The Taro flows into the Po near Gramignazzo, a frazione of the comune of Sissa, north of Parma.

The principal affluents of the Taro are the Ceno, Recchio and Stirone; others are the Gotra and Tarodine.

Both the Taro and the Ceno rise on Monte Penna, elevation 1,735 metres (5,692 ft), in the Apennine Mountains on the border between the provinces of Genoa and Parma.

In summer it can easily dry, while in rainy periods it can reach a discharge of 1,000 cubic metres per second (35,000 cu ft/s): this value can double on rare occasions, known as "centennial floods" (Italian: piene centennali), such as that of November 9, 1982.

The Val di Taro was of strategic importance during the Middle Ages, as it was traversed by the Via Francigena, the pilgrim route and main connection between Rome and France in that era.