Grotte di Castellana
Puglia’s great underground spectacle, the Castellana Caves. A three-kilometre karst world of stalactites, vast chambers and, at the very end, the dazzling white alabaster of the Grotta Bianca. You enter through a sixty-metre chasm open to the sky, and barely a quarter of an hour from Alberobello.
Where are the Castellana Caves?
Just south of the town of Castellana Grotte, in the Metropolitan City of Bari, right at the gateway to the Valle d’Itria, about 40 minutes from Bari and a 15-20 minute drive from Alberobello or Polignano a Mare. It’s a sight, not a destination to sleep in, so almost everyone visits on a half-day from a valley or coast base. The cave system runs about 3.3 km and drops to 122 m, with the visitor route at about 70 m down; you’ll see them only with a guide.
What makes the caves extraordinary
The Grotte di Castellana are among the most spectacular show caves in Italy, a limestone world that began forming around 90 million years ago and lay unknown until the speleologist Franco Anelli first descended in 1938. The tour opens dramatically and saves its best for last: the further in you go, the more astonishing it gets, ending in the celebrated White Cave. Photography is allowed the whole way round, at the stops the guide calls and with non-professional kit: the one rule is not to slow the group down.
La Grave
You begin in a vast sixty-metre chasm open to the sky, sunlight streaming onto stalagmite towers, before the passages close in around you.
The Grotta Bianca
The "White Cave", lined with pure white alabaster, often called the most luminous cave in the world. It’s the jewel, and the reason to choose the full route.
Caverns & sculptures
Named chambers, the Black Cavern, the Madonna, the eccentric stalactites that defy gravity, drip-formed one millimetre per fifty years. A slow masterpiece.
Visiting the Grotte di Castellana
You can only enter on a guided tour: no wandering on your own, and there are two routes. The choice is simple: only the long one reaches the Grotta Bianca, and it’s worth it.
The two routes
The short route (~1 km, about 50 minutes) covers La Grave and the first chambers but does not reach the White Cave, fine with young children. The full route (~3 km, just under 2 hours) carries on to the Grotta Bianca and is the one to pick if you can. At the ticket office the full route costs €25 and the short one €22, or €22 and €19 for ages 6 to 14; under-5s go free on proof of age, and the family ticket for two adults and two children is €61, online only (prices from the official site, September 2026). Online sales close the day before your visit, so on the day itself you buy at the desk, and only while places last. Tours are multilingual outside the deep low season and the caves open all year, but the hours move with the season: check the official calendar before you set off.
What to wear & know
It’s between 14 and 18°C underground and humid, so bring a light layer even in August, and wear proper non-slip shoes: the paths can be wet and slippery, with stairs and uneven ground. Pushchairs cannot go in, but the ticket office lends baby carriers free of charge. Wheelchair users have a dedicated visit, booked in advance: a lift down into La Grave and about 400 metres to the Caverna della Fonte, around 90 minutes, for chairs up to 65 cm wide. The full route is not recommended in pregnancy, over 70, or with a heart condition. Try to avoid August, when crowds peak; spring and autumn are far calmer.
Guided tours & day trips
If you’re without a car, the easiest option is an organised half-day from Bari that bundles the entry and the driving, often paired with Alberobello’s trulli, just up the road.
Book a Castellana Caves tour
Live availability and prices via GetYourGuide, updated in real time.
Getting there
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The nearest airport is Bari, about an hour by car or less. For airports, transfers and the train, see getting to Puglia.
By car (easiest): about 40 minutes from Bari, and only 15-20 minutes from Alberobello, Polignano a Mare or Monopoli, so it slots neatly into a Valle d’Itria or coast day. There’s large paid parking by the entrance.
Without a car: the FSE railway stops right at Grotte di Castellana station on the Bari-Putignano-Martina Franca-Taranto line, a short walk from the caves. Otherwise an organised tour from Bari handles the logistics.
Combine it with
The caves are a half-day, and they sit in the busiest, prettiest corner of Puglia, so pair them with a trullo town or a cliff-top swim without much driving.
