Confession: a big part of why we decided to travel to San Marino is not because we were excited about learning about the microstate, but because we wanted to add another country to our list of those we have visited.
I know, I know–that’s so terribly uncool to admit.
But, as travelers who very clearly do not focus on country-counting to an absurd degree (hello, second six-week trip to Italy in less than a year), I’ll give us a pass on this one.
Plus–as we quickly found out once we got there–San Marino is incredibly cool, and the best things to do in San Marino make it well worth the annoying bus ride it took to get us there.
It’s beautiful, it’s quirky, it’s (subtly) distinct from neighboring Italy, it’s home to one of the coolest castles we’ve visited in Europe, and it’s the self-proclaimed oldest republic in the world.
By the end of our trip, we were thrilled not only that we had visited but that we had skipped a day trip to San Marino in favor of spending the night. Not only did we get to experience the country with fewer crowds, but the views from our hotel were incredible!
Considering a visit to the tiny country of San Marino?
From the top San Marino attractions you shouldn’t miss to how to get there and why it’s worth visiting in the first place, here’s everything you need to know about planning a trip to San Marino!
Table of Contents
The Best Things to Do in San Marino
While San Marino is small, its best attractions make for a big impact!
Here’s what not to miss when visiting San Marino.
Visit the Three Towers of San Marino.
If you do just one thing in San Marino, make it a visit to the Three Towers situated at the very top of Mount Titano, the 739-foot focal point of the country.
Mount Titano, which San Marino itself calls home, has 3 separate peaks, each of which is home to one of San Marino’s towers (don’t worry, they’re all very close together).
The towers are Guaita Tower, also called La Rocca, Cesta Tower, which is also called Falesia, and Montale Tower, or Third Tower.
That’s a lot of names (and I left some off for clarity!), but here’s what you need to know: you can climb both Guaita Tower and Cesta Tower, and you should. Montale Tower is closed, but you can walk over to it–ditching many of the crowds in the process–and enjoy beautiful views.
La Rocca and Falesia are fairly short to climb (though they do involve some small steps and ladders), but the views–both of the surrounding countryside and of each other–are spectacular and absolutely not to be missed.
The walk between the two towers, nicknamed the Passo delle Streghe (The Witches’ Pass) also boasts incredible views!
Cesta Tower/Falesia holds the Museum of Ancient Arms, which you can visit as part of your trip to the towers.
Tickets can be purchased on the official website as part of a combined pass for the San Marino State Museums.
Step inside the Public Palace.
It’s not every day that you can enter a country’s parliament building for a small fee and wander around with no metal detector at the entrance, no bag check, and no guide!
In San Marino, though, it’s totally possible, and you shouldn’t miss it.
This is where the Grand and General Council of San Marino both meet. There are 60 representatives in total, and the building is striking!
Take approximately 10,000 pictures of the vistas of San Marino.
Without a doubt, one of San Marino’s biggest assets is its incredible 360-degree views!
Every direction boasts views that belong on a postcard, and enjoying them is a big part of the appeal of visiting San Marino.
In addition to the views from and around the towers on Mount Titano’s peaks, some of the best viewpoints in San Marino include Piazza Sant’Agata, Giardino Panoramico, Piazza della Libertà, and Il Cantone.
We also loved the view from our balcony at Hotel La Rocca!
The Cable Car of San Marino also offers beautiful views with a side of transportation in exchange for a small fee.
Visit another one or two of San Marino’s museums.
For a small place, San Marino is absolutely packed with museums, ranging from the lovely (the National Gallery) to the niche (Museum of Vampires and Werewolves).
As of 2026, entrance to the Art Gallery of San Francesco, the National Gallery, the State Museum, the Museum of Stamps and Coins, the Museum of Ancient Weapons (located in Cesta Tower), and the Public Palace are all included with the State Museums Pass that you will use to access the towers.
At a minimum, I’d recommend visiting a couple of those!
The Museum of Rural Culture, which focuses on traditional Sammarinese life, also sounds very interesting, though we didn’t have a chance to visit.
Check out the Basilica of San Marino.
San Marino’s old town is small, so you’ll end up seeing most of the highlights just by walking around.
Be sure to take special notice of the Basilica of San Marino, though. I personally think the 19th-century building looks like a stately courthouse, but it’s actually a grand church!
The Chiesa di San Pietro is located right next door (you can see its facade on the right side of the below photo) and is also worth a look.
Do a bit of souvenir shopping at a discount.
Since San Marino is a duty-free and tax-free shopping zone, it’s known for offering more affordable prices than Italy does!
If there’s anything you have your eye on purchasing during your trip to Italy and San Marino, consider setting aside some time to browse during your visit to the microstate.
Interesting Facts About San Marino (Why to Visit!)
