The Toirano Caves are two connected caves, the Bàsura and Santa Lucia Inferiore, which you can visit only on a guided tour with a compulsory booking. Inside you will see the footprints of a group of five people from about 14,400 years ago and a large deposit of cave bear bones. The temperature is about 16 °C all year round and the tour lasts about 70 minutes. The village of Toirano is about 1 km away, and 3–4 km from the sea at Borghetto Santo Spirito and Loano.
By Italian Riviera editorial team·Updated on ·6 min read
What you see on the tour
You enter through the Grotta della Bàsura and leave through the Grotta Inferiore di Santa Lucia, joined by a tunnel completed on 9 July 1967. The route is one-way. The caves have been open to the public since 1 January 1953: some young men from Toirano explored them to the end on 28 May 1950 and came back with cave bear bones.
The Corridor of the Footprints
This is the stop that made the caves famous. Hundreds of prints, including hands and knees, date back to about 14,400 years ago and are attributed to five people: two adults and three children, the youngest under 4 years old and about 87 cm tall. The group walked along the wall with pine torches. The municipality presents them as the first crawling walk in the world fossil record. In the nearby Hall of Mysteries you can see charcoal marks and handprints of the three children.
The Bear Cemetery
About 400 m from the entrance you reach the Bear Cemetery: bones of cave bears (Ursus spelaeus) carried here by ancient floods. The bear used the cave for hibernation between about 50,000 and 24,000 years ago. At least 139 individuals have been counted in the upper level, dead of natural causes. The municipality describes it as one of the largest deposits open to visitors in Europe.
The Antro di Cibele and Santa Lucia Inferiore
The last stretch crosses the caves with limestone formations: stalactites, stalagmites and columns. Here, since 2011, the traditional-method sparkling wines Bàsura Obscura, Riunda and Rosa have also been aged, made with the Azienda Durin of Ortovero. Tastings in the cave are not confirmed for 2026: do not count on them.
The Prehistoric Museum
Next to the ticket office is the Val Varatella Prehistoric Museum «Nino Lamboglia», with finds from the Palaeolithic, the Neolithic and the Roman age from the area. It is open when the caves are open.
Opening hours and booking
The official website currently publishes the hours for October and November: open Wednesday to Sunday, 9:00–12:30 and 14:00–16:30, closed Monday and Tuesday. We could not find the hours for the other months on the municipality’s website: check the up-to-date calendar on the official website of the caves before you go, especially for Christmas, New Year and summer.
Without a booking, entry is not guaranteed. Book on the official website or call +39 0182 98062 or +39 0182 989938; the municipality does not accept bookings by email. Telephone information is given Wednesday to Sunday, 9:00–12:30 and 14:00–16:30.
With an orange or red weather alert the caves close, and they may also close in strong wind or persistent rain: check the news on the website.
Prices
Ticket
Price
Adult
16 €
Ages 5–18
8 €
Families with more than one child aged 5–14
6 € per child
Booked adult groups (min. 20)
13 €
Children up to 5, Toirano residents, Disability Card
Free
The ticket includes the Ethnographic Museum and gives a discount at the other Italian show caves in the AGTI network and at the Archaeological Museum of Finale, in Finalborgo. University students up to 24 pay 8 € with a student card and ID.
Practical tips
Shoes: closed, with a rubber sole (trainers or hiking shoes). Flip-flops, slippers, crocs, open-toe sandals, heels and leather soles are not allowed; the guide can refuse entry.
On foot from the car park: the climb to the Bàsura is about 300 m with an average gradient of 18%, with short steeper stretches. At the exit you walk down about 400 m to the car park.
Steps: about 400 up and down along the route.
Cold and damp: about 16 °C even in summer. Bring a sweater.
Photos: allowed without flash, staying on the path and with the group.
Rules: do not touch the formations, do not leave the group, do not eat or smoke.
Pets: only small ones, in a carrier or in your arms.
Children: the caves are open to visitors of any age; with little ones consider the climb, the steps and the 70 minutes of the tour.
How to get there
By car: leave the A10 at Borghetto Santo Spirito and follow the provincial road to Toirano (3 km). The caves are about 1 km beyond the village. The square has a large free, unattended car park, with public toilets and picnic tables. From Genoa it is about 70 km.
Without a car: Toirano has no railway station. Get off at Loano and continue by bus: line 81 of TPL Linea connects Pietra Ligure, Loano and Borghetto with the cave car park. Check times and runs on tpllinea.it, because we do not have a confirmed timetable. There is also a taxi service in Loano.
What to see nearby
After the caves, go down to the village: medieval Toirano has narrow lanes, small arches and the Val Varatella Ethnographic Museum in Palazzo D’Aste – Del Carretto, in piazza Libertà. The museum has eighteen sections and free visiting; according to the municipality it is open every day except Tuesday, 10:00–13:00 and 15:00–18:00, but check the seasonal hours. The cave ticket includes it, while the Piano Nobile costs 2 € separately. Between December and January there is the Nativity Trail: read our article on the Toirano nativity scenes.
The adult ticket costs 16 €, ages 5 to 18 pay 8 €. Children up to 5 enter free. The ticket includes the Ethnographic Museum.
Do I need to book?
Yes, booking is compulsory and without it entry is not guaranteed. Book on the official website or by phone on +39 0182 98062 or +39 0182 989938; the municipality does not accept emails.
How long does the tour last?
About 70 minutes, with a guide. Add time for the walk up from the car park and the walk down at the exit.
What is the temperature inside?
About 16 °C in summer and winter, with very high humidity. You need a sweater even in August.
Are the caves open on Monday and Tuesday?
Not in October and November: they are closed on Monday and Tuesday. For the other months we have no calendar confirmed by the municipality: check it on the official website.
Can I visit with a pushchair or wheelchair?
The municipality says the route is not suitable for people with severe psycho-motor disabilities. There are about 400 steps and a walk up from the car park: for specific cases, phone first.
How do I get there without a car?
By train to Loano, then by bus line 81 of TPL Linea to the cave car park, or by taxi. Check the times on tpllinea.it.
Where to stay
Where to stay in Loano
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