San Marino may not be the most visited country in Europe, but after witnessing its dramatic beauty for myself, I’m convinced it’s one of the most underrated.

Don’t get me wrong – the touristic heart of the country (The City of San Marino) is a compact little place, and there’s an abundance of strange museums and shopping choices… but this epic micronation (actually the world’s fifth smallest country) has a number of fun tricks up its sleeve, from straight-out-of-a-fantasy-book views and tasty local fare to a unique history best witnessed through climbing walled fortresses, snooping around government palaces, and watching crossbowmen in their dedicated quarry (yes, really).

So if you’re intrigued, in this post, I’ll be sharing the most important things you need to know before visiting San Marino for yourself, from basic must-knows and how to get there, to random little tips for saving money and beating crowds. I hope it’s helpful!

1. Know that San Marino is landlocked & surrounded by Italy 

First off – let’s tackle location and how to get there.

The Republic of San Marino, also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino, is extremely unique in that it is a landlocked micronation completely surrounded by Italy. It can be found about 20km away from Rimini and arriving here requires you to first go through Italy.

So, do know that there’s no way to directly visit San Marino without going through Bella Italia first.

And while once upon a time, there actually was a train line that connected San Marino and Rimini, it was destroyed in WWII, so today the only way to get to San Marino as a visitor is by either renting a car or taking a shuttle bus. 

We personally took a shuttle bus from Rimini that took about 50 minutes and I can highly recommend that as an easy option.

2. San Marino uses the Euro & they speak Italian

In terms of other basic must-knows, the currency used here in San Marino is the euro and the official language is Italian, though some residents do speak Romagnol as well.

Residents here are called Sammarinese and that’s also the adjective you would use to describe something from here like Sammarinese wine or Sammarinese cuisine. 

3. San Marino’s capital is on top of a mountain

Now, this is where things get epic. San Marino’s capital city is the (very creatively named) City of San Marino, often just called San Marino, or ‘the Città’, which means the City in Italian.

Oh, and it just so happens to be a medieval walled city built into the peaks of grand Mount Titano… where the entire historic centre is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Known as the main tourism hub of San Marino, odds are as a visitor, your time in the country will mostly be concentrated up here, so for the rest of this post, most tips revolved around the capital specifically.

Do let me know in the comments if you have any other tips in regards to visiting the rest of the country though!

4. There is no passport control to enter San Marino

Next, you should know that there’s no need to worry about passport control, because while San Marino isn’t part of the European Union or the Schengen Area, there actually isn’t any passport control between them and Italy. 

That said, you do still need to be in possession of a valid passport for your visit, so don’t forget to bring it!

As a bonus, you can actually get a souvenir passport stamp if you want one at the tourist office in the City of San Marino, which costs 5 euro.

NOTE: I’ve gotten novelty passport stamps in the past with zero issue, but some people claim that novelty stamps will invalidate your passport, or will cause some airlines or countries to be a bit weird with you if you have them, so just keep that in mind. 

5. Stay overnight if you can

And while San Marino is most popular as a day trip destination, I would definitely say to stay at least a night or two if you’re able to.

There’s a few reasons for this – honestly, while it’s a small place, I don’t feel like a day trip is enough to fully absorb the magic of the capital, which really comes alive early in the morning and in the late afternoon/evening, after the day trip crowds have left.

One of the main draws for visiting in my opinion are the epic views and landscapes, and you really get to appreciate those so much more when it isn’t super busy and congested. 

A hotel in the City of San Marino’s Old Town would be my recommendation.

I personally stayed at Hotel Rosa for two nights and the views were stunning (though the uphill climb after heavy dinners was a bit challenging!) 

There are hotels closer to the base of the hill that may be cheaper but honestly there’s something very magical about waking up in the old city walls, so weigh those pros and cons before booking! 

As another bonus, those who stay overnight get something called a Tutto San Marino Card which gives you discounted rates at most San Marino attractions, including 50% off private museums, as well as 10%+ discounts at certain shops. 

While (to be fair) the prices of attractions in San Marino aren’t too bad anyway, this discount may be worth it if you plan to take advantage of the country’s tax free shopping. 

6. Learn about the history of San Marino prior to your visit

While already oozing fairytale charm from every cobble, the sights of San Marino become infinitely more interesting when you know a bit of context and history behind them, so I’d highly recommend learning a bit about the country before you go and getting that foundational context. 

Some interesting things to note though is that San Marino is one of few diarchies remaining in the world, (di as in two rulers, as opposed to monarchy which you know is one ruler), known as Captains Regent. These Captains Regent are elected every six months through a vote in the parliament, known as the Grand and General Council. 

San Marino also lays claim to being the oldest surviving republic in the world. And the way they’ve maintained this independence is actually incredible. All those details are beyond the scope of a travel tips post but just know there’s a lot of interesting history there to dig into, plus a very unique geography that explains why it was so hard to take over as well. 

So be sure to research a bit before you go!

7. The best way to get to San Marino is the shuttle bus from Rimini

You can get tickets online now or in-person at a nearby tobacco shop, though definitely bring cash if you plan that route because the kiosk I bought my tickets from only accepted cash. 

I’d say online is definitely easier and that way you can browse the schedule and everything. Tickets can be found here.

The bus stop can be found right in front of the Napoleon Hotel, which is a short walk from the main Rimini train station, so be sure to look out for that. 

When deciding where to disembark though, you have two main options: first you can ride the bus to the very last stop, and get dropped off at the base of a hill.

Or you can get off one stop earlier at Borgo Maggiore and then take the cable car up to the top for three euros. 

I would definitely recommend that second option unless you want a bit of a workout. We took the bus to the last stop during our trip and had to walk uphill quite a way to get to our hotel, so save yourself the leg workout, especially if you have bags. 

