Human History: Northern Spain and Southwest France

Arrive in Madrid and take a walking tour of the city.
Gran Melia Fenix Hotel (D)

Journey to the Cantabria region and meet archaeologist and National Geographic grantee Dr. Ana
Cristina Pinto-Llona for an examination of the Atapuerca archaeological site, where the oldest known hominin fossil remains in Europe have been unearthed. Explore the Museum of Human Evolution in nearby Burgos, and see some of the oldest artistic representations in human history on a visit to the caves at Puente Viesgo. Explore Las Monedas Cave and Hornos de la Peña, then visit the Altamira Museum. Enjoy an evening at leisure in San Sebastián.
Parador de Gil Blas; Silken Amara Plaza (Days 2-3: B/L/D Daily; Day 4: B)

Cross into France en route to medieval Saint-Émilion,where we’ll tour the Monolithic Church and its catacombs. From our base camp in Montignac, set out with Christine Desdemaines-Hugon, an expert on Paleolithic art, for a guided tour of the National Museum of Prehistory. See the sculpted frieze of horses and bison carved into a cliff shelter at Cap Blanc, examine the polychrome paintings of Font-de-Gaume, and hear a talk given by our host.
Hostellerie La Roseraie (B/D)

Venture to Pech Merle, an enormous cave system filled with prehistoric art and artefacts dating back 25,000 years. See rare representations of human figures, engraved animals, and a mammoth drawn using the contours of the rock. Later, stroll the charming streets of medieval Saint-Cirq Lapopie and Sarlat-la-Canéda. Meet a local expert for a specially arranged visit to the International Centre for Cave Art, which houses Lascaux IV— the world’s most comprehensive re-creation of Lascaux and its famous paintings. Join archaeologist Isabelle Castanet at Castel-Merle, a complex of prehistoric stone shelters, then gather for a “prehistoric” meal made with ingredients once used by Neanderthals.
Hostellerie La Roseraie (Day 7: B/D; Day 8: B/L/D)

Explore Rouffignac Cave, known as the “cave of a hundred mammoths.” Continue to Bordeaux for a city tour and our farewell dinner. Fly home the next morning.
Hotel de Normandie (Day 9: B/L/D; Day 10: B)