Have you heard of San Marino before? Up until 6 months ago, I had no idea this country existed – but I was instantly fascinated once I visited. It’s a tiny, mountainous microstate landlocked in North-central Italy, one of the smallest and oldest countries in the whole world.
If you’re in Florence and looking to cross a new, fascinating country off your bucket list, you’re in luck. Read on to find out exactly how to take a day trip to San Marino from Florence.
San Marino fun facts
Not quite convinced that a day trip to San Marino is worth it? For such a tiny country, it sure has some interesting facts that may pique your interest.
- Established in 301 AD, it’s one of the oldest constitutional republics in the entire world (the Sammarinese claim it is the oldest)
- Can we appreciate for a second how cute the name Sammarinese is? “Oh where ya from mate?” “I’m Sammarinese!” How fun.
- Abraham Lincoln is a citizen. He expressed admiration for San Marino in 1861 when he said, “Although your dominion is small, nevertheless your State is one of the most honored throughout history.” San Marino responded to this flattery by giving him San Marino citizenship!
- The country is still governed by the original constitution from 1600, making it the oldest constitution still in use
- It’s the 5th smallest country in the world and the 3rd smallest in Europe
- It’s been invaded many times (for example by Napoleanoic troops) but has never lost an invasion.
- They speak Italian here, plus an old dialect of the surrounding Emilia-Romagna region called Romagnol
- Only 60,000 tourists come to San Marino per year, making it the least visited country in Europe. By contrast, surrounding Italy takes in 94 million tourists per year!
- There are no border checks between San Marino and Italy. If you like to collect passport stamps though, you can head to the tourist office and purchase a stamp for 5 euros!
Are you intrigued yet?
How to take a day trip to San Marino from Florence
Let me preface by saying it would be lovely to spend the night in San Marino if you have the time. There are several decent hotels under the 100 euro mark, for example: Grand Hotel San Marino, Hotel Rosa San Marino, and Titan Suites Hotel San Marino.
I was on a super tight budget when I visited (like, I wrote tracked every purchase down to the penny) so I decided to take a day trip here instead and sleep back at my cheap hostel in Florence.
It was really hard to find any info on how to make this day trip possible, so I will share what I did for those of you interested in the same.
There’s no direct train or bus from Florence to San Marino, so you have to take a combination of both.
- First, take an early morning train from Florence (Firenze Santa Maria Novella train station) to a city called Rimini. The train should cost around €30 each way (€60 total) and takes roughly two hours to arrive in Rimini from Florence.
- Once you arrive at Rimini station, walk outside and across the street for the bus to San Marino.
- There are buses every hour or so during the summer months and roughly every four hours in the winter months. Click here for the bus schedule.
- You buy the bus ticket on the bus, not in a ticket station outside. They cost €5 euro one way, €10 return. Bring cash with you to pay for the ticket, as they did not accept card when I visited.
- Around 30 minutes later, you will arrive in San Marino! No visa or passport checks required. Grand total traveling time each way is around 3 hours.
What to do in San Marino
Walk to the top of the Three Towers
There are three towers perched on the mountaintop of Monte Titano offering sweeping vistas for those that take the incline walk to the top. Their names are Gauita, Cesta, and Montale. They have played a major role in defending the country since onlookers from the top of the tower can see incoming invaders from far, far away.
Guaita is the oldest and most famous of all three being constructed in the 11th century. Montale Tower, constructed in the 14th century, is not open for visitors to the public.
Cesta, though, is the clear winner. Built during the 13th century, Cesta Tower is located on the highest of Monte Titano’s summits.
Once you finish the short hike to the towers, you will be rewarded with incredible views of surrounding Italy, filled with green landscapes as far as the eye can see.
There are signs all over the small town pointing you in the direction of the towers. From where the bus drops you off, you can easily walk there on foot in fifteen minutes.
Visit the Basilica di San Marino
I’ll be honest – if you’re coming on a day trip from Florence to San Marino, you’ve already seen the best of the best in terms of churches.
The Basilica here is nonetheless worth a quick stop. It has a beautiful Neoclassical architecture style.
Stroll around Palazzo Pubblico
Palazzo Pubblico serves as the town hall, the official government building, and it’s where all of the country’s important ceremonies take place.
If it looks familiar, that’s because it’s based on the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. But on a much, much smaller scale.
Visit the Museum of Ancient Arms (if you’re into that sort of thing)
One surprising thing I noticed right off the bat is that the Sammarinese are crazy about their guns. They’re hard to miss, filling all of the souvenir shops.
If you’re interested to learn more, there is a museum inside the Cesta tower dedicated to the country’s weapons history dating back to the Medieval Era.
Day trip from Florence to San Marino: Is it worth it?
Most definitely! San Marino was one of the most unique places I’d ever been. I mean, how many other countries can you say you walked around the entire thing in a couple of hours?
After a couple of hours of exploring the country, I walked 5 minutes back to the bus station in San Marino and took the bus back to Rimini train station. Then, I took the train from Rimini back to Florence and was in my hostel bed before nightfall!
There you have it! A day trip to San Marino from Florence is totally doable with a little planning.
