Kids at the seaside:
the right beach for every age

Why the seabed is like this here

Along the entire coast between Cervia and Cattolica the sand is fine and the seabed stays shallow for dozens of metres. A child can walk for a long way with water up to their waist.

Anyone who wants a proper swim, on the other hand, has to walk out a while before the water gets deep: that is the price of such a gentle shore.

In some stretches — in northern Rimini, for example in Viserba and Rivabella — there are also breakwaters that keep the water even calmer. These are the most sheltered spots of all.

Which beach, for which age

Under three years old

What matters more than the beach itself is how it's set up. You need real shade for the middle hours, a nearby restroom, and the option to go back home for a nap.

From this point of view Gatteo a Mare (5 minutes) and Villamarina (11) win for a simple reason: they're close enough to head back at noon and return at four. With a two-year-old, this is the difference between a holiday and an endurance test.

From three to six years old

Bellaria-Igea Marina (14 minutes) received in 2026, in addition to the Blue Flag, the Pediatricians' Green Flag, the award for child-friendly beaches. The seabed is shallow and services are tailored to families.

In Igea Marina there's Beky Bay, a serviced free beach with showers, restrooms, beach-volleyball courts and kiosks: handy when you want to spend less without giving up restrooms and water to rinse off.

From six years up

Now Cervia (24 minutes) enters the picture, and the reason is the pine forest: 210 hectares of trees right behind the beach. When at two the sun becomes unbearable, you can move from the beach umbrella to real shade without getting back in the car.

Pinarella and Tagliata are the quietest stretches; Milano Marittima the most glamorous.

If you don't want a beach club

There are free beaches, but they're few and you need to know them before you set off, otherwise you end up driving around with crying kids.

In Cervia the Municipality lists three, all identified by the number of the nearby beach clubs: in Cervia between bagno 191 and 194, in Milano Marittima between 268 and 269, in Pinarella near bagno 102. The first two are the best equipped: restrooms, showers and, in summer, a lifeguard service.

In Rimini the serviced free beaches are four: Piazzale Boscovich (the most central, under the Ferris wheel), Miramare, Marano and San Giuliano Mare.

In Bellaria-Igea Marina: the canal-harbour beach and Beky Bay.

A practical warning: on free beaches there's no one watching the children in the water, except where lifeguard service is stated. It changes the way you spend time at the beach.

If someone has difficulty walking

This applies to grandparents holidaying with their grandchildren, and to those who use a wheelchair. On this front the Romagna coast is well ahead of average, though not everywhere to the same degree.

Cervia has the most structured service: it's called «Un bagnino per amico», has been running since 2006 and is free of charge. Floating JOB chairs, walkways, reserved parking and trained staff who accompany the person into the water. You ask your beach attendant, who activates the service; the wheelchair remains available for a week. It covers Cervia, Milano Marittima, Pinarella and Tagliata.

Riccione declares all 130 beach clubs accessible, with ramps right to the beach umbrella.

Rimini, at Piazzale Boscovich, has JOB chairs, an electric hoist and sixteen shaded stations reserved for people with severe disabilities.

In Bellaria-Igea Marina there doesn't appear to be an equivalent free municipal service: there are individual equipped beach clubs. It's best to call the tourist office first rather than find out on the spot.

Four practical things

• Parking is the real problem. In August, along the seafront, finding a spot takes longer than the drive, and if you're staying on the seafront you look for one twice a day.
• The washing machine. After three days of sand, swimsuits and towels are half your luggage.
• Lunch out with small children is the worst part of the day. Being able to go home at noon changes the holiday, and doing it takes five minutes by car.
• Evenings on the seafront are noisy. If the child goes to bed at nine, sleeping behind a venue is a choice you'll pay for every night.

From the FEE's 2026 Blue Flag list and the websites of the Municipalities of Cervia, Rimini, Riccione and Bellaria-Igea Marina, August 2026. Services and seasonality change every year.