Things to do in Catanzaro
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Catanzaro
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months. Warm sea from June, everything open, sane prices, and Settembre al Parco in September.
Beach season and festivals, but ridge heat, August crowds and prices, and Ferragosto closures on 15 August.
Green, mild and quiet for walking at Valli Cupe, Squillace and the Sila foothills, with a cold sea until May.
Worst for a first trip. Short wet days and a quiet Lido, offset by snow in the Sila and the lowest prices.
What's on
- Festa di San Vitaliano 14-16 July
The patron feast, with masses, the procession of the saint through the historic centre and street illuminations.
- Magna Graecia Film Festival late July to early August
First and second films festival by the sea, recently held in Soverato.
- Settembre al Parco September
Music, art and local tradition in the Parco della Biodiversità Mediterranea.
- Ferragosto 15 August
National holiday at peak beach season. Beaches at maximum, cities at minimum, prices at peak.
Best things to do in Catanzaro
Parco della Biodiversità Mediterranea
A huge Mediterranean garden park with trails, a pond, sculpture and a playground that locals treat as the city living room.
Museo e Parco Archeologico Nazionale di Scolacium
Greek, Roman and Norman ruins stacked in one olive grove, crowned by the vast roofless Norman basilica of the Roccella.
Complesso Monumentale di San Giovanni
The castle hill complex hosts the city best exhibitions, including Mattia Preti, on a panoramic terrace above the rooftops.
MARCA Museo delle Arti Catanzaro
A free, compact art museum running from medieval work to contemporary shows, in handsome multi level spaces off the Corso.
Ponte Bisantis
Morandi great single arch bridge over the valley is the city icon, best walked and photographed in morning or evening light.
Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta
The cathedral keeps the silver bust of patron San Vitaliano and anchors a Corso Mazzini walk through the old silk city.
Teatro Politeama
The city main theatre for opera, concerts and plays, and the best way to see Catanzaro dressed up for its own evening.
Villa Trieste
The old town public garden terrace, all palms, shade and ridge views, and the pause locals take between sights.
Where to stay in Catanzaro
Centro storico and Corso Mazzini
culture, food and first trips outside beach season
The passeggiata, museums, cathedral and morzello on foot, with steep streets and a drive to swim.
Catanzaro Lido
beach first trips in summer
The beach, lungomare bars and fish restaurants outside the door, with flat walking and easier parking.
Giovino
families and longer, quieter beach stays
A calmer north Lido base with a pool hotel and a less crowded beach, a short drive from the strip.
Think twice about
- Germaneto
University and hospital sprawl on the city edge. Not unsafe, but car bound and soulless as a holiday base.
- Sala and Santa Maria periphery
Scattered, roundabout lined outskirts. You would drive to everything, so base in the centre or Lido instead.
- Streets behind Catanzaro Lido station
Functional rather than charming late at night. Front the lungomare or stay in Giovino instead.
Best restaurants in Catanzaro
Abbruzzino
Calabria first starred table, a tiny family run dining room giving Tropea onion, bergamot and cod modern tasting menus.
Trivoná
Refined land and sea tasting paths from the Calabrian pantry in a small, serious dining room in the centre.
Stella Maris
The Lido reliable fish restaurant, fresh catch cooked simply or Calabrese style after a lungomare sunset walk.
Ristorante L'Olimpo
A smaller, more ambitious Lido kitchen whose interesting cooking earns the best rating balance on the seafront.
Chapò
The Lido brew pub for pizza, burgers and craft beer, and the loudest, latest, easiest group night on the seafront.
Morzelleria
The place for morzello in pitta, with cod and vegetable versions, meatballs and homemade liqueurs in a warm trattoria.
Trattoria Assettati e Mangia
Home style Catanzarese cooking on Salita Mazzini, morzello, cod morzello, taglieri, first courses and grills.
The Big Pizza
The brew pub pizzeria reviewers call the best pizza in Catanzaro Lido, casual and easy for families and groups.
