Hotels in Cattolica, Italy. Hotel booking in Cattolica from ahotelinitaly.com

Cattolica is mainly about the beach of course, typically Italian style with sunbeds laid out in military rows, and for hire at a few euro a day. Uniform yes, but the upside is that they are scrupulously clean and rigorously policed by lifeguards. This is, in any case, a very benign stretch of water. Keen swimmers should check out the Olympic-sized pool on Via Don Minzoni. It also has a children's area. Italian seaside resorts are a pleasant surprise to British and American visitors as the restaurants actually serve decent food - you'll find plenty of good places to eat around the centre of town and the beach. And there is a market each Saturday, from around 7am.

You'll find plenty of boat trips from the harbour at Gabbice Marina, and there are electric buggies for hire to drive around the town, golf cart style - the children will love this. Check out the 'dancing fountains' on the front each night at 9.45. The street lights dim, and the waters play to the sound of classical music for around 15 minutes. The town squares also have a host of street performers, singers, jugglers and the like, which makes the evening 'passegiata' a fun family experience (don't even try to get the kids to bed early). You'll also find a number of local theme parks and the like, including the Aquarium in the town, Aquafan, Mirabilandia and Fiabilandia, Italia in Miniatura, Oltremare and an IMAX cinema. There are bus trips from the town to San Marino, Rimini and the nearby village of Gradara.

To the left you'll find a selection of Cattolica hotels, just to whet your appetite. See also Cattolica hotels (full listings) and our Cattolica hotel map.