Cattolica is a beach-and-promenade town, and the beach itself — broad, flat and three kilometres long — is the obvious main attraction. The seafront Lungomare Rasi-Spinelli and its parallel Piazza I Maggio, with the dramatic shell-shaped fountain by Tonino Guerra, are the social heart of the resort.
The aquarium, Le Navi, is the second-largest in Italy and probably the single best thing to do with children on the entire Romagna coast. For history, Museo della Regina gives a good account of the town's Roman and fishing past. And the inland hill towns just south — especially Gradara, with its almost cinematic medieval castle — make excellent half-day excursions.