Praia a Mare, Calabria

Overview

Discover Praia a Mare: Private Tours, Experiences & Custom Travel

Southern Italy has so many wonderful towns to experience, though we think Praia a Mare is one of the best and we can offer you a variety of services in this area including private drivers, wine tours, scuba diving and snorkeling around , cooking courses and even hang-gliding.

Praia a Mare is a magical town on Italy’s Cedri Riviera - the Citrus Coast - filled with natural wonder, legend and history. The town is home to , whose sandstone circumference includes mystifying cave grottos, in which an indescribable colour of blue, created by light which comes up through the water, has caused to be given World-Heritage site status.

Praia a Mare is a naturally inspiring destination that has gone un-noticed by most travelers who unfortunately have passed up the town’s treasures which include: pedestrian only tree-lined streets and a stunning church, known as “La ” built inside an enormous cave behind the town (look for sign near the Arcate hotel that indicates the Archaeological Zone).

Photo of Beaches at Praia a Mare, Calabria - Photo by Jesse Andrews

Travelers have been by-passing Praia a Mare on route to , but from May to October, when the weather is good Praia should be considered a "must see" destination for anyone traveling in Southern Italy.

The town is impeccably clean, well served by trains and buses, and because empires throughout the centuries have laid claim here, it is home to numerous historical ruins including a prominent Byzantine guarding tower that lies in front of and a Spanish Castle.

Praia a Mare is small, and easy to get around with a car or without. There are numerous hotels, bed and breakfasts and restaurants which are relatively low-cost for what you receive in comparison to other parts of Italy. Praia is an optimal place from which to explore numerous other villages on the Cedri Riviera.

, the main attraction which draws visitors from around Europe each year, is approximately one mile in circumference and is home to six magnificent grottos, easily accessible by paddleboat or canoe that can be rented by any number of beach lidos in operation from May until September. In the off-season, boats can be rented at hotels.

The sanctuary is easily accessible throughout the town and admittance is free of charge. There are in fact, two churches within the cave, the smaller one, built inside a smaller cave, in which limestone deposits have formed an alter of sorts, used by local priests for Catholic ceremonies carried out here.

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Our own photographs

Praia a Mare Through Our Eyes

Photographed during our own travels and research, these images follow the journey through Praia a Mare, from the first view of the landscape to the small details that give the place its character.

Praia a Mare and Calabria Vacations with Italy Vacation Specialists

Experience Praia a Mare Calabria with Italy Vacation Specialists

Private Tours of Calabria

Madonna Della Grotta Praia a Mare Calabria

Calabria Private Driver

Buddha Beach Praia a Mare

Map

Get your bearings before you go

Multi-Day Holidays Tours

Whole journeys, planned end to end

Calabria and the Cedri Riviera Mini-Stay including Cooking Class, Wine Tour and Full Day Tour to the Coast of Maratea

This 4 day, 3 day package is ideal for those wanting to get to know the incredible culinary traditions of Calabria famous for the 'hot pepper" and fussili dishes. Our package includes accommodation in a private villa located in the center of town....

Private

4 Days / 3 Nights

Hidden Villages of Calabria & Basilicata with Local Guides

Calabria is the largest region in Italy and yet it is always the least-frequently visited by visitors to Italy. For decades it has remained relatively unforgotten by Europe except for Italian travellers who by the thousands if not millions each summ...

Small Group

7 Days / 6 Nights

Kingdom of the Sun: Undiscovered Calabria & Basilicata || Highlights include Maratea and the mountain-top redeemer, Praia a Mare and the Madonna Della Grotta, Diamante the city of murals. Cooking, food and wine and highlights with chef Michelangelo

Join us for an 8-day package in Calabria and explore the deep south of Italy, including the regions of Calabria and Basilicata. Our tour is centered around the charming town of Tortora, and from there, we embark on daily excursions to some of Calabri...

Private

8 Days / 7 Nights

Calabria with Local Hosts: Food, Coast & Village Life

This is an opportunity to stay in a private family home in Praia a Mare, Calabria a beautiful sea-side resort town famous for Dino Island and the Arcomagno caves. During this unique holiday experience you will visit the coast of Maratea, Diamante th...

