Things to do in Reggio Calabria
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Reggio Calabria
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months, warm sea from late May, long evenings and everything open.
Cooler, cheaper sightseeing in late April and late October, with a less reliable sea.
Worst for crowds, heat and prices, when Scilla and the Lido compress.
Short wet winter days, best for the museum, food and a clear morning Lungomare.
Bergamot harvest season, the freshest time for tastings and bergamot products.
What's on
- Festa della Madonna della Consolazione mid-September
The great Vara procession from the Eremo to the Cathedral, with stalls and fireworks.
- Festa di San Giorgio 23 April
Feast of St George, co-patron of the city, centred on San Giorgio al Corso.
- Estate Reggina and Arena dello Stretto summer programme July into August
Open air concerts and theatre at the Arena and across the Lungomare.
Best things to do in Reggio Calabria
Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Reggio Calabria
Home of the Riace Bronzes, two Greek warriors from the sea, at the end of four floors of Magna Graecia.
Lungomare Falcomatà
The city seafront promenade facing Sicily and Etna, best walked at sunset when the whole city comes out.
Arena dello Stretto
A Greek theatre shaped open air arena on the seafront, for summer concerts or just sitting facing the Strait.
Opere di Rabarama
Three huge patterned human figures on the Lungomare that have become the meeting points of modern Reggio.
Basilica Cattedrale di Maria Santissima Assunta in Cielo
Calabria's largest church, rebuilt after 1908, and home to the Madonna della Consolazione each autumn.
Castello Aragonese
Two great towers and a terrace with the clearest elevated view in the centre, across the Strait to Etna.
Museo Nazionale del Bergamotto
A small passionate museum of bergamot, the citrus that perfumes the world and flavours Reggio cooking.
Pinacoteca Civica
The quiet civic gallery in the Teatro Cilea, strongest on southern painting and its Antonello panels.
Where to stay in Reggio Calabria
Lungomare and Centro Storico
first trip, all-round base
Walk to the museum, the seafront, dinner and both stations, in the rebuilt Liberty grid.
Santa Caterina and the northern centre
longer stays, quieter nights
Residential streets north of the museum, calmer at night and still walkable to the Lungomare.
Scilla
a beach split stay of one or two nights
Costa Viola swimming and Chianalea evenings, an easy train ride from the Reggio sights.
Pellaro
kiters and self-catering families with a car
Etna facing seaside south of the city, good for wind sports and poor as a sightseeing base without a car.
Think twice about
- Reggio Centrale station perimeter
A transit strip of parking and fast food, noisy at night and a charmless walk home. Use it for trains, sleep in the centre.
- Archi, Sbarre, Gebbione and Modena San Sperato periphery
Residential districts with no visitor infrastructure and long rides to every sight. A base quality problem, not a no-go zone.
- Villa San Giovanni ferry port strip
A queue of cars for Sicily with port noise and fumes. Stay above it at a resort or stay in Reggio.
Best restaurants in Reggio Calabria
L'A Gourmet L'Accademia
Filippo Cogliandro's fine dining room in a Liberty palazzo, Reggio's special occasion fish dinner.
Ristorante Baylik
The old guard fish restaurant since 1950, simply cooking very fresh fish for local family occasions.
Drogheria Culinaria
A busy centre room for handmade pasta, swordfish with aubergine, stockfish and a bergamot tartufo dessert.
Royal Reef
A sea facing fish restaurant south of the centre, praised for its veranda, tuna and swordfish cooking.
Aria Osteria Calabrese
A small modern osteria reworking Calabrian tradition, with house antipasto, chitarra pasta and octopus.
Lievito
The city's favourite pizza night, long fermented dough, swordfish and burrata toppings and craft beer.
Kalabrillo
A small inexpensive Calabrian room for polpette, panini and sausage, the cheap local dinner with no view.
Gelato Cesare
The 1918 green kiosk by the museum, compulsory for bergamot gelato and the amaReggio flavour in a brioche.
Outdoor things to do in Reggio Calabria
Chianalea di Scilla
The fishermen's quarter of Scilla where houses rise from the water, best paired with a Marina Grande swim.
Castello Ruffo di Scilla
The fortress on the rock between Scilla's two bays, with the single best Costa Viola viewpoint from its terraces.
Monte Montalto
The 1956 metre summit of Aspromonte, reached on a guided trek through beech forest to a vast Strait panorama.
Monte Basilicò
A beech and fir forest loop from Gambarie, about 15 km and ten degrees cooler than the seafront in summer.
Cascate Maesano
A tiered waterfall in a green gorge on the Amendolea side, reached by a rough walk from the Menta reservoir.
Pentedattilo
A ghost village under a five fingered rock, with lanes, ruins, artisan shops and views to the Ionian and Etna.
Bova
Cliff village capital of Greek speaking Calabria, with medieval lanes, castle remains and lestopitta bread.
Strait of Messina Ferry Crossing
The fast ferry to Messina and back, a 35 minute Strait crossing that is best done returning in late light.
Best hotels in Reggio Calabria
Altafiumara Resort & Spa
The area's resort splurge above the Costa Viola, with pools, spa and the Strait as its whole outlook.
Grand Hotel Excelsior
Reggio's grand city hotel by the Lungomare, with sea view rooms and the centre's top full service breakfast.
Hotel Medinblu
A smart centre hotel five minutes from the museum, known for its rooftop bar and Strait view terrace.
èHotel
A modern four star on the quieter southern centre, walkable to everything with easier parking for groups.
Hotel Continental
The central value workhorse, ranked first for value in the city, with helpful staff and clean simple rooms.
Hotel Eubea
A well loved three star a short walk inland, trading a sea view for price, quiet and space.
Is Reggio Calabria 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
- Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Reggio Calabria: a few days ahead
- Museo Nazionale del Bergamotto: a few days ahead
- Monte Montalto: weeks ahead
- Spiaggia di Pellaro: a few days ahead
- Altafiumara Resort & Spa: weeks ahead
- Grand Hotel Excelsior: a few days ahead
- Hotel Medinblu: a few days ahead
- èHotel: a few days ahead
- The archaeology museum is closed on Mondays, so never plan the Bronzes for a Monday.
- Book L'Accademia, Baylik, Lievito and Altafiumara ahead, weeks ahead in August and mid September.
- Book a park guide for Montalto and private Grecanic tours weeks ahead in summer.
Is Reggio Calabria safe?
- Watch bags in Madonna procession crowds and at Reggio Centrale station, and use emergency number 112.
- In Aspromonte the real risks are heat, rough paths and fiumare rising fast after heavy rain.
- No Reggio neighbourhood is a tourist no-go area, but the station perimeter makes a poor base.
Reggio Calabria travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The city Lido as a beach day, when Scilla and the Costa Viola have better sand and water.
- Restaurants with a museum front pitch, when one block inland on Garibaldi side streets is better.
- Bergamot souvenirs at airport and station markups, when the museum shop lets you taste first.
Getting around Reggio Calabria: public transport and more
- Walk the centre and use regional trains for Scilla, Villa San Giovanni and the Grecanic coast.
- A car is only needed for Gambarie and Aspromonte trailheads, Pentedattilo, Bova and Pellaro.
- Compare Reggio airport with Lamezia Terme and the train south before booking flights.
Who Reggio Calabria suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Reggio Calabria your trip
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