<< Grotte de Niaux near Tarascon on the Ariege. Paleolithic cave-paintings such as those at Altamira or Lascaux but still open to the public. A reservation is a must as they limit the number of visitors. We made it to the cave but didn't have a reservation and much to our chagrin couldn't get in. >>

I would 2nd this! It was terrific. There is a tiny museum nearby also. You can make the reservations on-line, I'm told under the Ariège site -- http://www.ariege.com/ -- If you're in the area, we stay at a wonderful tiny hotel in the Ariège in Aulus-les-Bains that we love -The owners are fantastic and its a lovely little village -- the name is: Hotel Oussailles -- tel: 05 61 96 03 68 -- There is much information on this site. We've also stayed in Mirpoix closer to Carcassonne --We spent our last night there one trip at a terrific small hotel, in this very romantic, picturesque very, very old town!!! Let me know if you need further info.