Audrix: Crystal Cave, Fortified Tower and Walking Trails

Audrix brings together an impressive cave landscape, historic buildings and trails through the Périgord countryside. It also offers cultural activities and seasonal options such as the outdoor swimming pool and the Saturday “tablées gourmandes”. When planning your trip, you can focus on what interests you most: a cave visit, history, a hike or summer activities.

Gouffre de Proumeyssac: Cave and Visitor Information

The Gouffre de Proumeyssac is located within the municipality of Audrix, is known as the “Cathédrale de cristal” and is the largest developed cave in the Périgord. A one-hour guided tour takes you through a cave covered in crystal formations. Modern lighting and music shape the presentation. A descent in a gondola is also available; it rotates 360 degrees and holds a maximum of eleven people.

For wheelchair users, a gently sloping tunnel leads to a viewing balcony. Audio guides and booklets with Braille and tactile drawings support the visit. This information applies to the tunnel route, the balcony and the accessibility aids listed. If you plan to use the gondola or tunnel specifically, check the latest visitor information before your visit.

Church, History and Cultural Activities

The Église Saint-Pierre was fortified during the Hundred Years’ War. Its polygonal defensive tower dates from the 14th century and has loopholes. Another stop for exploring church history is along the Boucle du Bourg d’Audrix: the route leads to Audrix’s Romanesque church. It dates from the 12th century and was altered in the 14th century. This makes it possible to explore the churches’ history through specific architectural features and different building phases.

Ludodrix displays a collection of games, toys and children’s books dating from 1830 to the beginning of the 21st century, and offers themed activities and exhibitions. Morescarole offers workshops on medieval dances, conferences, medieval balls, dance events and performances. If a particular event is essential to your trip, check its date.

Walking Trails and Landscape

The Boucle de la Mélonie is 5.8 kilometres long, rated easy and signposted. It is designated for hiking, horse riding and mountain biking; the stated walking time is about one hour and 50 minutes. The route includes a viewpoint towards Le Bugue. It also leaves the road and follows a forest track towards Gravard. The distance, approximate walking time and designated activities give you specific information for planning this route.

A different route description concerns the Boucle des Combes: it starts at the municipal swimming pool car park, passes the church and then reaches the Route de Proumeyssac. The Boucle du Bourg d’Audrix, in turn, leads to the Romanesque church. These listed waypoints help distinguish the routes described; no walking time or distance is provided for these two descriptions.

Landscape conservation is also part of the municipality’s character. Audrix contains a Natura 2000 area protecting fauna and flora in a limestone landscape. The protected ocellated lizard and grass snake may also be found in the surrounding area. These are possible sightings, not guaranteed encounters.

Seasonal Activities and Local Produce

The Piscine municipale d’Audrix is an outdoor swimming pool open during the summer season. Facilities include a large swimming pool, a smaller children’s pool and a grassy sunbathing area. Its seasonal availability is important when planning, especially if swimming is to be a regular part of your stay.

At the “tablées gourmandes”, held on Saturdays in July and August, visitors can discover and sample local produce. Exact dates may vary from year to year, so check the dates if you plan to attend a tasting. Along with the walking trails, churches and the Gouffre, these activities give you different ways to shape your trip to suit your interests.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Boisseuilh, Saint-Just, Sarlat-La-Canéda, Augignac, Lalinde, Puyrenier, Fraisse, Issigeac.

For the main travel overview: Dordogne.