Explore prehistory all year round at La Roque Saint Christophe

The 32-step monolithic staircase at La Roque Saint-Christophe is one of the
largest in Europe.

This post originally appeared on the Places & Faces blog for The Local Buzz.

The tourists crowds have returned home and the days are still sunny and mild. It's a perfect time to explore the prehistoric sites of the Périgord region. Having a teenaged houseguest inspires us, on one recent day, to head to La Roque Saint-Christophe, a site near Les-Eyzies in the Dordogne department.

Visitors walk along the rock shelter at La Roque Saint-Christophe. 

This UNESCO World Heritage site was inhabited by the "People of the Cliffs" thousands of years ago. In fact, humans lived in this rock shelter from prehistoric times through the Middle Ages until the Renaissance.

A model shows what La Roque Saint-Christophe looked like during the Middle Ages.  

Our drive to La Roque Saint-Christophe takes us through Les Eyzies in the direction of Montignac. Just as we approach Peyzac, we park in the free lot on the left side of the road and avail ourselves of the restrooms behind the snack bar. Across the road, we climb some steps (there's also a ramp, although visitors with disabilities may have some trouble negotiating the rocky paths of La Roque) and buy our tickets at the gift shop.

In addition to a walk through history, visitors to La Roque Saint-Christophe
can enjoy beautiful views over the Vézère river and valley.

We walk through along the cliff through the fort where I am distracted by the beautiful views of the valley below. The grand abri/Boulevard de l'Humanite stretches along the rock shelter for several hundred meters. A large screen shows a fascinating animated film that recreates the history of La Roque.

The cave's floors and ceilings were cut to form a church at La Roque Saint-Christophe. 

Our stroll takes us back through time, as the caves were transformed in the Middle Ages to a troglodyte fortress, then later into a medieval city. The British seized La Roque during the Hundred Years War and occupied it for five years. Some Protestants lived in the cliff houses during the Wars of Religion until finally being removed in 1588.

La Grue à balancier (the pendulum crane) allowed heavy loads to be lifted up
the side of the cliffs at La Roque Saint-Christophe.

Along the way, large signs (in French and English), provide insights into the lives of those who lived among the rock ledge.

A window at La Roque Saint-Christophe looks out over the Vézère river and valley.

Artifacts found at La Roque Saint-Christophe offer archaeologists insight
into life in prehistoric and medieval times.

A prehistoric scene at La Roque Saint-Christophe imagines what life
may have been like in 25,000 years ago.

It is no surprise that the site has yielded abundant archaeological treasures making La Roque Saint-Christophe a living book of Périgordian history.

Canoeists on the Vézère river catch my eye at La Roque Saint-Christophe.

We're ready for lunch after our hour-long visit to La Roque so we continue up the road to the plus beau village of Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère. In addition to a nice selection of restaurants, the town contains a lovely Romanesque church and is home to a fair number of artisans.

A bridge crosses the river in Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère.

This 12th-century Romanesque church in Saint-Léon-sur-
Vézère is listed as a historical monument.

Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère has a half-dozen restaurants offering everything
from traditional Périgordian fare to picnics-to-go.

I spied this half-mask window in Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère.

I spent time, and a little cash at this artisan shop in Saint-
Léon-sur-Vézère.

This pretty house in Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère illustrates why
the village is a popular destination in the Périgord region. 

Situated along the river, Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère attracts canoeists and kayakers.

This gargoyle seems to be strolling along the streets of
Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère.

La Roque Saint-Christophe is open every day, all year round, making it, along with Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère, an ideal destination for an autumn or winter outing.