MyPassportStory
Your travels, worth telling.
MyPassportStory › Destinations › San Marino
🇸🇲Things to Do in San Marino
From the Three Towers atop Mount Titano to San Marino's medieval old town - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
San Marino claims to be the oldest surviving sovereign state and constitutional republic in the world, founded (according to tradition) in 301 AD, entirely surrounded by Italy. Its walled old town, perched dramatically atop Mount Titano, is small enough to see thoroughly in a single day trip from the nearby Italian coast. Here are 3 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
The Three Towers
Guaita, Cesta and Montale - three fortified towers along the ridge of Mount Titano, San Marino's national symbol and appearing on the country's flag and coat of arms.
📍 Mount Titano
🚉 Buses from Rimini station climb to San Marino in about 50 minutes; from the terminal, a funicular or a steep walk reaches the ridge, and the three towers are linked by the Witches Passage path.
San Marino City Old Town
A UNESCO World Heritage walled old town with narrow medieval streets, the Basilica di San Marino, and the Palazzo Pubblico, the seat of the country's government.
📍 San Marino City
🚉 The historic centre is closed to non-resident cars: park at the base and take the cable car up from Borgo Maggiore, which runs every 15 minutes.
Mount Titano Views
On a clear day, the summit views from San Marino's towers reportedly stretch across the Adriatic coast and, weather permitting, toward the mountains of Croatia across the sea.
📍 Mount Titano
🚉 Everything is on the ridge, so the viewpoints are simply part of the walk between the towers - the Rimini bus and the funicular are the only public transport involved.
Mark San Marino, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in San Marino?
A single day comfortably covers San Marino City and the Three Towers - it's most commonly visited as a day trip from Rimini or elsewhere on Italy's Adriatic coast.
What's the best time to visit San Marino?
April-October has the most comfortable weather for walking Mount Titano's steep old town streets. It gets busy with day-trippers in peak summer given its proximity to Italy's beach resorts.
Is San Marino good for a first-time visit?
Yes - it's tiny and easy to see in a day, with no airport of its own, so arrival is by road from Italy, typically via Rimini.
Do I need a visa to visit San Marino?
San Marino has no independent border control and is entered through Italy, so Italian (Schengen) visa rules apply. Check the official Schengen visa information for your nationality: esteri.sm.
What are some things to do in San Marino on a tight budget?
Walking the old town streets is free, and only the towers themselves and a couple of small museums charge entry fees, keeping a day visit inexpensive overall.
Can I rent a car in San Marino, and what licence do I need?
Rental is essentially an Italian matter: pick a car up in Rimini or Bologna and drive in, as there is no border control and the roads connect directly. EU licences are valid as issued, and non-EU visitors need an International Driving Permit alongside the home licence, exactly as in Italy. The historic centre on Mount Titano is closed to visiting cars, so you park below and take the cable car or the bus up - which is why most visitors come on the bus from Rimini and skip the car entirely. Official information is published by the Government of San Marino at sanmarino.sm.