Practical Information Before Visiting Aven Forestière Cave
2026 SEASON open on public holidays
Hours & opening days
2026 cave visit rates
0 to 5 years old
Cave entry free. Game access included. (See included games)
6 to 14 years old
8 euros Cave entry.
Free "Mystery Expedition" + complimentary stone.
Free game access
(see free games)
15 to 108 years old
12 euros Cave entry. Game access included (see included games)
Students, disability benefits...
11 euros Cave entry. Game access included (see included games)
A visit concept without a guide and without reservation that helps us keep entry prices down
while also reflecting our family's deliberate choice: to keep things simple, honest, and accessible.
Some useful info before you come see us
Your cave ticket includes:
Access to the self-guided cave tour.
Professional caving headlamp rental starting at age 3.
Access to mini-golf, go-karts, treehouse village, play areas, relaxation zones, and picnic areas.
Also included: a free "Mystery Expedition" booklet for ages 6-14.
Free souvenir stone for ages 6-14.
What payment methods do you accept?
Credit card, Cash, (Paper meal vouchers). No personal checks.
But also: Louis XV dinnerware, a lock of Trump's hair (or his scalp), latest model Tesla, and Lindt gold bars. An Aladdin's lamp with a genie and three wishes.
For diamonds, please bring a qualified, healthy jeweler on-site to certify the stones' value.
Opening hours*, cave access closes 1 hour 15 minutes before site closing:
All Saints' Holiday 2026: Check back two weeks before for opening details.
Open all public holidays during season.
Important: the site closes its doors at the appointed time, these are site closing times, not times for the last tour.
Last descent into the cave 1 hour 15 minutes before site closing time. 5:15 PM in July and August for visits with closure at 6:30 PM.
We want visitors to enjoy at least an hour in the cavern, and by arriving 1 hour 15 minutes before closing, we can give you explanations and let you use the restrooms before descending. At 6:30 PM the entire site closes, but we can leave you the putters for mini-golf. All other games and activities will be closed when you exit the cave.
However, we invite you to come back the next day or a few days later to go back down into the cave and enjoy the activities.
How do you get to the cave? Warning: GPS data can be outdated.
On horseback—ouch, your backside will hurt; by pony—worse; by bike—why not; by motorcycle—pretty cool; by car—depends on the model; by hang glider—don't even try.
.Rest assured, getting here is easy: Unless you're coming from Barjac, because some roads have changed direction (town council decision), which creates problems with GPS that can't update despite our repeated requests...
Coming from Barjac heading toward Orgnac l'Aven (the village), regardless of what your GPS says continue on D317 until you reach the village of Orgnac, then at the intersection in the village, turn left and follow D217 toward Vallon Pont d'Arc and Labastide de Virac. In any case, we're on planet Earth, so worst case scenario, you drive around the world and you should end up back on the same road to try again...
Coming from Vallon Pont d'Arc, normally everything's fine, yes it's all good thanks, and you?
These issues are reported to us by some visitors coming only via the Barjac road. In any case if your GPS suggests you take a dirt road, don't do itthere's pavement all the way to the cave.
Do Ardèche farmers accept credit cards?
Of course they do! But watch out! Don't hesitate to check if there's a message on this page indicating a total outage. We have two internet systems and we're glad we do, because Orange is down again right now—and this is the fourth time since January 2026 that we've had to get it fixed. The overhead cabling (that wire strung between the poles) for Orange's phone and internet service (fiber here is only for transit, unfortunately) is what our internet depends on, and therefore our payment system as explained above. It can malfunction, and there's almost no 4G network for mobile payments. But don't panic—don't let that stop you from visiting! There are techniques involving standing on one leg with your arm in the air while singing "a little drink now and then is pleasant" to get the signal through. (Avoid this technique on stormy days!)
Play it safe and bring at least two payment methods. The nearest bank is a 40-minute round trip away. Don't hesitate to check the websites of other tourist attractions within a 10 km radius, because the problem often extends across the entire municipality—our infrastructure is basically from the Stone Age. (See the film Grrr! For more info, call Pierre or Pierre, and if Pierre doesn't answer, don't hesitate to call Pierre, or in case of emergency, Blonde Pierre!)
We had five months of downtime last winter, and another month just three days after the technicians finished their work. All because someone stole 800 meters of telephone cables—and the second time, 520 meters. They're stripping our cables! We're not eligible for fiber either.
Do you think the Gueux will mind if we bring our own picnic?
Well no, quite the opposite! The Gueux actually bought about ten picnic tables for everyone's comfort. That said, they'd love for you to come taste the good local wine and beer—they're exceptional. And for dessert, our little treat awaits you.
For the past 10 years, the communes in Ardèche have centralized waste collection right at the entrance to villages and towns. As a result, we manage our snack bar's waste with our own vehicle, but not picnic waste—we just don't have room in our truck. We know babies are prolific waste producers of all kinds, and we'd rather not transport diapers and other such delights.
