Rouffignac - I know you can book a time in advance, but is it needed?

Unless it's changed Rouffignac is the one you can't, and don't need to have, reserved in advance.

thank you.
"yes, it has changed. you can reserve"

I'm assuming that it won't be too busy. We will be there in just weeks!

If there's a chance of it being busy, now that they do reservations, I could commit. But I'm concerned w/ jet-lag.

We land in Bordeaux and drive to Sarlat - arriving late --- and have reserved an afternoon English tour at Lascaux IV - hoping we're cogent enough by then to enjoy the museum and "cave".

IF your wife has claustrophobia, I recommend against Gouffre De Padirac. I am claustrophobic and did not do my due diligence on this venue. I didn't realize you had to be poled in tippy little boats in low ceiling'd waterways to get to the big cave area. As soon as I got to the bigger cave area I knew I needed to get out. I was with a Road Scholar group and just told the leader I needed to get back outside and I would meet them at the top. Two in our group stayed outside at the top and I should have inquired more closely about why. Lesson learned.

On the other hand, Rouffignac, Pech Merle and Lascaux IV did not bother me in the least. I have not been to Font-du-Gaume.

You can book in advance for the Rouffignac Cave, it's not mandatory but recommended. There are only 30 visitors per tour session and there are currently Easter school holidays.
Also note that due to these holidays there may be quite a bit of traffic on weekends, particularly on the Bordeaux ring road.

Especially since there's a new feature this year (since April 9th) that could attract more visitors: two replicas of never-before-seen paintings. These are reproductions of paintings located on walls in areas inaccessible to visitors, they depict drawings of mammoths, bison, and even a face.

Tickets:

https://rouffignac.ats-sarlat.com/cgi-bin/ProgATS/eCommerce?licence=24GRO_ROUFFIG0

Thank you Pam

Was the sink-hole bad - in itself? i.e. could my wife stay at the sink-hole and view it and wait for me ... exiting when she wants to?

We stream the service MHzChoice. It only does European TV shows and movies. We watch with subtitles. We watched all of the "Murder in ...." (where each episode centers around a murder at a different location in the county). In the first season, there's a murder in this sink-hole / chasm and I exclaimed "I want to got there! (the entire first season or two had a lot of touristy locations and is the reason we chose to go to this region on this trip.) The episode gave no indication of the underground river !! We only found that out when we started planning the trip. I'll show my wife your comments.

thanks

Thank you JoLui

I've often accompanied people to visit theGouffre de Padirac, from 5 to 70 years old, and probably a few people who are usually clautrophobic. I've never seen anyone turn back (perhaps they didn't dare).

However, be sure to wear sturdy shoes; the ground is slippery and there are quite a few metal stairs.

And, of course, bring warm clothing. As in all authentic caves, the temperature is 13°C (55°F) regardless of the time of day or year.

The weather forecast for the next 10 days predicts some rain and overcast skies. But that could change between now and then (for the better, I hope... it's quite cold and rainy right now).

"Was the sink-hole bad - in itself?"

Well, what I think of as the actual sink-hole part (with the open to the air top) is where the elevator shaft and stairs go down. Then at the bottom you walk a little way and line up for the boats to take you deeper into the cave area. There is no real area to wait down there except the line up for the boats so if she doesn't want to go in the cave, it's better to stay up top.

Here is a link to a google map photo of the interior of the sink hole showing the elevator shaft and the ramp down to stairs.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/hhupJdgafV4JYUgB6

Here is a google view of the top of the sinkhole. You can see there are a number of buildings there and a cafe.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/iCsVLG7iDoQLpF7R9

I'm only giving my experience as someone who is uncomfortable in some closed spaces.

Am I reading you correctly? Is your Lascaux visit the day you arrive in Sarlat, or the next day? If the day you arrive (Bordeaux to Sarlat), then you would be wise to change that date. If the next day, you should be fine. Also, is your arrival in Bordeaux after a plane change at CDG from the US? I would rethink driving for 3-4 hours from Bordeaux to Sarlat on arrival day if you have just flown from the US. It would be unwise unless you sleep well on overnight flights.

Judy
It will be an adventure :-)

I've done this type of trip before. But I'm always aging, so we'll see how it goes.

Bonne chance! Amusez-vous bien!

We have done Rouffignac twice and each time just walked up and were able to take the next ride in. Note they also have the coolest t-shirts of any attraction.

the hard one to book is Font de Gaume and their process changes all the time so you have to be on top of that -- whether to arrive at the crack of dawn to line up or to book reserved slots.