San Marino! My 61st country, and the fifth smallest in the world. It’s one of the oldest republics too. San Marino gained independence from Rome in 300AD and has kept it ever since. It was the only city state to refuse reunification with Italy! Surrounded on all sides by Italy, it’s area is only 61.2km sq. Being so small it has no airport or train station. The best way to get there is from Bologna or Rimini.

There’s a monorail called the Marconi express which will take you straight to Bologna Centrale from the airport. From here I took the train to Rimini after a quick breakfast. It took around an hour and a half.
The train cost about 10euro for a slightly slower train, but you could take faster one for 30euro. At Rimini station I got a bus ticket opposite the station exit at the little shop pictured below. The bus stop for San Marino is in front of the Hotel Napoleon just down the street from the shop. Find the timetable HERE

San Marino’s capital is located on top of Mount Titanos which stands 739m tall. It’s basically a huge walled citadel on the ridge and I caught glimpses of it as the bus wound it’s way up the mountain.

You get off at the base of the City, make sure you stop and admire the amazing views out over the mountains. Then start to make your ascent! There’s a lift from the carpark or a beautiful set of stone stairs. Turn left at the top and head to the Porta San Francesco. This is your entrance to San Marino’s UNESCO heritage city.

Now you can wander as you please. I was staying one night at Hotel Cesare. It’s right in the middle of everything, but the City is so small It doesn’t really matter where you stay location wise. I dumped my bag and started to wander. All the stone work is so pretty on the buildings. I wound my way up to Guaita Tower, the first of three towers along the defensive walls.

It’s a steep club but absolutely worth it, I saved going into the tower for tomorrow instead walking around it and down the Witch Pass. Witch Pass is this beautiful stone walkway taking you across two gaps in the rock. It’s absolutely amazing and one of the reasons I wanted to come to San Marino.

I wandered down the steps and across before heading up another slope to tower number two Cesta. Unfortunately it was closed for renovations when I was there but it is still amazing from the outside. Now you pass through a gateway and find yourself walking through a lovely pine wood. It smelt gorgeous in the evening air and there was hardly a soul around.

There are a couple of little lookout points just off the path with great views of towers two and three. I carried along until I reached Montale, tower number three. Built in the 13th century it’s a single tower that was used to defend San Marino and as a prison! The views from around the tower are insane.

Golden hour was just starting, so I headed back towards Guaita Tower, stopping along the way to take some more pics in the evening light. You have to see the witch Pass and tower at sunset, it’s incredible. One of the most beautiful scenes I’ve witnessed. Plus you get to watch the sunset over the mountains.

I was so happy, and everyone seemed to disappear so I had it all to myself. Once the sun went down I descended back down into the City. I found a nice looking restaurant and stopped for dinner. It was so good, I had Tortellacci, a slightly bigger version of tortellini covered in shaved truffle! I also accidentally ordered 2/3 of a bottle of wine. It was only 5 euros, and the pasta was 14. Really good value for what I had.

I was tired from a 4am wake up for the flight to Bologna and wanted to watch the sunrise from the Witch Pass, so it was an early night for me.
The next day I was up at 6:15am and out the door, it took me about 5 minutes to get to the witch pass and I saw the big arches that it goes over. It’s certainly an impressive feat of engineering.

It was pretty cloudy but I got a bit of a sunrise, coming up from the Adriatic sea. It was freezing up there, a cold wind coming down from the mountains. So off I wandered, finding some beautiful panoramic spots and the sunrise got better and better until the whole sky seemed golden.

After sunrise I had a wander around the quiet town I found some great photo spots, and lots of cool features everywhere. It’s so cute, and had so much character for a small place. Now it was time for breakfast and to plan the rest of my day.

I was ready to visit some museums now. First up was the famous Guaita Tower. Originally built in the 11th century it’s since been added to and renovated. It’s not that big so it won’t take long to see everything but it’s definitely worth it.

Make sure you go up onto the walls, spot the cute well and check out the prison! The highlight was definitely climbing through this small trapdoor into the tower and going all the way to the top! The views were absolutely amazing from up there.

Next up was the parliament building. In San Marino they elect two heads of state every 6 months! The parliament was also pretty small but it cost 6 euros to do this and the castle. It’s 8 euro for all the museums but I only had time for two. It’s really beautiful inside and there’s a good film about the history of San Marino and it’s independence as a republic.

Now it was time to do one last thing, get a stamp! For 5 euro you can go to the tourist office and they will put an official San Marino stamp in your passport. It’s such a fun idea and easy to do. Finally I was ready to reluctantly depart. I wandered down through the beautiful streets and stopped off at the San Francesco church for a quick peek.

I took one last look at the beautiful view over the mountains as I waited for the bus back to Rimini, find out what I got up to there HERE. If you’re travelling around Italy then check out my other blogs HERE.

Published by Tom

Wanderluster, forever day dreaming of my next destination. Nurse by day, gay, geek, love sports and marvel comics. Determined to visit every country in the world! View all posts by Tom