Outdoor things to do in Catanzaro
Spiaggia di Caminia
A cliff sheltered bay of fine gravel and strikingly clear turquoise water, the swimming spot locals name first.
Spiaggia Pietragrande
A gravel beach under a great offshore rock for graded cliff jumps and snorkelling, with a proper lido and beach bar.
Riserva Naturale Regionale delle Valli Cupe
A railed descent into a narrowing slot canyon with cold clear water, waterfalls and prehistoric ferns near Sersale.
Parco Nazionale della Sila
A high forest plateau of lakes and giant pines for walking, boats and mountain food, and skiing in winter.
Linea Selvatica
Local guides for the Sila and Valli Cupe, with foraging walks, wild food courses and winter snowshoeing.
BBuSS Country Club
The city golf and country club, and the priciest outdoor day Catanzaro offers, with visitor play confirmed by phone.
Castello Normanno di Squillace
A well kept Norman castle above a ceramics hill town, with spectacular views over the Gulf of Squillace.
Terme Caronte
Historic hot sulphur baths across the isthmus in Lamezia, the Tyrrhenian side day trip from a two seas base.
Best hotels in Catanzaro
Hotel Guglielmo
The centre full service hotel with a spa and Turkish bath, walkable to the Corso, museums and evening streets.
Hotel Palace
The centre other four star, with the largest review base in the city and a top floor gym reviewers remember.
B&B La Dimora degli Artisti
A small art filled B&B in the centre at B&B prices, with characterful rooms and a personal welcome.
Best Western Plus Hotel Perla del Porto
The city best seafront hotel, small and well run, with bay view rooms, a good restaurant and Ionian sunrises.
Grand Hotel Paradiso
A classic seafront four star with spacious quiet rooms and east facing panoramic balconies for sea sunrises.
Hotel Niagara
A clean, friendly Lido hotel close to the beach, with daily linen changes, good breakfast and helpful staff.
Park Hotel le Dune di Giovino
A quiet Giovino hotel with a pool and space, a short walk from a less crowded stretch of beach.
Is Catanzaro expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €55 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €110 a person |
| Splurge | €240 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Teatro Politeama: a few days ahead
- Spiaggia di Caminia: a few days ahead
- Spiaggia Pietragrande: a few days ahead
- Riserva Naturale Regionale delle Valli Cupe: a few days ahead
- Linea Selvatica: a few days ahead
- BBuSS Country Club: a few days ahead
- Abbruzzino: weeks ahead
- Trivoná: a few days ahead
- Abbruzzino needs weeks. It has few tables and set service days, so book before flights.
- Book Caminia and Pietragrande beach clubs days ahead in July and always in August, and arrive before 10am for parking.
- Arrange Valli Cupe and Linea Selvatica guides days ahead, and check Scolacium opening days on the official museum page.
Is Catanzaro safe?
- Emergency number is 112. Watch bags in festival crowds and do not leave valuables visible in beach car parks.
- Old town side lanes can feel deserted late at night. Stay on the lit Corso Mazzini frontage to walk home.
- At Pietragrande, the highest rock points can only be left by jumping. Do not climb beyond your jump.
Catanzaro travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Parco Commerciale Le Fontane is a shopping mall, not a sight, however rainy day lists rank it.
- The central Lido beach in August is the worst version of this coast. Caminia and Pietragrande are 20 minutes away.
- Driving and parking in the centro storico at passeggiata hour, and ignoring the midday closure, waste more time than any queue.
Getting around Catanzaro: public transport and more
- Rent a car at Lamezia Terme airport for the excursions. The centre to Lido run is about 8 km and 15 minutes.
- The centre is compact but steep, the Lido is flat, and businesses close in the early afternoon before the evening passeggiata.
- Buses and the funicular link centre and Lido, but check the day timetable and keep a taxi number saved.
Who Catanzaro suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Catanzaro your trip
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