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Theme Parks
The Romagna Riviera is the area with the highest concentration of amusement parks in Europe: within a radius of about 30 kilometres around Riccione you find water parks, theme parks, dolphin parks, aquariums, funfairs and adventure parks. For a family on holiday this means being able to plan a seaside week alternating a different experience every day, without ever driving more than half an hour.
In this guide you will find the main parks reachable from Riccione, what makes them unique, the attractions you cannot miss and the practical information to plan your visit: address, how to get there and a direct link to navigation.
Aquafan
What it is: water park in Riccione, the most famous in Italy, open since 1987.
Where: Via Pistoia 6, on the hills of Riccione.
Size: over 90,000 square metres.
When it's open: from late May to mid-September.
For whom: families, teens, groups of friends, all ages.
Recommended visit duration: a full day.
Main attractions: the Speedriul (the steepest free-fall slide in the park), the Kamikaze, the Twist, the Extreme River and the huge wave pool. The children's area Elvis Parsley is a park within the park, with family-sized slides and shallow water.
Main events: the Schiumazzo is the midday fixture with music and party in the pool. The Notte Rosa opens the park at night with DJ sets and shows. During the season Radio Deejay guests and Italian television personalities take turns.
Oltremare
What it is: educational park dedicated to nature, with dolphins, birds of prey, reptiles and educational trails.
Where: Viale Ascoli Piceno 6, Riccione, on the hills a few minutes from Aquafan.
Size: 110,000 square metres, the largest Italian educational park.
When it's open: from April to early November.
For whom: families with children aged 3 to 12.
Recommended visit duration: about 5 hours.
Themed areas: Darwin with life-sized dinosaurs, the Lagoon with bottlenose dolphins, the Farm with domestic animals, the reptile house Adventure Island, the Po Valley trail with local fish and birds.
Events and experiences not to miss: the Dolphin Encounter lets you get close to the pool edge with a biologist. Hawk Training is the free-flight raptor show. Planet Earth is an immersive hall that reconstructs the formation of the planet.
Mirabilandia
What it is: the largest amusement park in Italy by area.
Where: Strada Statale 16 Adriatica km 162, Savio di Ravenna, about 40 minutes from Riccione.
Size: 850,000 square metres.
When it's open: from late March to early January, with Halloween and Christmas openings.
For whom: all ages, with adrenaline rides and family areas.
Recommended visit duration: a full day, better two.
Structure: the park is divided into two areas, the theme park and Mirabeach, the Caribbean-style beach with slides and pools, included in the ticket.
Top attractions: the Katun is one of the longest inverted roller coasters in Europe. The Divertical is the tallest water coaster in the world. The Ducati World area hosts the Desmo Race, the first Ducati launch coaster. Other musts: the iSpeed and the Eurowheel, the 90-metre panoramic wheel.
Seasonal events: Halloween Horror Festival in autumn transforms the park with haunted houses, scare zones and live actors. Mirabilandia Magic Christmas in December brings lights, ice rinks and Christmas shows. In summer, evening openings and fireworks.
Italia in Miniatura
What it is: theme park with over 270 miniatures of the most beautiful monuments in Italy and Europe.
Where: Via Popilia 239, Viserba di Rimini, about 20 minutes from Riccione.
Size: 85,000 square metres.
Miniature scale: 1:25 and 1:50.
When it's open: from March to early November.
For whom: families with children from age 4.
Recommended visit duration: 4 hours.
What you see: Colosseum, St. Mark's Square, Milan Cathedral, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Royal Palace of Caserta and 270 other monuments reproduced with impressive accuracy. Venice in miniature is visited by boat, navigating along the canals reproduced in real scale.
Interactive attractions: the Monorail flies over the boot from above, the 5D Arena with dynamic cinema, the Pinocchio area with themed playground, the Science Funfair with physics experiments, the Cannonacqua for the summer water battle.
Fiabilandia
What it is: the oldest amusement park on the Romagna Riviera, open since 1965.
Where: Via Cardano 15, Rimini, along the Adriatic State Road between Rimini and Riccione.
For whom: families with children aged 2 to 10.
When it's open: from April to mid-September, plus Halloween and Easter openings.
Recommended visit duration: 5-6 hours.
Themed areas: the Merlin's Castle at the entrance, the Pirates' Bay with the moored galleon and the rock skull, the Far West Village, the Indian Village, the central lake with pedal boats.
Main attractions: the Peter Pan Journey, dark ride set in Neverland. The Red Dragon, a mini roller coaster perfect as a first experience for children. Classic rides, live shows with knights and pirates, castle musical with fixed times included in the ticket.
Cattolica Aquarium
What it is: the largest aquarium on the Adriatic, the second in Italy, known as Le Navi for the shape of the former 1930s seaside colony.
Where: Piazzale delle Nazioni 1A, Cattolica, about 15 minutes from Riccione.
Size: 110,000 square metres.
Species hosted: over 3,000 specimens of 400 different species.
When it's open: all year round, with reduced hours in low season.
For whom: families, children, nature enthusiasts, rainy days.
