ANIMATION
SOUNDS & LIGHTS
A permanent appointment at the Temple of Angkor!
DINOSAURS
CORNER
Family walk to do before or after visiting the Caves.
DON'T FORGET TRAIN AND BUS!
Enjoy a ticket for just 1 € from Perpignan.
VILLEFRANCHE-DE-CONFLENT
City classified as World Heritage by UNESCO.
CUTTING PLAN OF THE VISIT
RATES AND TIMETABLES
Timetables
* Last entry at the cash desk, Visit without reservation.
From April 1 to June 30: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last entry).
From July 1 to August 31: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (last entry).
From October 1 to the end of the All Saints holidays : 11am to 4pm (last entry).
Other periods : farm
Prices
Adults: 12 € Children : 6 € (from 5 to 12 years old included).
SELF AUTONOMY VISIT
Guided visit by your own cellphone, on your rythme and on your language.
• Flash the QR code upon your arrival and Log in the Cave wifi network « grotte des canalettes ».
• For everybody’s tranquility make sure to use your headphone.
• Enjoy your exploration!
THE UNDERGROUND VERSAILLES OF THE PYRENEES
The Grotte des Canalettes is a private family site. It is located at the foot of the Canigou Massif, 300 meters from the Medieval City fortified by Vauban: Villefranche-de-Conflent, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It is made up of two parts, the Galerie des Deux Porches which leads to the White Room and the Angkor Network. Stalactites, stalagmites, gours, columns, draperies, pillars...
• The White Room contains all the types of concretions found underground.
• The Angkor network includes: the Nave, the Lac aux Atolls, the Temple of Angkor and the Salle du Dôme Rouge.
• The Temple of Angkor is reminiscent of a Khmer temple in the Cambodian forest. This huge room, with its tormented decor, is full of twisted stone columns, stalagmitic flows with sparkling drapes…
Its exceptional structure could have inspired the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí! You can admire the Catalan Column, the Sagrada Familia, the Tomb of Martel, the Hanging Glacier and the Gouffre.
The Grotto is revealed as the visit progresses and offers you an uninterrupted series of natural buildings with unusual and gigantic volumes which will lead you to the magnificent belvedere of the Balcon des Ténèbres.
THE INVENTOR
Story of a project, a success
The development of the Grandes Canalettes cave is the work of a lifetime, that of Mr. Edmond Delonca, owner of the site from 1981 to 2013.
It was in 1984 that the cave was inaugurated after colossal works...
The entrance hall is carved with explosives and jackhammers and tons of sand extracted. Accessibility to the different rooms is facilitated by a track, platforms, handrails, galvanized and non-slip steel stairs are welded along the 1 km long route (round trip). All the material is transported on the back of a man, because no machine can invite itself to the party.
“Do not modify or denature a major natural site and offer maximum safety and comfort to the public barn” such were the wishes of its designer.
Edmond Delonca left us prematurely one day in December 2013.
Thierry Delory
USEFUL INFORMATIONS
How to come to the Grotto?
Access by bus and by train only €1 from Perpignan.
By car, by RN 116, direction Andorra to Villefranche-de-Conflent.
• Average length of visit: 1 hour
• 14° bring a sweater!
• No stroller access
• No wheelchair access
• Our animal friends carried in a bag only
• On site free private parking for our customers
