San Marino flies under the traditional tourist’s radar, but this tiny little country has more tourist attractions than you’d think. If you’ve ended up here, you’re probably considering a trip to San Marino. So rest assured I will show you that this beautiful little country is totally worth your time!
Completely surrounded by Italy, the Republic of San Marino is a jewel waiting to be discovered. With a population of 35,400 people and a total land area of barely 23 square miles, San Marino is one of the smallest countries in the world.
The capital city – also named San Marino – is perched atop a mountain overlooking the Adriatic Sea. When I visited, the city was literally above the clouds. It’s a magical place to visit and somewhere you should not miss if you’re on the east coast of Italy.
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San Marino – What You Need to Know
Where is San Marino?
San Marino is about 3 hours east of Florence and 3 hours south of Venice. Though it’s far closer to Florence as the crow flies. There are no major highways that cut across this part of Italy so it’s a slow drive on winding mountain roads if coming from Tuscany. There is no coastal access from within San Marino but the Adriatic Sea is visible from the top of the mountain in the city.
How to get to San Marino
The best option is having your own car. While the city is on a steep mountain and roads are narrow, there are ample parking lots that offer pretty cheap rates. As there is no airport and the country is so small, you’ll be renting a car from Italy and not within San Marino’s border.
For renting cars in Europe we usually use Discovercars.com, as we find they have the best raets. You can find a great deal on a rental car from Florence or elsewhere in Italy using the link below.
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Getting there by public transportation is possible, but it’s sort of a mess and I don’t recommend it. If you don’t have a car your best bet is to get to Rimini (the closest Italian city) by train and take a taxi to San Marino.
Weather and when to visit
The weather in San Marino is like anywhere in mountainous central Italy. It can be cold and dreary in the winter and hot and sunny in the summer. The city is high atop a mountain and can often be above the rain clouds.
San Marino never gets as crowded as some of its Italian neighboring cities. But it’s a popular destination for Italians and as a small country and capital city, can feel quite crowded if busy.
It’s best to avoid the typical Italian travel month of August. Other than that it will not be too busy. For the best weather and long evenings, May-July would be ideal.
How to get around San Marino
If you’re in the city, you will walk everywhere. The city is literally tiny. You can walk around the entire place in less than an hour, so long as you don’t get too tired climbing all the stairs! Within the country, it’s best to have a rental car. Be sure to check out my guide to driving in Europe before renting a car.
Food
It’s essentially Italian food in San Marino. Avoid the touristy restaurants with big menus outside and head to Ritrovo Dei Lavoratori XXVIII Luglio, a fantastic restaurant popular with locals. I’m pretty sure I was the only tourist when I had dinner there and the place was packed!
Money
San Marino is on the euro, just like Italy, even though it’s not a member of the EU. In general it’s cheaper than popular italian cities, but in line with cheaper Italian cities not as often visited by tourists.
You can still find a half liter carafe of wine for 6 euros at a decent restaurant, and pastas are typically under 12 euros unless you’re at a very nice restaurant.
Language
They speak Italian in San Marino but most people in hospitality speak English. Though if you don’t go to a touristy restaurant it’s likely the staff won’t speak any English. You shouldn’t have any trouble with communication in San Marino. You’ll manage though.
Guns
It’s unclear exactly why, but there are gun stores all over San Marino. Like more gun stores than I’ve ever seen in my life. And I used to live in Texas!
These stores are also loaded with knives. Yet the country is incredibly safe. So I don’t know who is buying all these guns or why. Extensive internet research has yielded nothing in trying to find out why these gun stores are so prevalent in San Marino. If you happen to know, drop a comment below. You’ll also see many perfume stores and a whole lot of leather goods stores.
Where to stay in San Marino
There are not many hotel options in San Marino, with most of them being in the city center. In general, they are quite affordable, though. Most of the hotels will offer a discount on parking too.
If you stay outside the city it will be a bit more difficult to get into the city, but doable on the limited bus system. There are no major chain hotels so you’ll be staying at a locally owned accommodation.
How long to stay
One day and one night is sufficient to see San Marino, unless you want to have an extended trip through the countryside. The city is small and compact and you can explore it along with its historic castle in one afternoon without ever setting foot in a vehicle. It’s best combined with a road trip around central Italy.
Travel insurance
Having travel insurance is comforting on any trip to Europe. We use World Nomads when we travel internationally. Word Nomads provides coverage to travelers in over 100 countries. You can search for a coverage plan using the link below.
A Very Brief History of San Marino
San Marino was founded in the year 321 by Saint Marinus. Escaping persecution of Christians, he fled to the top of Mount Titan and laid claim to his own independent state.
Present day San Marino city is still atop the mountain. The country remained this way for over 1000 years before some of the surrounding villages joined the republic. The country’s border has remained the same since 1463.
To this day San Marino is the oldest republic in the world, having survived many advancements from foreign powers as well as the Italian reunification efforts in the 19th century.
That is not to be confused with the oldest continuously running democracy in the world, which is actually the United States (many countries today are still not democracies). San Marino is a parliamentary republic. But enough of the civics lessons. Let’s get to the good stuff!
The Top San Marino Tourist Attractions
Let’s go through the main tourist attractions in San Marino and the top things to see and do in the city. Walking around is super easy but also super hilly. You will climb a hell of a lot of stories walking to all these sights. But you won’t actually cover that much ground.
