Things to Do in Catania: Castello Ursino, the Cinema Museum, La Plaia and San Giovanni Li Cuti

Catania has a square castle built in the 13th century by Frederick II of Swabia, and a promenade where a lava cliff meets golden sand. Start with Castello Ursino, which houses the city’s civic museum. Then visit the Cinema Museum, and spend an afternoon on the beaches of La Plaia or at San Giovanni Li Cuti.

At a glance

• Top sights to see first: Castello Ursino, Museo del Cinema, La Plaia
• Beach bus: line D from piazza Borsellino (Alcalà) to San Francesco La Rena, every 15 minutes
• Main festival days: February 3, 4 and 5 (Festa di Sant’Agata)

What are the best things to do in Catania?

Castello Ursino

The castle has a perfectly square plan, 164 by 164 feet (50 by 50 meters). Frederick II of Swabia built it in the 13th century. Today it holds the Museo Civico di Catania.

A full-price ticket costs €6. The museum offers a free app with more than 100 immersive augmented-reality audioguides, so download it before you go in.

Museo del Cinema

The museum sits in the Le Ciminiere cultural center, on Piazzale Rocco Chinnici and Viale Africa. It opened on May 16, 2003, and covers 900 square meters (about 10,000 square feet) on two levels. Catania became known in the first quarter of the 20th century as home to film production companies, which gives the collection its local link.

The full-price ticket costs €8. A joint ticket with the Museo Storico dello Sbarco in Sicilia 1943 costs €12, or €6 reduced. The three-museum ticket costs €18, or €9 reduced. The museum is about 0.6 mile (1 km) from the waterfront and the historic center, so plan on a walk or a short bus ride.

La Plaia

La Plaia runs past the Oasi del Simeto as far as the village of Agnone Bagni, on the edge of Lentini’s municipality. The city runs three free beaches here.

The free beaches have showers, playgrounds, lifeguards, a snack point and parking. The first city-run solariums and private lidos start at piazza Europa. Without a car, take the D bus.

San Giovanni Li Cuti

The beach here is made of smooth lava pebbles of different sizes, which locals call “Cuti Lisci”. The promenade known as “u passiaturi” marks the line between the lava cliff and the golden sand. It runs from Piazza dei Martiri to the Stazione Centrale.

The city has officially opened a sea-access ramp for people with disabilities at San Giovanni Li Cuti. A platform has also opened on piazzale Sciascia, facing piazza Europa. Bring sandals with a sole, since the pebbles are lava.

When is the best time to visit Catania for sightseeing?

Winter is mild for sightseeing: January highs reach 61°F (16°C), with about six rainy days. April climbs to 70°F (21°C), and May reaches 79°F (26°C) with little rain, which suits the castle and museums. Beach weather arrives in June at 88°F (31°C), and July peaks at 93°F (34°C) with under one rainy day on average. The Festa di Sant’Agata fills the city from January 30 to February 12.

Beaches and outdoor things to do in Catania

• Plaia free beaches (n.1 Etna, n.2 Vulcano, n.3 Stromboli): city bus D or car · long golden sand, showers, lifeguards, playgrounds · families and swimmers who want services

Beach n.2 (Vulcano) has free services. With children, pick the Plaia free beaches for the playgrounds and lifeguards. For a lava-pebble setting, go to San Giovanni Li Cuti. In the evening, many beach clubs turn into aperitif bars, disco bars and tango venues.

Things to do in Catania at night

The Festa di Sant’Agata runs from January 30 to February 12, with February 3, 4 and 5 as the main days.

Things to do in Catania with kids

The free Plaia beaches suit children best. They have playgrounds, showers and lifeguards, plus a snack point and parking. Arrive early in summer, when July highs reach 93°F (34°C). Bus D runs every 15 minutes from piazza Borsellino (Alcalà). At San Giovanni Li Cuti the lava pebbles are smooth but uneven, so little ones are better off at the sandy Plaia.