San Marino Day Trip: A Guide to Visiting This Micronation

San Marino is the 5th-smallest country in the world, and just like the smallest (Vatican City), it’s surrounded entirely by Italy.

I recently took a San Marino day trip from nearby Rimini. Well, two-day trip really since I came from and went back to Rome. But the distance is too much to visit this micronation in under 24 hours using public transport from the capital.

San Marino is a really scenic small country, with medieval towers you can walk between, typical Mediterranean weather, and a quaint old town full of cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops and more.

Here I’ll share with you what you can do in San Marino, how long you should spend in the country (honestly, a few hours is enough), everything you need to know before visiting, and what sort of transport is available.

Read on to find out everything you should know before visiting this fun little country!

What to do in San Marino

Let’s start with what you can do in San Marino. The good news is that despite the country’s tiny size of just 61km squared, everywhere of interest to tourists is clustered together in a small area where it will take you around 20 minutes to walk between the bus stop and the furthest point of interest.

Start by Exploring The Old Town

I love a charming little old town where people quietly sip their coffees outside cafes, and there’s a sense of calm and tranquility on the clean and picturesque streets.

And that’s exactly what San Marino has to offer. If you’ve been to Kotor in Montenegro, San Marino’s old town reminded me very much of that. Minus the bay beside it however.

The old town here has numerous cafes, restaurants and souvenir shops selling all the typical tourist stuff such as fridge magnets and bottle openers.

In fact, San Marino’s historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and deservedly so in my opinion.

Tourism makes up a large chunk of the Sammarinese economy, so there are plenty of gifts targeted towards short-term visitors.

If you enjoy a quiet place to wander around for a while and watch the world go by, this is it.

Cava dei Balestrieri: San Marino’s Crossbow Training Ground

Aside from being known for having the world’s worst football team (although as a Southampton fan writing in June 2025, I’m not so sure about this), San Marino is also famous for its crossbowmen.

They’re a key part of the country’s traditions, and they still exist today as a 70-strong unit of skilled shooters who retain a role (albeit ceremonial) in the military.

They train at Cava dei Balestrieri, which I don’t recommend attempting to pronounce after a beer or three.

Unfortunately the training ground was empty during my visit to the country, but if you’re lucky you may be able to see the crossbowmen in training here.

Visit The Basilica of Saint Marinus

San Marino’s main church is just a couple of minutes further up and around the corner from the crossbow training ground.

It is named after Saint Marinus who is credited for founding the country in 301AD, making it the oldest currently-existing nation in the world.

You are meant to dress modestly to enter. There is a sign at the door with a list of what you cannot wear (basically anything that reveals your skin aside from your face, neck and hands).

However I was waved inside by the lady at the entrance despite wearing shorts (which aren’t allowed according to the sign), despite pointing out my dress code infraction to her.

If you’re lucky, this church is the main one in the country, and any major ceremonies tend to take place here.

Without any events, it’s a quiet place worth at least a few minutes of your time.

Check Out The Three Towers: Guaita, Cesta and Montale

I’d say these towers are the highlight of San Marino. They’re fun to walk between, have great views of the surrounding settlements below, and offer up fairytale castle views that like those you would see on a San Marino postcard, in the unlikely event you have ever seen a San Marino postcard before.

You can buy tickets from either the first (Guaita) or second (Cesta) towers for just €8, or €5 if you visit after 4pm.

You cannot enter the third tower, which is the smallest and to be honest, least interesting of the three.

My favourite tower by far was the second (Cesta). From there you have fantastic views of the other towers, and there’s a museum full of weapons from medieval times that were used by the Sammarinese.

Also I found the first tower to be pretty crowded. There’s a narrow walkway at the top that’s only really wide enough for one person at a time. For some reason, people were coming from both directions making it tricky to get through.

Another reason why I preferred the second tower was that you can climb up thin staircases, narrowly avoiding low-hanging brickwork, and feel like you’re really inside a medieval castle!

Check Out The Museums if You Have Time

San Marino has 18 museums, of which 12 belong to the state, and the other 6 are privately owned. Prices vary but you’re looking at roughly €8 as a ballpark entry fee for those that do charge. Pretty much all of them are within the tourist centre, so you shouldn’t have any problems finding them at all.

Here’s a quick overview of the main museums in the country:

The State Museum shares artworks and artifacts detailing the state of San Marino. Go here if you wish to learn more about the history of the overall country. The State Museum website is here.