I don’t often include whole sections like this in my blog posts, but I found San Marino so fascinating that I can’t help but want to share!
In addition to the many cool things to do in San Marino outlined above, here are some interesting facts about what makes the country special.
San Marino is the fifth-smallest country in the world (and the third-smallest in Europe).
At roughly 24 square miles (or 61 square kilometers), there are very few countries that can claim to be smaller than San Marino!
Vatican City, Monaco, Nauru, and Tuvalu are the only countries that have the distinction of being even smaller than San Marino.
It was officially founded in the year 301.
Nope, not a typo. According to legend, San Marino was founded by the Christian stonemason Marinus (one name, like Madonna–10 points to anyone who knows what show I’m quoting there).
San Marino officially joined the UN in 1992.
The nation is landlocked by Italy.
Nestled between Emilia-Romagna and Marche, San Marino is completely enveloped by Italy.
The official language of San Marino is Italian.
Not particularly surprising, I know.
… And they also have open borders.
San Marino and Italy are closely connected both politically and economically, and that extends to their borders.
Though San Marino is not part of the EU, there are no border checks entering or leaving the country (and yes, they also use the Euro).
If you want a passport stamp, you can buy one!
For 5 Euro, you can purchase a San Marino passport stamp in the tourist office during your visit.
(Do this at your own risk, as since it’s not an “official” immigration stamp, it can technically be considered defacing a passport. The risk seems very minimal, but it’s not zero, so use your own judgment).
You can’t enter the Schengen Zone from here, as there is no border control.
San Marino’s borders are a bit complicated: they’re not part of the Schengen Zone, but they do have open borders with Italy (and, by extension, the Schengen Zone).
Since there are no borders, you can’t legally enter the Schengen Zone from San Marino.
Unless you’re flying in your own helicopter from a non-Schengen state, though, that’s not likely to be a problem!
With no public airport, no trains, and no way to approach the country via boat, you pretty much have to come through Italy, and therefore the Schengen Zone, to access San Marino anyway.
San Marino maintains an embassy in the USA (but not the other way around).
Who knew that tiny San Marino holds a piece of real estate in New York?
The people of San Marino are referred to as Sammarinese.
… And I definitely would have failed to guess that correctly had someone asked me.
Once, briefly, you could access San Marino by train.
In 1932, a train line (which involved several tunnels, due to the mountainous terrain) opened that ran from the Italian city of Rimini to San Marino.
Sadly, the railway was destroyed during World War II and never rebuilt.
Speaking of world wars, San Marino remained neutral in both.
Despite their neutrality, San Marino was briefly occupied by the Germans during World War II.
There was even a Battle of San Marino in 1944, in which Allied forces (specifically British and Indian troops) pushed out the German forces over a series of days.
The population of San Marino is around 33,000.
… Or, in other words, about a third of the number of people who live in the smallish US suburb that Jeremy and I went to high school in.
San Marino has a bust of Abraham Lincoln in their parliament building.
In 1861, San Marino wrote a letter to Abraham Lincoln to congratulate him on his presidency, which Lincoln returned.
A quote from Lincoln’s letter in return: “Although your dominion is small, your State is nevertheless one of the most honored in all of history. It has by its experience demonstrated the truth, so full of encouragement to the friends of Humanity, that Government founded on Republican principles is capable of being so administered as to be secure and enduring.”
What I find most fascinating about this quote, aside from the relationship between tiny San Marino and the 19th-century United States, is that Lincoln wrote it right around the beginning of the American Civil War.
1861 was not a fantastic year for the USA, and I’m sure that weighed on the president’s mind in his reply.
How to Get to San Marino
With no trains and no planes, you have two options for visiting San Marino: rent a car and drive (which is what we recommend in our Emilia-Romagna itinerary), or travel via bus, which is how we personally visited.
If you’re not driving, the best way to access San Marino is through the Emilia-Romagna beach town of Rimini (which is also worth a short visit if you’re passing through, especially in the summer).
The most popular way to visit San Marino for people traveling through Italy is as a side trip from Bologna, which is how we visited.
Here’s exactly how to get from Bologna to San Marino by public transportation!
Step one: take the train to Rimini.
Dozens of trains run from Bologna to Rimini (and vice versa) each day, making this step fairly easy!
The slower, regional trains take an average of an hour and a half each way, though you can find both shorter and longer journeys.
The high-speed trains can be as fast as 50 minutes or so, and might be worth the extra expense if you’re taking a day trip to San Marino.
The regional trains have fixed pries (there’s no need to book in advance), but the high-speed trains have dynamic prices that tend to increase as your date of travel gets closer.
Omio is a great option for reviewing train schedules and purchasing tickets!
