Saint-Marcel-d'Ardèche cave

Description

At the heart of the Ardèche Gorges, the Grotte Saint-Marcel will seduce you with the sheer size of its galleries and the richness of its concretions, including the spellbinding Gours waterfall, unique in Europe. Natural heritage site.
Small animals accepted, carried.

Listed as a National Heritage Site for its geological and archaeological interest, the Grotte Saint-Marcel - with its 64 km of networks - is one of the largest caves in France.
In 2025, it offers a new scenography for a more beautiful, more immersive and more poetic experience. Here, visitors are transported, like explorers, into an authentic universe, discovering the beauty of this exceptional environment and all it has to teach us about our history and our environment. The Saint-Marcel cave is also home to Europe's only waterfall of gours, its immense galleries, and its archaeological and multidisciplinary research programs, all in a particularly well-preserved setting.

Tours available:
Guided tour: For one hour, the guide will reveal the geological, human and animal history of the cave, magnified by its new scenography.

Family guided tour: the "Lucioles" lantern-lit walk.
The cave reveals itself to daring little explorers! In the dark, armed with your lantern and your courage, you'll experience the sensations of the cave's explorers and visitors nearly 200 years ago!
Epicurean tour: Visit the cave and taste local wines and products with a guide specialized in oenology (duration: 2h). In 2013, Grotte Saint-Marcel created the "Cave Naturelle des Gorges de l'Ardèche ®" - a space dedicated to aging wines located 80 m underground - and became the first wine tourism center in a natural cave. Tastings of AOC Côtes du Rhône / Côtes du Rhône Village wines and local produce.

Caving: Grotte Saint-Marcel in a different way!
Discover caving in the heart of the cave, a national natural heritage site. With family or friends, set off on an adventure in the footsteps of Robert DE JOLY (French speleologist) and Édouard-Alfred MARTEL (founder of modern speleology). We offer several half-day and full-day tours combining history, sport and culture.
Family Adventure (from age 5), Arche des Sensations or Labyrinthe du Réseau 2 (from age 10) and Exploration Souterraine (from age 12).

SpéléŒnologie®: Where caving meets oenology! A unique activity in France.
With a speleologist guide and a guide specialized in wine tasting, explore the galleries of Grotte Saint-Marcel and take the time to taste the most typical Ardèche wines in complete darkness: Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages and Côtes du Rhône Villages Saint-Andéol.

A little extra: Le sentier de la grosse pierre, a 2.8 km discovery trail that traces the fauna, flora and human occupation of the Gorges de l'Ardèche. A treasure hunt is organized to discover this trail in a fun way!