Skip to content
ENITSign in

Toirano Caves

Prehistoric caves in the Ligurian hills, with 12,000-year-old human footprints and cave bear bones.

  • Toirano
  • Landmark
Plan your visitBuy tickets
Where
Toirano
Best for
Grotta della Bàsura
Allow
2 hours
Tickets
From €16
Checked September 2026

The Toirano caves are a prehistoric sanctuary in the hills of the Val Varatella, in the Ligurian back country. A guided visit runs through two connected caves, Grotta della Bàsura and Grotta di Santa Lucia Inferiore, along about 1,300 meters of path.

Here you meet stalactites, stalagmites and pearly mammillary formations, but the real draw is human. In the Sala dei Misteri, hand, foot and knee prints of Homo sapiens survive from more than 12,000 years ago, and another chamber holds cave bear bones some 30,000 years old, the ‘bear cemetery’. The temperature stays near 16 degrees with high humidity, so a light layer helps. Your ticket also covers the Ethnographic Museum of Val Varatella.

Five things worth finding

If you see nothing else, see these.

  1. The Corridor of Footprints

    Prints left in the clay floor by the first human visitors some 12,000 years ago, preserved exactly where they were made.Grotta della Bàsura

  2. The Hall of Mysteries

    The densest concentration of human traces: footprints, charcoal marks on the walls and clay balls stuck to the rock.Grotta della Bàsura

  3. The Bear Cemetery

    Thousands of cave bear bones, some 30,000 years old, scattered where the animals hibernated and died.Grotta della Bàsura

  4. The Cave of Cybele

    The last chamber, with distinctive pearly mammillary formations.The end of the Bàsura route

  5. The Hall of the Pantheon

    White coralloid walls and a column about eight meters high in the second cave, reached through a tunnel.Grotta di Santa Lucia Inferiore

Plan your visit

Everything you need before you go.

Tickets
From €16
Booking
Book ahead
Time needed
2 hours
Best time
Morning, or any day when you want a cool refuge from summer heat
Getting there
The caves are at Piazzale Grotte in Toirano, in the Val Varatella between Loano and Albenga. By car, take the A10 to the Borghetto Santo Spirito exit and follow signs to Toirano; there is parking near the entrance. By train, go to Loano station, then a local bus or taxi.
Accessibility
Not suitable for wheelchairs, strollers or people with severe mobility problems: the route has about 400 meters of stairs, some slippery.

Ages 5 to 18 pay €8 and under-5s enter free. The ticket includes the Toirano Ethnographic Museum and discounts at other Italian show caves and the Finale Ligure archaeological museum. Reservation is required. Last updated September 2026. Prices change, so check the official site before you go.

Book by phone or online, wear shoes with grip and bring a light jacket. The tour keeps to a set pace, so read up on the footprints before you go.

Official website
Get directionsGoogle MapsApple Maps

Before you book

How long should you spend at the Toirano caves?

About two hours. The guided walk covers around 1,300 meters through two connected caves, and your ticket also includes the Ethnographic Museum of the Val Varatella.

Do you need to book the Toirano caves?

The visit is guided and group-based, so booking ahead is wise in high season. The temperature stays around 16 degrees with high humidity, so bring a light layer.

Are the Toirano caves good for kids?

Yes, most families find them a good fit: the footprints and the bear bones are immediately engaging, and the path is about 1,300 meters on a guided route. The cool, damp air is the only thing to prepare for.

More to see nearby

Same city first, then the nearest across the region.

A letter from Italy, once a month.

The places, tables and makers we found worth your time. One email, no noise.

One letter a month. Unsubscribe at any time. We never share your address.

Help us get it right

What is it about?