Recommended visit duration: about 3 hours.
The 4 colour routes:
Blue: bull sharks, Humboldt penguins, jellyfish, tropical fish.
Yellow: fresh waters, Asian otters, Cuvier's dwarf caimans.
Green: reptiles, amphibians, chameleons, poison dart frogs, pythons.
Violet: marine abysses and interactive themed exhibitions.
Experiences not to miss: the Bull Sharks tank of 700,000 litres is the largest in the park. Animal feedings (sharks, penguins, stingrays, otters) have fixed times and are narrated live by a biologist: check the schedule at the entrance to plan your visit.
Beach Village
What it is: beachside amusement park in Riccione, with slides and inflatables directly on the sand.
Where: Lungomare della Repubblica, Marano area, Riccione.
When it's open: from mid-June to early September.
For whom: children from 3 to 12.
Cost: free for those who take an umbrella at participating beach clubs.
What's there: slides, inflatables, pool, baby dance, mini club, tournaments and evening shows. Entertainment runs all day and it is the ideal formula for those who want to keep the kids entertained without leaving the sea.
Luna Park Ricciolandia
What it is: the seasonal funfair of Riccione, with over 40 attractions.
Where: Piazzale Roma, Riccione.
When it's open: from mid-June to early September, every evening.
Entry: free, you only pay for rides.
For whom: all ages, also open to adults.
Attractions: roller coasters, bumper cars, loopers, tagadà, hall of mirrors, shooting galleries, cotton candy. The classic atmosphere of the summer funfair, with neon lights and music. On high-season weekends the crowds show up, better arrive in the early evening.
Riccione Avventura
What it is: adventure park with acrobatic trails suspended among the trees.
Where: Parco degli Olivetani, viale Torino, Riccione, a stone's throw from the seafront.
When it's open: from April to September.
For whom: from age 3 to adults, 8 trails of increasing difficulty.
Recommended visit duration: 2-3 hours.
Trails: from the Baby trail for the youngest to the Extreme Black reserved for the fittest adults. Tibetan bridges, pulleys, zip lines and suspended passages with continuous life line and mandatory helmet.
Other activities: picnic area, archery, games for small children. One of the few activities in Riccione that combine sport and greenery without leaving the centre.
Indiana Golf
What it is: western-themed mini golf with 18 holes set in a reconstructed village.
Where: Viale D'Annunzio, Riccione.
When it's open: summer evenings until late.
For whom: families with children from age 5, couples, groups.
Recommended visit duration: about one hour.
What's there: 18 scenic holes among saloons, mines, waterfalls and totems. It is one of the classic alternatives to the disco for those looking for a relaxed evening after dinner, a stone's throw from the seafront.
Fondazione Cetacea
What it is: rescue centre for Caretta caretta sea turtles, with visitable recovery tanks.
Where: Viale Torino 7, Riccione.
When it's open: all year round, free entry or donation.
For whom: children, teens, nature and sea enthusiasts.
Recommended visit duration: about one hour.
What you do: you visit the recovery tanks of the specimens under treatment, attend feeding time and listen to the clinical stories of the animal guests.
Event not to miss: the release of the turtles into the sea takes place several times during the summer, in the presence of the public. Dates are published on official channels with a few days' notice.
When to go: the park calendar
Spring openings (March-April): Mirabilandia, Italia in Miniatura, Fiabilandia, Cattolica Aquarium, Oltremare.
Summer openings (June-September): Aquafan, Luna Park Ricciolandia, Beach Village.
Special seasonal openings: Halloween (Mirabilandia, Fiabilandia), Christmas (Mirabilandia Magic Christmas).
Open all year: Cattolica Aquarium, Fondazione Cetacea.
The busiest period runs from the second half of July to 15 August. If you can choose, June and the first half of September offer the same attractions with reduced queues and more manageable temperatures.
Tickets, combos and shuttles
Online tickets: almost all parks offer a 15-30% discount compared to the box office, with specific date or open validity.
Family combos: Aquafan + Oltremare, Mirabilandia + Mirabeach, Mirabilandia 2-day packages.
Shuttles: free or low-cost service from Riccione seafront to Aquafan and Oltremare in high season.
Public bus: line 125 connects Riccione station to Cattolica Aquarium.
Parking: Mirabilandia, Italia in Miniatura and Fiabilandia have large parking lots at the entrance.
💡 Pro tips for a stress-free visit
1. Buy tickets online the day before: you save time queuing at the box office and often get a 15-30% discount on the list price.
2. Arrive at opening: the first two hours are the ones with shortest queues at the most popular attractions. In water parks the opposite also applies, avoid leaving all together in the afternoon.
3. Always check the show schedule: dolphin shows, animal feedings, musicals and parades have fixed times. Plan the day around those times, not the other way round.
4. Bring closed and comfortable shoes: in large parks you walk a lot. In water parks, pool slippers are a must between one area and another because the concrete in the sun burns.
5. Make use of combos: if you have several days, the Aquafan + Oltremare combo or Mirabilandia 2-day brings the average daily cost below 30 euros per person.
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