San Marino city is tiny and can easily be seen in an afternoon, even with significant time at some of the stops discussed below. Refer to the map below for a visual representation of the top things to see in San Marino.
Prima Torre – La Rocca – Guaita
The most famous of the many tourist attractions in San Marino is its 11th century castle and fortress that sits at the very top of the mountain. To the west is the city center and to the east is a steep cliff that drops 700 feet to the countryside below.
The First Tower is closest to the city center and charges 5 euros for entrance. There is a small museum as part of the castle, which itself does not take long to explore. But from here you get a great view of the valley below and the Adriatic Sea. You can also see along the cliff to the Second Tower.
Seconde Torre
The Seconde Torre is located at the higher point of the mountain and thus the highest point in San Marino. From the Prima Torre it’s a steep walk up the mountain to the second tower. But for me the best part was the view of the second tower from the walkway between towers.
Right along the cliff, above the public toilets of all places, there is a stone bench that gives you the absolute best view of this tower built right on the cliff. Don’t miss this view! Inside the Seconde Torre, you’ll find the Museum of Ancient Weapons, which showcases hundreds of medieval weapons
Terza Torre
The third and final tower is essentially the end of town. You can’t go inside this one as it’s permanently closed to the public but it’s worth the 15 minute walk from the first tower.
The walk is up and down along the cliffside and offers many beautiful views. You can actually continue on past the third tower and walk through some woods back into town. Very few tourists make the short trek to the third tower so you’ll likely be all alone!
Palazzo Pubblico
San Marino’s main government building is the Palazzo Pubblico. It’s right in the middle of town and is open to the public. The current building dates back to 1894.
You can think of it as San Marino’s capital building or parliament building. Amazingly enough, there are 60 members of parliament in San Marino. Has to be the highest number of parliament members per capita in the world!
Museo di Stato
The Museo di Stato is the national museum – San Marino’s answer to the Smithsonian or the British Museum. It’s small but contains artifacts from all over the world.
I was expecting the national museum to be all about the history of San Marino, but that’s not really what this is. There really isn’t much San Marino related anything in the museum, so if you’re short on time and really interested in the country, this is something you can skip. But if you’re really into museums and ancient artifacts it’s definitely worth a stop.
Basilica di San Marino
The city’s main church has an epic location, right at the edge of a cliff on the northern side of town. It’s small by Italian standards but looms large in the tiny city. The church dates back to 1826, so it’s young compared to its Italian neighbors. It’s in beautiful condition today and definitely one of San Marino’s main tourist attractions.
Museum Pass
You can purchase a pass that gets you into all the government-run museums as well as the Prima Torre and Seconde Torre for only 9 euros from any of the sites discussed in this article. If you’re spending a day in the city the pass is worth it. Even if you just plan on going to the towers you might as well buy the pass and get the other sites for free.
A Leisurely Walk
There are various other little museums and sights to see in the city. But the most enjoyable thing will just be a walk through the little narrow streets, up and down the hills. Every so often there is a nice viewpoint to the valley below or a cute little street that’s Instagram-worthy.
You can’t go wrong just wandering the city. And you can’t get lost either, as it’s so small and so steep you’ll always know where you are!
Outside San Marino City
There are not a whole lot of sights on the tourist trail outside the central city. The rest of the country is pretty residential and it’s mostly farmland.
One place worth a stop, however, is Consorzio Vini Tipici di San Marino. This is the only winery in the entire country. It’s not a beautiful vineyard or anything like Tuscany. More like just an industrial building with a shop. The vineyards are spread throughout the country and visiting them is not possible.
But should you stop by the tasting room you’ll be treated with a ton of local wines to try, as well local olive oil and chocolates. They even have wine on tap. Numerous locals come by to fill up their jugs.
The wines are very well priced and far cheaper than anything you’ll find in Tuscany. The basic wine is about 3 euros and a bottle of very good red wine is only 7 euros. They’ll let you try before you buy too. I bought one bottle to take home with me. It’s not every day you can bust out a bottle of wine from San Marino!
San Marino – Frequently Asked Questions
What is San Marino Famous for?
San Marino is “famous” for being the world’s oldest republic. I put “famous” in quotation marks, because it’s not really world famous. Very few people around the world know that little bit of trivia. But now you do so you can impress your friends!
Is 1 day enough for San Marino?
1 day is sufficient to see the main tourist attractions in San Marino. It’s such a small country with a tiny capital city. And most of the things you will be seeing are in the city, making them easily walkable.
Why is San Marino not Italy?
It sure seems like San Marino should be part of Italy. But this little country is the oldest surviving republic in the world and has continuously rejected becoming part of Italy. During the Italian unification movement in the 1800s the small nation-state basically said they weren’t interested in becoming Italians!
Is San Marino the smallest country in the world?
While San Marino is pretty damn small, it is only the 5th smallest country in the world. It falls behind Tuvalu, Nauru, Monaco, and another country completely encapsulated by Italy: Vatican City.
Final Word
In this article we have gone over the main tourist attractions in San Marino, a tiny country that is off most people’s travel radar. But should you find yourself in Central Italy it’s definitely worth a visit to this ancient republic. The capital city is built on the top of a mountain and the view of the castle with the countryside in the background is to die for. Don’t sleep on San Marino!
