The Frasassi Caves are karst caves located within the Gola della Rossa e di Frasassi Regional Natural Park in the municipality of Genga, in the province of Ancona.
Since we visited the Postojna Caves on our trip that touched on Slovenia and Hungary, we discovered ourselves passionate about this underground “world” and began researching other caves that could be visited with our daughters therefore suitable for children.
At first glance, the caves might all seem the same so visit one, visit them all; in fact, each one has its own very specific peculiarities that can be discovered only by entering inside and listening to the explanation of the guides who are always well prepared!
The Borgio Verezzi Caves, for example, are characterized by a multitude of colors that have earned them the title of “Italy’s most colorful caves.”
Grotta del Vento, on the other hand, is rather “intimate.”
The Frasassi Caves, on the contrary, are truly majestic: the first hall is so large that it could even contain the Duomo of Milan!
In this article you will find all the information you need to organize a visit to the Frasassi Caves with children.
Frasassi Caves entrance ticket: how much does it cost and how to buy it
Entrance tickets to Frasassi Caves can be purchased either on the day at the ticket office or online at the official website with a €1.00 presale fee.
The price is 18.00€ full, 15.00€ reduced*, 12.00€ children 6-14 years old, free under 6 years old.
*Military members of conscription or on actual permanent service, war and labor invalids – Speologists, CAI members, seniors over 65, university students, Journalists and Professors – Tourists with a used ticket from another AGTI member cave.
Visit to Frasassi Caves with children: discounts
The Frasassi Caves are part of the Irsapt Italian Caves circuit: if you have visited one of the participating caves in the current year, keep your ticket because you can get a €3.00 discount.
In case of online purchase, you select the reduced ticket – the one that costs 15,00€ – remembering to bring with you the ticket of the previously visited cave, which must be shown at the turnstiles.
After the visit, remember to keep the ticket, which will be valid again as a discount for a visit to another cave on the circuit.
Methods of access
The methods of access to the Frasassi Caves are as follows:
↪ on foot, leaving the car in one of the (few) parking lots around the entrance site;
↪ by shuttle, leaving the car in the large parking lot adjacent to the ticket office, which is a couple of kilometers from the entrance. In this case you need to arrive at least a quarter of an hour earlier.
Important information – If you have children under the age of 6 for whom admission is free, even having already purchased a ticket online for the paying members of the family, you cannot go directly to the entrance site but are MANDATORY to go to the infopoint – next to the ticket office – to pick up a paper ticket for the non-paying child.
To us it seemed like a big waste of time having placed the order online; in any case, the procedure is this because for the non-paying child you have to have the paper, the digital format is not enough.
The good news is that both parking and shuttle are free and the organization is great.
Route
From the turnstiles where you validate your ticket, to the actual entrance to the caves, you have to walk 200 meters, inside a man-made tunnel.
You arrive at a gate and the map that marks the beginning of the visit. From here the path that winds inside the caves, is 800 meters long (one way) and has 500 steps. The visit takes 1h30 minutes. You return on the same path.
The dripping of water on the rock over millions of years has created concretions – stalactites and stalagmites – of very different and sometimes curious shapes and sizes!
In fact, one can find concretions in the shape of “Camel,” “Dromedary,” “Bear,” “Slice of Lard,” and “Witches’ Castle,” just to name a few.
Inside the caves there are also ponds, due to water stagnation, and real wells as deep as 25 meters.
It should be known that no natural light penetrates inside the caves at any point: illumination is provided only by artificial lights that are white and cold so as not to change the temperature and consequently the habitat of the species living inside.
How long does it take to visit the Frasassi Caves?
The tour inside the caves takes 1h30 minutes, but if you plan to use the shuttle, count approximately 2h in total, taking into account that some delays may form during the day, especially on weekends.
How to dress inside the Frasassi Caves
There is a constant temperature of 14℃ inside the caves all year round, so a sweatshirt and/or jacket and long pants are recommended. Also recommend a comfortable pair of shoes (tennis shoes will suffice, not necessarily hiking boots).
Opening hours
The opening hours of the caves change depending on the time of year so it is best to check the official website first.
The closing days of the caves are December 4, December 25 and during the period from January 9 to January 30.
Tips
The advice is to buy the ticket online to avoid the queues at the ticket office.
Also, if possible, it would be better to make the first visit of the day because every twenty minutes a group leaves, and as you return on the same route as on the way out, you meet the other groups waiting for your visit. The hubbub and confusion lose some of the magic of the place.
Dogs are only allowed access via carrier.
For large dogs, three concrete boxes with a lockable grate are available at the ticket office parking lot.
Tips with children: stroller
The path inside the caves is suitable for younger children because the path is wide and non-slip.
You cannot go with a stroller because there are 500 steps along the path. A baby backpack or baby carrier is recommended.
Where to eat around the Frasassi Caves
Trattoria Hosteria Da Marianna – A 5-minute drive from Frasassi Caves, tasty trattoria with truly quality dishes.
Recommended the tagliere with cold cuts, the first courses with truffles and the tagliata with porcini mushrooms. Price quite high but in line with the quality offered.
Where to sleep near Frasassi Caves
Convenient for exploring the area and also for relaxing after visiting the caves, is definitely Hotel Le Grotte located in Genga a couple of kilometers away.
Swimming pool, spa, garden with games for children and excellent in-house restaurant. Recommended! – Book here.
What to do around Frasassi Caves
Definitely worth seeing near the Frasassi Caves is the Valadier Temple, the church in the rock.
You leave your car in the same parking lot as the Caves and take the shuttle bus to the beginning of the uphill path about 1 km long – also suitable for strollers – that leads to the Temple in a few minutes’ walk.
The ticket price is €6.00 full, €4.00 reduced, and again parking and shuttle service are included in the price.
About 20 minutes from Frasassi, on the other hand, is the very interesting Fabriano Paper Museum.
Just over an hour’s drive away is the Monti Sibillini National Park, which we visited in conjunction with the fantastic blooming of Castelluccio lentils.
An hour’s drive south, on the other hand, takes you to Assisi and Perugia. Here we point out the Città della Domenica wildlife amusement park, which if you are traveling with children is definitely not to be missed!
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