The Best of Rimini in 24 Hours.
Rimini is located on the coast, about an hour from Bologna by train. It’s known for being a seaside town so it would be interesting to see what it’s like at the beginning of March!
I was only staying here because I was heading to San Marino by bus.
Rimini was founded in 268BC and was an important strategic location for the Roman empire. It was the main route between central and Northern Rome and protected Rome from the Celts. It’s also on the coast so would have been a major player in trade. You can see how big it once must have been with the amphitheatre. bridge and arch of augustus.
I decided to stay a night here to check out what it had to offer, and it turned out it has a lot! The main town feels very separate to the beach area. The majority of the hotels are found at the beach so that’s where I stayed, at Hotel Polo. Without further Ado, here’s my top 5 things to do in Rimini in 24 hours!
Walk Along the Canal
A canal has always historically joined the sea with the town and it’s a beautiful walk, start either end and you get a reward. I walked up from Fellini park, a huge green space near the Grand Hotel with a beautiful fountain and a giant camera! From here I headed over to the Marina, the water is this beautiful green-blue colour.
Check out all the interesting boats and this beautiful old porta or archway that once led from the city to the docks. The end of the canal is totally amazing, a 2000 year old Roman bridge! The Ponte di Tiberio has been restored, they even found a load of huge stones that were once part of the streets and bridge underneath it. It’s truly beautiful and I took pics from every angle I could find.
Make sure to check out the nearby park, and there are some nice cafes/restaurants nearby. There’s a cute little square on the North side of the bridge. The park has some more info about the bridge and some blocks discovered during the excavation. Also a couple of really cool murals.
Walk through Borgo San Giuliano
Conveniently located right by the bridge, this little area was a really nice surprise. I had noticed a lot of street art along the walls of the canal and decided to investigate.
I’m so glad I did, I found out this area is famous for its murals. With one street in particular being filled with all different types of art, a few of my favourites are below. There’s even a lovely old wall running along one of the stone pine lined streets. I spotted another archway, imagine that was your exit to work every day, incredible!
This area is also renowned for amazing food, with some of the best restaurants found here. Although I only had a couple of snacks this list from Culture Trip covers a few.
The Fellini Museum
Fellini was a famous director, artist and gag writer. He was born in Rimini in 1920. Fellini is famous for films such as La Dolce Vita, Fred and Ginger, and La Strada The museum situation confused me at first, there are several points of interest spread about the town. However the main exhibition is at Castel Sismondo.
It costs 10 euro for entry to this and another museum and it is worth it. There are 15 rooms of varying size filled with Fellini memorabilia, but it’s done in such a fun way. It feels like a real homage to him.
The giant lady lying down, the outfits and the billowing clouds were just some of my favourite bits. The cinema museum isn’t as impressive but it’s still worth checking it out, especially if you’re a film fan. The rhino in a boat outside is fun too.
Roman Ruins and City Museum
These two sights go hand in hand and are found right next to each other at the Piazza Luigi Ferrari. I love history and I’m fascinated by the Romans and how advanced they were so I loved this. Check out the old surgeons villa first.
It had these beautiful original floor tiles and little hints at how grand it must have been. I couldn’t believe it had been buried under a Republican palace in the 5th-6th century and then a under the necropolis of an 8th century building! It costs 7 euros to go in but you get the City Museum included in that.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stop and relax in the square and maybe try a Pianida it’s a delicious regional flatbread filled with whatever delicious ingredients you fancy and they’re cheap!
Nice and full I hit the museum, downstairs is filled with Roman history. I’m never sure about places filled with random bits of stone and tools but I loved reading all the stories that came with them.
The main floor is all about the surgeons villa, with pieces they found whilst excavating. There’s also lots of interesting facts about it.
Upstairs in the museum is some artwork but I was museum’d out at this point so gave it a skip.
Just Wander the Streets
I couldn’t believe how nice Rimini was. There are several gateways just standing on their own to check out. The Arch de Augustus is the most impressive it’s stood there since 27BC. Which is just incredible. There’s also a great story about it in the museum.
Make sure you grab a slice of pizza and say hello to Caesar at the Piazza Tre Martiri or stop for dinner at Piazza Cavour. I walked around the old city walls and through some nice relaxing parks. The coliseum wasn’t open when I went but it didn’t look like I was missing much.
In the Summer check out the beach, it was a bit overcast when I was there and the beach clubs were closed. There’s a cool Fellini park and the Grand Rimini Hotel for some good pics nearby. Walk to the end of the pier for a cute statue.
Central Rimini isn’t the biggest so it won’t take long to walk around and find lots of interesting old buildings, and huge squares opening up in front of you. However, it’s totally worth it.
I’m sure there are lots more things to do in and around Rimini, especially in Summer when the beach clubs are booming. For more ideas around Rimini, check out San Marino HERE. Then check out my other Italy blogs HERE.
ALWAYSANOVICE 