While we’ve highlighted the Bologna – Rimini route specifically since it’s most popular, it’s worth noting that Ravenna is even closer and also well worth a visit!
Step two: board your bus to San Marino.
Right across the street from the Rimini Train Station is the bus stop to San Marino, which is run by Bonelli Bus.
You’ll see some small signs for it, and there is a storefront a couple of doors down from the Burger King where you can purchase round-trip bus tickets.
We purchased our tickets in person right before traveling in May and had no issue, but it’s worth keeping in mind that the Bonelli Bus website does recommend purchasing tickets in advance.
The bus will take you almost directly to San Marino’s old town with minimal stops along the way. The ride takes a little under an hour.
When you’re heading back out of San Marino, you’ll reverse the process.
Sounds like too much hassle?
Alternatively, you can always rent a car and take a mini road trip to San Marino!
Should you take a day trip to San Marino?
While San Marino is a popular day trip, we strongly recommend spending one night in San Marino if you have the time.
Not only will you have the privilege of eating a few more meals in town and admiring what the city is like once the hoards of day trippers melt away, but you’ll also have the opportunity to enjoy a few more of the best things to do in San Marino.
While it’s true that San Marino isn’t a place you want to base yourself for weeks, there’s more than a few hours worth of epic views to fill your time with here.
We based ourselves at Hotel La Rocca when visiting San Marino and loved our stay!
The location in the old town, the room itself, and the restaurant downstairs all met expectations.
As for the view from the balcony off of our room… that wildly exceeded expectations!
As a bonus, Hotel La Rocca (like many other hotels in San Marino’s old town do) provided us with a San Marino Tourism Card that includes a discount on some attractions–think of it as a discount code you receive for spending the night in town.
Check rates & book your stay at Hotel La Rocca today!
Read More About Visiting Italy, San Marino’s Only Neighbor
This is our only San Marino blog post, but when it comes to its neighbor Italy, we have almost 150 articles to share!
If you found this blog post about San Marino helpful, we’d love to continue to be part of your travel planning process.
You might also enjoy reading about:
- 7 Days in Italy: 7 Epic Itineraries for a Week in Italy
- Enchanting Emilia-Romagna, Italy: Itinerary for 7 Food-Filled Days
- 44 Villages + Small Towns in Italy That Are Worth a Detour
- Italy’s Coperto Explained: A Quick Guide to the Coperto in Italy
- 7+ Fun Day Trips from Parma, Italy (+ How to Get There)
i was doing san marino for a school project and these facts were so cool!
Thanks Zak! Hope you enjoyed the project!
Wooow! I would like to visit San Marino one day. It’s a simply unique and beautiful country.
It absolutely is! We’d love to go back.
What an informative, well written and encouraging post ?
I never heard of San Marino, despite being German, and only googled info because it’s the country with the highest Coronavirus death rate per 1 Million.
It sounds like such a special place, especially regarding its independence. I am now even sadder it has been hit so hard by this bloody virus!
Visiting Florence is on my bucket list because of its Art. Thanks to your lovely post i am now putting San Marino as my favorite place to visit ?
Thank you very much for your inspiration.
Birgit
Thank you, Birgit! I hope you’re able to safely visit soon and enjoy the country, it’s incredibly beautiful!
Hi Kate and Jeremy,
I have a question, I haven’t been able to figure out an answer for, and wondering if maybe you know. Since there is no border control, is it possible to use days in San Marino, that won’t count against Schengen limits. Tourist passport stamp, plus hotel/restaurant receipts to ‘kinda’ prove the stay is what I’m thinking, but can’t really find anything via google that confirms/denies that this is doable.
Thanks, and… love your blog!
..clark
Hi Clark!
Unfortunately, unless you’re planning on flying a private helicopter in, San Marino is de facto part of the Schengen Zone because you have to pass through Italy to get to it. I suppose in theory someone could argue that they “left”, but that’s not a conversation I’d want to have with a border agent. Since you still have freedom of movement in and out of the Schengen Zone, you’re essentially in it as far as your passport is concerned.
Believe me, with as carefully as we count our Schengen days, we sure wish that wasn’t the case!
Such an interesting post.
I’ve been to San Marino a couple of years ago as a day trip.
We stayed in Riccione (camping) which is close to Rimini and the drive was really short and through nice countryside.
I didn’t know, the huge building with the pilars in front was a church though 🙂 and I’d love to return and stay over night, cause as you said, there are many tourists there during the day.
Greetings from Austria
Trish
The drive must have been beautiful! We definitely missed out on that aspect being in a big bus.
Nothing wrong with getting another notch Kate. Been there even though I travel long tern.
It’s true! We’re big on returning to old favorites, but we sure like filling in that map too… going to be doing some more of that this fall. 🙂