Cave of the Madeleine

My golden retriever and I visited the Madeleine cave in the Ardèche Gorges in the spring. They accept dogs without any problem. Mine weighs 37 kilos.

When I inquired, I was simply told that he needed to be able to go up and down stairs. Since that was the case, I went ahead without asking any further questions… Reckless, you might say… Actually, that's what saved us.

Only metal stairs, and Francky normally avoids them carefully. When the first one appeared, the group was following each other in single file, and it was rather dark. I started up without pausing, and Francky followed me without stopping. I think he didn't really see and trusted me. In total, there were more than 300 steps to go up or down! He tackled them without complaint. Even the ones we could clearly see.

He's a very calm dog because he didn't even flinch during the sound and light show. But he was so happy to come out again, and I was extremely proud of him! The cave is really nice and therefore easily accessible with a dog, perhaps a smaller one to be on the safe side if you have to carry him up the steps…

You can also request a guided tour; it is of course also accessible to dogs.
 

Musher and Sophie: “If you would like more information on visiting a place with your dog, we invite you to read the article: Visiting a tourist site with your dog.