San Marino Day Trip

Took a day trip from Bologna to visit the fifth smallest country in the world, and an independent country since 301 AD.

I did have a few friends ask "are you just going to San Marino for the novelty of visiting a tiny country that we sometimes play in football?"

I can't pretend it hadn't partially piqued my interest on that front. But honestly, if someone had said "about an hour away you can get a bus to this village up a mountain with an incredible old town, three towers, and jaw-dropping views for miles around" then I would have been game even without international borders being crossed.

That being said, I saw three people in front of me on the bus updating a list of countries on their phones with this latest conquest.

I got the bus from Rimini station on the east coast, which is on one of the main train lines. I recommend booking the bus in advance as it was pretty full both there and back, although there are other options to get up there - the cable car looks fun. The bus takes about 45 minutes and goes straight up into the old town, where all these pictures were taken, but the country does extend further out than the mountain.

There were no border checks, although there is a place to stamp your passport if you wish.

You can get one ticket to enter two of the three towers and various other museums. A lot of the shops take advantage of generous tax laws, meaning lots of clothing, perfume, and weapons for some reason.

It's worth checking the weather a day or so in advance as a lot of the visit involves strolling around outside and you're 750m up. It was quite overcast for us and the clouds covered a lot of the view for the last hour or so.

Overall, a fun day out that's definitely worth it if you're staying under two hours away. It's very picturesque, the history is fascinating, and there's enough to do to fill a day when you're up the mountain. Not sure I'd quite recommend doing it from Rome/Florence unless you are super keen and ready for 3-4 hours of travel each way.

Anyone else been?