The Mediterranean
San Marino
The world's oldest surviving republic, on a limestone crag with three towers on the ridge.
San Marino claims a founding date of 301 and has been continuously self-governing ever since, which makes it the oldest republic in existence. It sits on Monte Titano, entirely surrounded by Italy, twenty minutes from the Adriatic beaches at Rimini. Two heads of state are elected every six months. It is small, unashamedly touristic in the centre, and has a view over half of Romagna.
Getting around
A bus from Rimini takes fifty minutes; a cable car climbs from Borgo Maggiore to the old town. The historic centre is stepped and closed to traffic.
When to come
Spring and early autumn are best; the ridge is exposed and hot in July. Winter brings fog that makes the towers appear to float, which is worth timing for.
Worth knowing
- No border control with Italy; the euro is used but San Marino mints its own collectable coins.
- Passport stamps are available for a fee at the tourist office.
- The historic centre and Monte Titano are UNESCO-listed.
At the table
- Piadina, the Romagna flatbread, filled and folded
- Torta Tre Monti, a wafer cake named after the three towers
- Sangiovese from the surrounding hills
Travel regions
1 editorial regions, each opening onto its cities.
Popular destinations
The destinations we have written most about, which is not the same as the ones most people go to — and is the only ranking we can honestly compute.
Experiences here
A sample of what is listed across San Marino.
Fixed points in the year
The record
What we hold about San Marino, where each figure came from, and when it was last checked. The score says what this country is for, not how good it is — it is useful once you are already interested and is not a reason to be.
- Capital
- City of San Marino
- Currency
- EUR — euro
- Languages
- Italian
- Population
- 33,860 (2019) — Natural Earth 1:50m admin 0 countries
- ISO codes
- SM · SMR
- Time zone
- CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
- Membership
- Uses the euro
- Typical day
- €55–130 per person
- Best months
- May, June, September
- Quieter months
- April, July, August, October
- Facts checked
- not verified why this matters
Europe Experience Score
How this is calculated — derived from our own tagging, not from measurement. It says what a place is for, not how good it is. The tick on each bar is the median across the whole Atlas, so a bar short of it is a dimension this place is not for.