10 Best Family Things to Do in Riccione

To amuse the kids with water rides and hosted pool activities, head to 

Beach Village is a waterpark on the seafront between Riccione and Miramare. As well as water slides, there are group dances and acquagym (aqua fitness) classes. It’s unique in that it’s joined to the beach. There are courts for beach tennis and beach volleyball as well as an Olympic and baby pool. 

For safety reasons, the water attractions are age-restricted. Take a break in the relaxation area or Cafè del Mare, offering snacks, buffets and full meals including Romagna specialities. Time to get moving again? Will it be spinning, a tone up session or fit boxe(boxing fitness)? Or maybe it's time to brave the spirals of Kamikaze Toboggan?

Riccione has a few waterparks where you can spend a whole day splashing in pools and zooming down a variety of slides. The most popular waterpark is Aquafan, which has over a dozen slides and attractions. The slides are categorised by difficulty levels, with the Kamikaze racetrack, Fiume Rapido, the Twist and the Speedriul offering the best adrenaline rushes. Of course, there’s plenty of milder rides for kids, such as the Junior Beach with its sandy pool. Full tickets are around €30 and entry’s free for kids under a metre tall. Expect long queues at the most popular slides during the summer – simply hit the Wave Pool, which is no less fun.

Pool swimming is a fun, invigorating activity, even during a beach holiday. It's an opportunity to teach the kids some techniques for when they're splashing through the waves, or a great way to have fun on a rainy day. Stadio del Nuoto (Swimming Stadium) offers activities for young and old, children and parents. Just had a baby? We recommend a acquaticità neonatale (baby aquatics) class, where 3-month-olds and up learn to float, retrieve objects and do short free dives. 

Children up to 17 can take private swimming lessons, and adults can have a go at aqua spinning. If you're more of a walker, there's also an unusual underwater treadmill, great for increasing aerobic endurance without straining your joints.

No trip to Riccione is complete without a round of mini golf. Riccione's golf course is near both the centre and the beach. What makes it special is it's also a botanical garden, adorned with rocks, streams, waterfalls, lakes and bridges. You'll feel just like the explorer Indiana Jones. At Indiana Golf, you can try your hand at 2 courses with 18 holes, a simpler one and a challenging one. 

Children will be provided with a special, small golf club. If you want to relax while the rest of the family challenge each other on the green, have a drink under the cafe gazebo. And if you're lucky enough to come on your birthday, you can play for free.

iKart is an indoor go-karting track in Rimini that's spread across 2 floors of thrilling excitement. The whole family can enjoy racing action here without getting mucky, even on a rainy day. The iKart circuit covers 630 metres including inclines, descents and hairpin bends, and the vehicles are electric. 

Children over 130 cm can get behind the wheel, while smaller children can watch their friends, brothers and sisters drive around from the screen in the cafe area. The go-karts have been designed to make the driving experience more pleasant and improve grip. Little drivers' turns are controlled, and their speed can be reduced or increased via remote control, according to their ability. 

Discover Parco della Resistenza (Resistance Park) with your children, one of Riccione's best-known green spaces. It contains an artificial pond, with the earth dug up for the basin forming the surrounding little hills. It's a pleasant, peaceful environment with a small bridge, dam and numerous aquatic plants. The diverse vegetation includes oaks, maritime pines, elms, linden trees, cedars and some less common trees to the area, like redwoods. There are also small sports fields and play parks. 

The area with rides for young children is particularly notable as it's also suitable for children who are partially sighted or have reduced mobility. Accessible ramps substitute steps and rotating structures. There's also a curious wooden house among the trees with slides and bridges, including a swinging bridge.

Cetacean Foundation Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Centre allows you to witness a moving moment when sea turtles are released to their natural habitat. It's organised by Fondazione Cetacea (Cetacean Foundation), a rehabilitation and rescue centre for endangered marine life. Since it opened in 1988, the Foundation has cared for and released over 500 turtles. 

They’re released at Spiaggia delle Due Sorelle (Beach of the Two Sisters) in Parco del Conero (Conero Park), to avoid them being disturbed by swimmers. The transportation ferry also takes passengers, so they too can treasure this profound moment. Funds are reinvested into protecting marine life, including whales and sharks. You can help the centre by adopting a turtle. A small donation contributes to their care, and you'll receive a certificate and photo.

When you don’t fancy splashing about at Aquafan waterpark, consider taking the family for an educational time out at Otremare Marine Park next door. Its main centrepiece is the dolphin lagoon, which is considered among Europe’s largest. Dolphin shows are held daily, and there are also exhibits such as the Dolphin’s Voice, where you can learn more about their intelligence and unique echolocation abilities. Other animal attractions include land mammals and marsupials. It also has a kids’ playground. Tickets are around €21 and entry’s free for kids under a metre tall.

Kids who enjoy rollerskating and skateboarding can practise in Riccione's open-air and indoor rinks. If your family's new to the sport and you don't have equipment, you can rent everything you need. Pista Giardini rink is near the beach and Viale Ceccarini, and is a large, rectangular space equipped with a sound system. You can practise figure and freestyle skating here during the summer. Being in an easily reachable central location makes it a popular spot for tourists. 

If you'd prefer a covered space, head to Pattinodromo, a modern building to the west of the city. Tensostruttura Bianca, a multi-purpose space that also hosts skating activities, is also nearby, behind the Stadio del Nuoto (Swimming Stadium).