Alberobello
The famous trulli town, ~15 minutes away, the classic pairing for a half-day above and below ground. Alberobello guide
Polignano a Mare
Cliff-top old town and a swim at Lama Monachile, ~20 minutes by car. Cool off after the caves. Polignano guide
The Valle d’Itria
Locorotondo, Cisternino, Martina Franca, the white-town heart of the valley is all within half an hour. Best towns
Grotte di Castellana: FAQ
How much do tickets to the Castellana Caves cost?
At the ticket office the full three-kilometre route is €25 and the shorter one-kilometre route €22, dropping to €22 and €19 for ages 6 to 14. Children under 5 go free on proof of age, and a family ticket for two adults and two children aged 6 to 14 costs €61, sold online only. Online sales close the day before your visit, so if you turn up on the day you buy at the desk, and only while places on that tour last. Prices are from the official site, checked in September 2026.
Does the short route reach the Grotta Bianca?
No, and that is the thing to get right when you buy. The partial route covers one kilometre in about 50 minutes and turns back long before the White Cave; the full route runs three kilometres in about 100 minutes and ends there. The Grotta Bianca is the reason most people make the trip, so unless you are short of time or visiting with small children, take the full route.
Do I need to book the Castellana Caves in advance?
Booking is compulsory only for groups of more than 20, who write to the caves’ office. Everyone else can buy at the desk on the day, but tickets are sold only until each tour fills, so in July and August a morning slot can be gone by lunchtime. Buying online the day before adds a booking fee and gets you a digital ticket that works straight at the turnstiles: arrive 15 minutes before the time printed on it.
Can you take photos inside the Castellana Caves?
Yes, along the whole route, but only during the stops the guide calls and with non-professional equipment. What the rules forbid is holding the tour up to take pictures, and touching or breaking the formations. Smoking underground is not allowed either.
How long does a visit to the Castellana Caves take?
About 100 minutes underground on the full route and 50 on the partial one, plus the 15 minutes you are asked to arrive early. It stays between 14 and 18°C down there all year and it is humid, so bring a layer even in August, and wear flat non-slip shoes: the walkways are damp in places, with steps and uneven ground.
Are the Castellana Caves suitable for young children?
The short route is the one to pick with small children. Under-5s go free, pushchairs cannot go inside and the ticket office lends baby carriers at no charge, and there is a family ticket online for two adults and two children. What this is not is a quick in-and-out: even the partial tour means 50 minutes underground with no way to turn back early.
Can wheelchair users visit the Castellana Caves?
Yes, on a dedicated visit booked in advance. A lift takes the group down into La Grave and a specialist guide leads about 400 metres to the Caverna della Fonte, roughly 90 minutes in all, for wheelchairs up to 65 cm wide; the caves keep a small number of chairs of their own. The longer visit to the White Cave is possible as well, but it is three kilometres there and back and takes around three hours. Disability card holders get in free, with a reduced ticket for one companion.
Can you visit the Castellana Caves on a day trip from Bari?
Easily. The caves are about 40 minutes by car from Bari and 15 to 20 minutes from Alberobello, Polignano a Mare or Monopoli, which is why most people come for half a day and pair the caves with a trullo town or a swim. Parking is at the paid P1 lot by the entrance, and guided tours from Bari with transport run all season.
Where to base
You don’t stay at the caves. Base in the Valle d’Itria or along the coast and drop in for a morning. See where to base yourself in Puglia for the trade-offs between valley masserie and seaside towns.
Best time to go
Spring and autumn are ideal; avoid August, when most of the year’s visitors arrive at once. Book a timed slot and take the first tours of the day to beat the groups. Best time to visit Puglia
Related: Alberobello travel guide · Polignano a Mare · Best towns in Puglia · Things to do in Puglia · Plan your trip
I grew up in the province of Brindisi and spent 30 years in Puglia; the Salento coast is home water. Everything above is checked on the ground; when a place slips, it gets updated. More about who is behind this guide