Private

5 Days / 4 Nights

Kingdom of the Sun Escorted Tour of Italy's Deep South including Puglia, Basilicata and Calabria Departing Spring 2026: May 23, June 6 Fall 2026: Sept 12, Oct 10

Let the sun shine through in our small group tour of Italy's deep south including the regions of Puglia, Basilicata and Calabria. Throughout the tour we visit extraordinary towns, villages and coastal villages and we enjoy some of the very best loca...

Small Group

10 Days / 9 Nights

Private & Small Group Tours in Praia a Mare

Days out with people who know the way

Taormina Private Half Day Walking Experience

Discover the ancient city of Taormina and the majestic Greco-Roman theatre with our English speaking guide who will show you the best of this incredible Sicilian city.

Private

2 hours 30 minutes

Calabria Food and Wine Experience on the Cedri Riviera

This is an incredible food and wine experience on the north west coast of Calabria known as the Cedri Riviera you do not want to miss during your time in southern Italy. Departing from Praia a Mare, Maratea, San Nicola Arcella this tour is as much a...

Private

Private Tour of Dino Island and Arcomagno Cave Grotto

The stretch of coast from San NIcola Arcella to Maratea is dotted with beautiful cave grottoes that allow the light to create a truly spectacular color of blue, you really have to see to believe! On this tour we visit Dino Island home to five spect...

Private

Villas

Private homes with stories of their own

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Villa Vecchia

5 Beds 5 Baths 10

Air Conditioning +14 more

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Featured in Magic Towns Italy Italy Vacation Specialists, Featured in Magic Towns Italy: The Story Behind Italy Vacation Specialists

Magic Towns Italy Featured in Magic Towns Italy: The Story Behind Italy Vacation Specialists December 2025 Magic Towns Italy tells the story of our founder Jesse Andrews, who arrived in Calabria in 2003 with 50 euros and a teaching contract, and stayed to build Italy Vacation Specialists. Read the story

Valiantceo Jesse Andrews, Our Founder in ValiantCEO: Why No Algorithm Can Replace Local Knowledge

ValiantCEO Our Founder in ValiantCEO: Why No Algorithm Can Replace Local Knowledge August 2025 Our founder Jesse Andrews talks to ValiantCEO about AI in travel: where it helps, where it falls short, and why trips built on local knowledge and real relationships matter more than ever. Read the story

Monterosso al Mare in the Cinque Terre at dusk

Appetito Our Founder in Appetito: A Culinary Journey Through Calabria and Basilicata May 2025 Our founder Jesse Andrews writes for Appetito on the food and coast of southern Italy, from the sea caves of Praia a Mare in Calabria to Maratea, the town of 44 churches in Basilicata. Read the story

The skyline of Florence at dusk, with Palazzo Vecchio and the Duomo

Italian American Life with Frankie D Our Founder on the Italian American Life Podcast: 20 Years of Living and Breathing Italy March 2025 Our founder Jesse Andrews joins Frankie D on Episode 144 to tell the story behind Italy Vacation Specialists, from a summer job in Calabria to planning custom trips across Italy. Read the story

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Madonna Della Grotta

Our Featured Properties

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Italy,Calabria,Praia a Mare

Villa

Villa Vecchia

5 Beds 5 Baths 10

Air Conditioning +14 more

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Italy,Calabria,Vibo Valentia

Villa

Villa Costa Azzurra

4 Beds 3 Baths 8

Family Oriented +9 more

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Getting here

The Road to Praia a Mare

Most of our guests arrive by private car, with a driver who knows these roads and where it is worth stopping along the way. These are the journeys we arrange most often.

Matera Basilicata Lamezia Terme Calabria, Lamezia Terme Airport Salerno Campania Tropea Calabria Bari Puglia, Bari Airport Naples Campania, Capodichino Airport

City and Cathedral, South Italy, Lamezia Terme, Calabria

Clear Waters of Troea, Calabria Region Italy

Bari region of Apulia, Italy Big ferris wheel on the waterfront of Bari

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Praia a Mare, Italy - Best Places to Visit in Italy

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