The town proudly boasts its maritime origins and an ancient tradition of hospitality dating back to when it was a place of transit and rest for wayfarers travelling along the Via Flaminia (200 B.C.). The town has an efficient reception system and has recently been renewed thanks to an extensive urban redevelopment project involving squares, gardens and public spaces. In 2008 it also inaugurated its tourist port.

The period in which Cattolica offers tourists and visitors the best of what it has to offer is from spring to October, with a peak in summer when the entire hospitality organisation is in full swing. However, numerous hotels and restaurants are open all year round. It is an elegant and stately city. All you have to do is walk along its tree-lined avenues lined with shops and cosy places where you can enjoy an aperitif or an ice-cream, or pause in the renovated squares adorned with fountains and water and light displays.

Cattolica knows how to entertain its guests: leisure time and evenings are full of events, exhibitions and festivals. The Theatre and the Arena della Regina offer prestigious programmes every season. Especially during the summer period, the open-air shows and concerts arouse considerable interest due to their originality. The former Pellegrini Hospital (1584) houses the Regina Museum, which documents the history of Cattolica, with particular regard to the Roman-Republican period and the town's seafaring tradition. In Piazza della Repubblica, which in summer is transformed into the Arena della Regina, there is the multipurpose Cultural Centre, a futuristic structure designed by the architect Pier Luigi Cervellati, the same who designed the Theatre, the first completely built in Italy after the war.

Also worth a visit is the historic port, a traditional reference point for the fishing fleet. Its square, with its characteristic boat-shaped fountain in the centre, is lined with bars and cafés.