Mmmmh, that beautiful Ardèche lavender smell!!!
Good things to know for your general knowledge
We do everything we can to welcome you with joy and goodwill. We work tirelessly, but don't hesitate to share your feedback with us, and we'd rather refund your entrance fees than receive ratings below five stars on Google, because it punishes us severely by losing our hard-won search ranking. So if we treat you badly, fine, but if that's not the case, don't take revenge just because you couldn't visit properly—that's really not cool.
What should we do when we arrive at the site?
If you want to visit right away upon arrival, the whole family must go to the reception with jackets (we provide them) to receive visiting instructions. However, if you want to play before visiting or have a picnic, please give us a quick heads-up before settling in or picking up golf putters.
Where should we go for the cave tour?
To visit the cave, the entire family or group must present themselves at reception at the same time when everyone is ready to descend. You pay for cave entry only when you go down; if you play beforehand, even at mini-golf, we won't charge entry at that time. I repeat, you pay when you all go down together. We need to give explanations and advice to make your visit as interesting as possible, and we don't let a third party relay the explanations, because the Ardèche telephone game ends up distorting them. Plus, each person will be provided with a professional headlamp for the visit (from age 3 onwards).
What if your mother-in-law showed up?
You're stuck with her, you won't have any other choice but to visit with her, but good news is the cave might help you get rid of her easily. However, if you want to keep her alive, we have a yearly package with meals and accommodation plus a daily outing. Because honestly, a mother-in-law is extra love for the grandkids, a super nanny with Grandpa, and she's someone with life experience who might be good advice... We need to save mothers-in-law; with climate change, we're recording a significant decline in their existence, and with fewer marriages in recent years, they're in dangerous danger of extinction. It's a protected species, please respect it.
The door says: "Never without my dog."
Well yes, dogs are definitely welcome as long as they're leashed—we really do love them. But I do have to voice a complaint: we're gracious enough to accept other people's dogs at the expense of our own four dogs (three now, since we said goodbye to one recently), who end up locked inside all day because they can't be here at the same time as visitors' dogs—and that would be cruel to them. Even though we make the effort to welcome other people's pets, many owners let their dogs pee at the entrance on the walls of our reception area or right in the cave itself, which leaves a smell and forces us to clean every evening. It's because of people like this that dogs will eventually be banned here like everywhere else!
In summer, it's forbidden to leave your dog in the car, even for five minutes. We will file a complaint for any animal cruelty. Finally, we'll turn you into dog food that we'll distribute to the local animal shelter. In 2025, a young adult left his two Australian Shepherds (who were afraid to go down into the cave) in the car in direct sunlight; if ten minutes later I hadn't gone to check on the car and the dogs, because the young man had assured me they were in the shade with the car open, they both would have died!!! In 20 minutes it reaches 60 degrees in the car... It only takes about thirty minutes for a dog to suffocate and die in excruciating pain. The dogs were locked in the trunk...
Free parking is available right at the entrance.
Just remember that visiting Aven Grotte forestière requires no reservation. You show up and within no time, you'll be on the tour—except on the rarest of occasions during rainy days in July and August. We ask for your patience if it gets busy, because despite what some say about jobs being easy to find if you just look around or cross the street, work doesn't actually cross the street looking for people. France has a serious labor shortage with 450,000 open positions, often in hospitality or hand-whittling toothpick manufacturing. Still, 90% of the time, visitors access the cave in less than five minutes.
We actually advise against visiting a cave on a rainy day—it's far less enjoyable, especially since the games are no longer accessible and the mini-golf becomes Water-golf! The crystal hunters are accessible as they're sheltered.
A few reminders before we go...
Outside, everything is set up for you to feel happy and relaxed, whether as a couple or family with kids entertained and having fun. These activities are included with your cave entry.
12-hole mini-golf, about thirty wooden games, pedal-powered go-karts on a circuit, board games, giant pick-up sticks, tiny rope climbers, slackline, etc., boules court, balance bikes, scooters, balance games, etc.
Aven Forest Cave, a family-friendly, fun, peaceful, and welcoming place.
The siesta is an important activity in southern France, which is why hammocks and lounge chairs are available for those who appreciate the true values of vacation and life.
The place naturally and mysteriously carries an air of serenity (according to visitor testimonies) that makes people want to linger on the site for hours. We've witnessed families who arrive at opening time and leave at closing time. One family was even found in the hammocks one winter—they'd forgotten to head home to Lille.
Come discover what's new
Each year we install new comfortable structures and create new activities for adults and children. This year we created a "Mystery Expedition" for ages 6-14. This activity is free for them, and just because, we also give each child a stone.
This year the new comic strip-style panels are a huge hit, except for a few people allergic to artificial intelligence.
