Guaita
The first and oldest of the three towers
Climb its walls for the classic view along the ridge to the second tower.
Monte TitanoFortressView
San Marino & Monte Titano, San Marino
Ideal: 1 dayBest: Apr–OctPrice: Moderate
In 60 seconds
San Marino & Monte Titano in 60 seconds
San Marino claims to be the oldest surviving republic in the world, founded by tradition in 301 by a stonemason called Marinus, and it has kept its independence on the top of one mountain ever since. The old city clings to the ridge of Monte Titano: steep lanes, the neo-Gothic Palazzo Pubblico where the guard changes in green and red, and the three towers strung along the cliff edge — the Guaita, the Cesta and the Montale — joined by a path with the whole of Romagna below and the Adriatic on a clear day. Ride the cable car up from Borgo Maggiore, walk the ridge in the late afternoon when the day-trippers leave, and stay for the lights of the coast. A day is enough; a night up top makes it.
MedievalUNESCO
Best for
- History
- Views
Known for
- Three Towers
- Palazzo Pubblico
- Monte Titano
- Cable car
Skip if
You want more than a day of things to do — San Marino is one ridge, best as a stop between Rimini and the hills.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well San Marino & Monte Titano fits them. Choose interests
See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Cesta
The second tower, on the highest summit
Stands on the top of Monte Titano and holds a small museum of old weapons.
Monte TitanoFortressMuseum
Montale
The third tower, seen from the path
Not open inside — the reward is the quiet woodland walk to reach it.
Monte TitanoFortressWalk
Palazzo Pubblico
Town hall and seat of government
The guard changes in the square outside through the summer; the council chamber can be visited inside.
Piazza della LibertàArchitectureCeremony
Basilica di San Marino
Neoclassical church of the founding saint
Holds the relics of Saint Marinus behind a columned front.
CittàChurch
Orientation
Neighbourhoods
How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.
Città di San Marino
The walled old city on the ridge
Gates, stepped lanes and terraces looking over the plain.
Borgo Maggiore
Market town at the foot of the cable car
A long arcaded square below the cliff, where the cable car starts.
Stay
Where to stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
In the old city
ModerateSmall hotels inside the walls
Worth it for the ridge at dusk once the coaches have gone.
Quiet eveningsViews
Rimini
ModerateThe coast below
A base on the sea with buses up the mountain.
BeachTrains
Practical
Know before you go
- Getting in
- Buses run up from Rimini station; there is no railway. Drivers park below the walls.
- Border
- No border checks with Italy, and the euro is the currency.
- Passport stamp
- The tourist office stamps passports with a San Marino visa as a souvenir.
- Taste locally
- Torta Tre Monti, nidi di rondine, piadina and the republic's own wines.
Plan this trip — useful links
Context
History in 5 minutes
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
- 301
By tradition, Saint Marinus founds a community on Monte Titano.
- 1600
The republic's written constitution, still in force, is adopted.
- 2008
The historic centre and Monte Titano are inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Further out
Nearby escapes
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
Borgo Maggiore
Cable car and market square
Ride down for the square and the view back up the cliff.
A few minutes by cable carTown
Rimini
Roman bridge, Fellini's town and the beach
The usual way in, and a seaside contrast to the mountain.
45 min by busCoast