We went to Pesaro for basketball and came home with two trophies and a new favourite stretch of the Adriatic. Around Halloween 2024, both our boys, Damian (11) and Marc (8), played a youth tournament there with their teams. We flew from Barcelona to Bologna, rented a car, and drove down the coast to a town most of our friends had never heard of.
Pesaro turned out to be an easy family town: flat, by the sea, full of pasta, and with one of Italy’s best-preserved castles 15 km away. And it was the Italian Capital of Culture the year we went. This is how we spent the trip, and how to plan your own.
Quick answers
- Is Pesaro good for kids? Yes. It’s a compact seaside town on the Adriatic, with a long beach promenade and a walkable centre.
- Getting there from Barcelona: fly to Bologna, then about 1.5 hours by car (what we did) or a train from Bologna.
- Best day out: Gradara Castle, 15 km away. Under-18s get in free (€10 for adults in 2026).
- Where we stayed: Hotel Savoy, central and a short walk from the sea.
Hotel Savoy Pesaro – 4★, central, a short walk from the beach. A family room for four, then a double while the boys stayed with their team.
The tournament: two teams, two titles
The reason for the trip was a Halloween youth basketball tournament. Both boys played, each with his own team, and both teams won. Watching them do it on the same weekend, in another country, is one of those parent moments you don’t forget. As at most youth tournaments, the boys spent the first night with us and then moved to the team hotel with their teammates, so Dumitru and I had the gaps between games to explore. More on how we plan tournament trips in our basketball family travel guide.
Getting to Pesaro from Barcelona
There’s no direct flight to Pesaro, so we flew Barcelona → Bologna and rented a car at the airport. The drive down the A14 takes about an hour and a half. There’s also a direct train from Bologna to Pesaro (about 1.5 hours), but with kit bags and a tournament schedule, having the car was worth it, especially for the day trip to Gradara.
Things to do in Pesaro with kids
Walk the seafront and the beach
Our hotel was a short walk from the sea, and between games we walked the Adriatic promenade and the streets of the centre. We went out of season, so the beach was for walking, not swimming. In summer it’s a full beach resort.
Explore the centre
Pesaro’s old centre is small and easy on foot, with shops, cafés and pizzerias. Rossini was born here, and the town is a UNESCO Creative City of Music. In 2024, the year we went, it was also Italy’s Capital of Culture.
Day trip to Gradara Castle
On our free day we drove 15 km to Gradara, a medieval fortress on a hill with a double ring of walls, one of the best-preserved castles in Italy. It’s also where Dante set the story of Paolo and Francesca. The boys explored the towers and walls and played at medieval life, and we had views over the countryside towards the sea.
2026: €10 for adults, €3 for EU citizens aged 18–25, and free for under-18s. Open 9:00–19:00 (last entry 18:15), closed on 25 December.
What we ate in Pesaro
We came home talking about the food. The one we hadn’t tried before was pinza, a flatbread baked in a wood-fired oven and topped with anything from cheese and cured meats to sweet spreads. Then there was the pasta: carbonara, bolognese and seafood pasta, each better than the last. The boys ate as much as we did, and probably more.
Where to stay in Pesaro with kids
We stayed at Hotel Savoy for the whole trip: a family room for four the first night, then a double once the boys moved to their team hotel. It’s central, a short walk from the beach, and the breakfast was excellent. With my hotel-industry hat on: for a tournament weekend, stay central rather than out on the beach strip, because you’ll be in and out of the car all weekend.
Pesaro for a sports trip: what we’d tell other parents
- Book your own room as soon as the dates are confirmed, with free cancellation. Players usually sleep in the team hotel.
- Rent a car at Bologna if you want day trips. The train works if you’ll stay in town.
- Plan one free-day outing. Gradara is close and costs nothing for the kids.
- Pack layers in late October. It was too cold for our hotel’s pool.
Going to Pesaro? Check prices at Hotel Savoy →
Pesaro with kids: FAQ
Is Pesaro good for families?
Yes. Pesaro is a compact seaside town on the Adriatic, with a long beach promenade, a walkable centre and Gradara Castle 15 km away.
How do you get to Pesaro from Barcelona?
Fly to Bologna, then drive about an hour and a half down the coast, or take the train from Bologna. We rented a car at Bologna airport.
Is Gradara Castle worth visiting with kids?
Yes. It’s one of the best-preserved castles in Italy, 15 km from Pesaro, and under-18s get in free. Adults paid €10 in 2026.
What food is Pesaro known for?
We loved the pinza, a wood-fired flatbread with savoury or sweet toppings, plus fresh pasta and seafood.
