Lot · France
Gouffre de Padirac — 103 metres down, then by boat
A hole in the limestone plateau, a lift into the dark, and an underground river you cross in a flat-bottomed boat. France's most visited cave, booked in two minutes.
Book your tickets
Pick your date and arrival time below. Bring a jumper — it is 13 °C underground all year — and shoes that grip.
Welcome to the Gouffre de Padirac
The mouth of the underworld, according to the locals
For centuries the people of the Lot plateau kept away from the great hole at Padirac — 35 metres across, 75 metres straight down, and, they said, dug by the Devil. In 1889 the speleologist Édouard-Alfred Martel roped down it, found a river at the bottom and followed it into the dark. Today a lift takes you 103 metres below ground, and boatmen pole you along the same river under vaults 90 metres high.
Discover the chasm
Where would you like to start?
History & Architecture
From a Celtic hillfort to a royal seat, a burnt-out ruin and back again — and the Slovak National Museum’s history collections inside today.
Visitor Info
Tours, seasonal opening hours, tickets and accessibility — everything you need before you arrive.
Bookings
Choose a tour and reserve your date and time online in a couple of minutes.
Find & Navigate
The castle on the map, with directions for your visit.
The river
Where the boatmen take over
After the descent and a walk along the gallery, you step into a flat boat and a boatman poles you 500 metres along the underground river, past the Lac de la Pluie with its 60-metre 'Grande Pendeloque' stalactite. The water is so clear the boat seems to float on nothing.
What visitors say
Loved by travellers from around the world
Incredible natural beauty — you descend 103 m, part on foot with the audio guide and part on the river with a boatman full of anecdotes. Booking ahead was essential in August.
The brave can take the 172 steps down; we took the lift and walked up. The scale of the Grand Dôme is impossible to photograph. Bring a jumper, it's cold.
A must for the whole family. The children's audio guide kept ours busy, and the boatmen were wonderful. Combine it with Rocamadour, 20 minutes away.