The Museum of Stamps and Coins is pretty self-explanatory in what it has to offer. Philatelists and numismatists will enjoy this one more than others.

The Museum of the Emigrant details stories of many locals who fled hunger and poverty in San Marino around the early 1900s. They have a website you can check out if your Italian is good enough. If it isn’t, then Google Translate can help you, although most web browsers have some sort of built-in translation software that can help these days.

The Natural History Museum is free to enter, and is full of exhibits showcasing animals that made their home in the country over the years. I couldn’t find a website for this one.

The Torture Museum has several medieval torture instruments which were used in the micronation in the past. I tried to enter, but it costs over 8 euros, and since my bus was in 20 minutes I decided not to pay this. Unfortunately, the museum’s website is no longer functioning, but it’s easy to find in the old town.

The Museum of Ancient Arms is located inside the second tower (Cesta) and included in the ticket price. It shows a series of equipment from medieval times such as weapons and suits of armour. Must admit, my highlight here was heading past everything and going straight to the top of the tower for views of the surroundings.

The Museum of Curiosities is full of oddities that don’t really align to any specific theme. If you like weird stuff and learning quirky facts then this might be your museum of interest. Their website is here.

The Vampire Museum is just as unusual as the Museum of Curiosities in some ways, as it is also based on something peculiar. Although in this case it has niched down to focus on mythical beasts, with vampires being the main draw. Check out their website for further details.

Art Museums can also be found in the country. There are multiple but I’ve bundled them together here as they follow a similar theme. If you like art, you aren’t short of choices here.

Is a Day Trip Enough to Visit San Marino?

To be honest, yes.

I was told at my hostel in Rimini the night before that you only need 3 hours to see everything worthwhile that San Marino has to offer. And sure enough, that was exactly the case without visiting museums.

If you’re into museums, you may find it tough to see everything in a single day, assuming you thoroughly cover every single one.

However, pretty much everything worth seeing in the country is within a short walk from any other cool sight, making it easy to explore in just a few hours.

San Marino is a cool place to relax however, and I wouldn’t be against staying there just to chill for a few days without doing any sightseeing.

Unsurprisingly, it shares a lot of charm with Italy’s historic towns and cities.

I may have to add San Marino to my list of Europe’s best solo travel destinations, because it was really good fun.

Things to Know Before Visiting

• There is no passport control in San Marino. Despite being an independent country, and not part of the Schengen Area, you can just come and go as you please. In fact, I only knew we’d arrived at the border at all because I was monitoring it on maps. There isn’t even an official border crossing point.
• The currency used here is the euro, just like in Italy next door.
• Italian is spoken as the main language of San Marino. In the touristy spots I found a fair few people who spoke English with abilities ranging from fairly basic, to almost-fluent.
• The weather is typical for a southern European country. The winters (December-February can be pretty cold, but the summers (June-August) and shoulder months around them are pleasantly warm.
• Despite no official border controls, you can get a San Marino passport at the tourist office. However, I DO NOT recommend this. That’s because it’s a novelty stamp rather than an official one, and some countries have been known to reject people entering due to such stamps.
• There is a Wi-Fi network that works in most of the Old Town (although not so much as you walk nearer the third tower). The network name is freersm+ and the password is freersm+2022. I wouldn’t worry about the date, as I visited in 2025 and the same password still worked.

Transport in San Marino

San Marino is so small that it’s easy to get around. In fact, I even have a friend who spent a few hours walking across the entire country from end to end!

Buses are the most frequent and reliable form of public transportation here. They generally come to and go from the parking lot between Via del Voltone and Viale Pietro Franciosi, connecting the capital of the tiny nation with smaller regions as well as Italy. I found it pretty easy to get the bus from Rimini.

Cars are the easiest transport form if you have access to one. You can drive just about anywhere with no hassle. If I had a car, I would’ve been able to complete my San Marino day trip from Rome as planned. It would’ve been a very long day however…

Trains are almost non-existent in San Marino with the exception of the tourist train which goes between Borgo Maggiore and the city centre.

There is also a cable car which follows a similar route, costing €5 for a return trip and €3 for a one-way journey.

Planes are not an option as there are no airports in this tiny country. Although it does have a small stake in the airport in Rimini nearby, which is the best connecting point.