Tropea with kids: all you need to know to plan a family trip to this Italian coastal gem

Tropea with kids: all you need to know to plan a stay. How to get there, what to expect, family tours, accommodation and tips for visiting with kids.

Tropea is a small, stunning, charming coastal town in Calabria, a beautiful and varied region in the South of Italy (It’s the tip of Italy’s boot!).

The town is perched on top of scenic seacliffs, it has a pretty historic center, and cream-colored sandy beaches that make its clear sea waters assume the most enchanting shades of blue.

It’s an absolute summer paradise and all it takes is a glance at a photo (even a quick holiday snap like the ones from my phone below!) to see why Italians have been vacationing here for so long!

The beautiful sea and small-town atmosphere are wonderful reasons to come to Tropea with kids.

However, there are also a couple of things that it is best to know before you head this way with little ones, so that you can make plans at best!

We were in Tropea this past summer and loved the place. Our kids are now 11 and 13, but we kept an eye out for things for little ones too, including shallow waters, stroller accessibility, food options and more!

Today, we share our top tips for visiting Tropea with kids and or top recommendations for beaches, places to stay and family-friendly restaurants, based on our experience.

Need to know: Tropea is a summer resort town and the best time to come with kids to Tropea is when you can swim and use the beach, usually between June and September. The town is of course open all year for locals; however, the lack of indoor entertainment makes it harder for kids to enjoy when the sea is off-limits.

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Why go to Tropea with kids

• You want to be in a coastal town with crystal clear waters and sandy beaches
• You want easy access to boat trips to nearby locations and the Aeolian islands (day cruises)
• Your family likes a summer resort town vibe, without renouncing a pretty city center
• You have older kids who enjoy swimming and boat trips

Why not go to Tropea with kids

• You want to stay away from the crowds (Tropea in summer is very busy)
• You need a stroller-friendly town. Tropea is only partially stroller friendly: while the main streets have mostly flat surfaces, expect to close the stroller in several areas to negotiate steps and uneven terrain.
• You need easy and fast access to other parts of Italy (Tropea is very far south and requires long driving/train travel)

Where to stay in Tropea with kids

Tropea is perched on a high cliff so, for accommodation, you need to decide whether you want to be in the center (and walk down to the beach, then back up) or along the coast.

Due to its geography, you do not have a place that allows for step-free access to both the center and the beach.

Depending on the age of your kids/ type of holiday, I recommend you look at:

Stelle Marine Apartment (older kids): this is where we stayed this time. A lovely, spotless clean apartment with private parking and a pool. The road up to it from the city center has no sidewalk, which is not ideal with little children. This is a great budget option if you want to live like a local.

Hotel Thalasso Capo Vaticano: this is a nice, family-friendly resort in Capo Vaticano, very close to Tropea. The service, pool and private beach make it wonderful for a relaxed stay: Tropea itself is a short drive away, easy to pop in for the day!

Family-friendly restaurants in Tropea

All restaurants in Tropea are family-friendly. We found all places to be welcoming to children and open to making simple dishes for them (pasta with tomato sauce for instance) even if off menu.

Some we enjoyed are:

• Marasusa, Bistro di Mare – our absolute favorite! We came several times! Upscale yet relaxed atmosphere, indoor and outdoor seating, lovely child-welcoming service. Address: Largo Sannio 2, 89861 Tropea Italy

• Il Convivio – good local restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating with seafood options but also pizza. Address: Via Boiano, 10, 89861 Tropea Italy

• Premiata Forneria Tropea – cheap, very good Neapolitan pizza, perfect also for lunch. Address: Via IV Novembre One hundred meters further from Poste Italiane, 89861 Tropea Italy (they give the address this way as it is hidden around a corner and you won’t find it unless you know it is there!)

Best things to do in Tropea with children

Tropea is a small town with little to do for kids as such, if you exclude the top reason to come here: Tropea’s fabulous beaches!

In terms of things to do here, I recommend:

Take a snorkeling tour with Tropea Dive Center (MY TOP CHOICE): cheap and excellent, they will show you the most beautiful coastal spot near Tropea and make you swim in crystal clear waters.

The tour has life vests for kids and they offer you prosecco and taralli on board (taralli and juice or iced tea for the kids). On our small group tour, there were our kids and a toddler, all well catered to!

Take a day cruise to the Aeolian islands: this is a very long day for kids and adults alike so I only recommend it if you have the stamina for it and older kids who may enjoy the views and the wandering around the islands and see the volcanoes.

In terms of beaches, we went to several and found all to be good for kids. Lido Calipso and Lido Charlie both worked well for us.

Lidos are one beside the other so I wouldn’t worry too much about which one to choose: just make sure you get the price for the day before committing and ask for loungers close to the water to keep an eye on the kids more easily. Read here >> all about beach clubs in Italy.

Bring water shoes for kids as parts of the beach are coarse.

Tours and beach aside, Tropea is lovely for a stroll in the lively and car-free city center which feels like an adventurous maze for little ones. There is also a basic playground in Via Antonio Purificato 1.

How to get Tropea

There are two main ways to reach Tropea: train and car

Train: Tropea has a handy train station served by the trains connecting Rome to Reggio Calabria.

The station is close to the center of the town, which is only a couple of minutes down the road from here.

Find here >>> all you need to know about traveling by train in Italy with kids

There is no need for a car in Tropea town: therefore, if you are coming to stay and enjoy the village, the train is an excellent option!

Need to know: if your hotel is not within walking distance from the station, make sure you get them to pick you up. The walk down to the waterfront is long and, with kids, you’ll want a car to negotiate the distance.

If you come to Tropra by car, either from far away or the nearby airport of Lamezia Terme, I recommend you make parking arrangements with our accommodation as parking in Tropea is not easy to source!

The apartment where we stayed, Stella Marine, has a secure parking spot: one of the several reasons why we recommend it!