Gouffre de Padirac The Lot

Discovered in 1889, the spectacular Gouffre de Padirac features some of France’s spangliest underground caverns. The cave’s navigable river, 103m below ground level, is reached through a 75m-deep, 33m-wide chasm. Boat pilots ferry visitors along 1km of subterranean waterways, visiting a series of glorious floodlit caverns, including the soaring Salle de Grand Dôme and the Lac des Grands Gours, a 27m-wide subterranean lake. You can book online – except for same-day tickets, which must be purchased at the cave. The caverns are 15km northeast of Rocamadour.