I also saw a cute little sightseeing train as well, so that’s another option.

8. Going on foot is the best way to explore

Now once you’re in the City of San Marino, the best way to get around is by far on foot. The whole city is fairly compact and the streets are so beautiful to explore, especially in the early morning or around sunset. Just beware that it is on top of a mountain so there’s a lot of uphill and downhill the entire time, so wearing comfortable shoes with good grip is key. 

I probably wouldn’t recommend driving once you get to the city as the streets are mainly built for pedestrians and there’s so many of them that driving in the old city would be a nightmare. 

9. Do NOT rely on Google Maps for navigation

San Marino is a tangle of zig zaggy streets which can make Google Maps very confusing because it often can’t tell which “level” you’re on. So, using just that for navigation isn’t likely to help you too much. I’d recommend taking note of different landmarks and kind of remembering where you are based on those. 

10. Arrive early for the shuttle bus

Finally, if you are taking the bus, don’t forget to arrive early!

Our bus from San Marino back to Rimini left two minutes earlier than the stated departure time, so don’t count on it to wait. During busy periods as well, if you don’t get there early enough, you might not get a seat and be forced to stand for the whole ride (which is apparently allowed).

11. Bring a water bottle

There’s a lot of uphill walking in San Marino and you’re sure to work up a bit of a sweat! That’s why it’s important you have water.

Luckily, there are free drinking fountains throughout the town where you can fill up easily, so be sure to bring a reusable bottle to take advantage.

12. Get the San Marino Museum Pass for paid attractions

If you plan to do a lot of San Marino’s paid museums and attractions, it might be worth just getting the San Marino Museum Pass, which includes a bunch of museums and sites for one set price.

You can buy it in advance online, though I would recommend waiting if you are staying overnight, since you can save three euros on it if you present a Tutto San Marino card (which is given to you when you check into a local hotel).

I do think this card is a super good deal – it was only 8 euro when I got it and it granted access to all the state-owned museums, which were pretty interesting. If you have a short time, I wouldn’t necessarily prioritize the museums here like the National Museum, but the Three Towers are definitely worth seeing. 

13. Visit the Three Towers early in the morning

On that note, do try to do big sights like the Three Towers early in the morning, as soon as they open.

These are probably the most popular sights in the country, so going early helps you avoid crowds… and also heat! There’s a lot of uphill walking involved with the towers so if you’re going in the summer, you want to go early before it gets too warm.

14. Don’t prioritize the small, niche private museums

Take note that there’s also a shocking number of private museums in San Marino as well, covering all sorts of niche topics from medieval torture to vampires and werewolves. Again, I wouldn’t necessarily prioritize these because natural beauty and history is more the draw here, but just FYI there are a lot of options.

15. Instead, prioritize San Marino’s many free attractions and activities

Of course, beyond the museums and paid attractions I do think San Marino has a number of really nice free sights to take in so if you’re short on time, that would personally be my priority. Besides the amazing viewpoints all around, you can also visit the Palazzo Pubblico, which is the main city hall building where there’s great views.

When it’s not actively in use, you can also go inside for free and see the chamber of the grand and general council which is super pretty.

The Basilica of San Marino is also worth a look.

And there’s the Crossbowmen’s Quarry where we got to see a local there practicing his shot! This was pretty scary because it’s right below a tourist viewpoint and I wasn’t expecting to hear a crossbow during my visit, but it was also cool to see him do his thing. 

16. Read reviews for restaurants and cafes before sitting down

There are quite a few options for food and drink up in San Marino, but because it’s a popular day trip destination, there’s quite a few tourist-trappy places that don’t offer the best value for money, so a quick read of reviews is key.

Some places we really enjoyed eating included:

1. Ritrovo dei Lavoratori XXVIII Luglio
2. Ristorante del Ghetto da Ottavio (though service is a little slow)

I’d also recommend you… 

17. Make reservations for restaurants 

Especially if you’re visiting during a peak period like summer or the weekend. The City of San Marino is pretty small so you’ll be fighting it out with all the other tourists to get a table somewhere good. 

18. Shopping is tax-free, but kind of weird

Now, on the shopping front, I know a lot of people get excited about shopping in San Marino because it’s tax-free, but I will say a lot of the shopping up in the City of San Marino was… no other word for it, just kind of weird. 

I noticed many of the shops sold the same array of mixed things, so you’d get souvenirs, but also random Airsoft guns, knock off perfumes and assorted geeky merchandise all in one place, which I thought was kind of strange and surprising. So don’t necessarily get your hopes up for lots of luxury shopping, but if that’s your main goal, they do have an outlet right across the border when you come from Rimini with a small selection of luxury shops so that might be more what you’re looking for. 

19. Mail a postcard for a fun and unique souvenir 

The postal system in San Marino dates back over 400 years so it’s worth the novelty of getting a postcard to send home!

If you’re especially nerdy about stamps and the postal system, there’s also a Stamp and Coin Museum that you can visit. 

20. Explore as much as you can beyond the typical tourist sights

And of course, be sure to take some time to explore and have a nice walk around. San Marino is stunning and there’s a lot more to see than just the typical tourist sights.

There’s many nice green trails for instance that make you feel worlds away from the city, so definitely take advantage… and time your walks for early in the morning and in the evening for optimal magic points.

BONUS: Avoid Wearing a Dress

Another bit of a random niche tip: do not wear a dress when you visit! This is something I learned the hard way.

There are some attractions in San Marino that just aren’t dress friendly, like at Guaita Tower for instance where there’s a small ladder to climb up to the top and everybody can see everything. You’ve been warned.

I Hope You Enjoyed This List of San Marino Travel Tips!

Let me know in the comments if you have any more to add.