avignon in its courtyard, making it an integral part of the city’s modern artistic traditions.

The Tour Magne is a Gallo-Roman monument located in Nîmes, in the Gard. A more imposing vestige of the very long Roman wall of Nîmes, it dominates the gardens of the Fountain on Mount Cavalier. It is mainly accessible by the gardens of the Fountain. It is the subject of classification under the historical monuments by the list of 1840.

Les Jardins de la Fontaine is a public park located in Nîmes, in the Gard. They are made around the original Nîmes source, already venerated by the tribes before the arrival of the Romans. The source of the Fontaine is also at the origin of the creation of the agglomeration several centuries before the Gallo-Roman period. Their architectural organization also highlights two major ancient monuments of the city, the temple of Diana and the Magne Tower.

Mont Mézenc is a French mountain in the Massif du Mézenc, part of the Massif Central in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. It is on the border of the Ardèche and Haute-Loire departments and is the highest mountain of both departments. The mountain is in the "Natural regional park of the Mountains of Ardèche"

Maison Carrée or “square house” is an ancient Roman temple located in Nîmes in southern France. It is an extremely well preserved ancient Roman building and represents a nearly textbook example of a Roman temple as described by the architectural writer Vitruvius. This temple was Inspired by the temples of Apollo and Mars Ultor in Rome and it measures 26 metres long by 15 metres wide and 15 metres high.

The Place de l'Horloge is the main square and heart of Avignon France. Buildings located on the square include Avignon's 19th-century city hall and opera. Ironically, the famous clock, after which the square is named, is barely visible from Place de l'Horloge.