San Marino
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino, is a landlocked country in Southern Europe, completely surrounded by Italy.
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino, is a landlocked country in Southern Europe, completely surrounded by Italy. Located on the northeastern slopes of the Apennine Mountains, it is the larger of two microstates within the Italian Peninsula, the other being Vatican City. San Marino is the fifth-smallest country in the world, with a land area of just over 61 square kilometres (24 sq mi) and a population of 34,042 as of 2025 which in 2026 dropped to 33,559. Its capital, the City of San Marino, sits atop Monte Titano, while its largest settlement is Dogana, in the municipality of Serravalle. San Marino claims to have been founded in AD 301 and to be the oldest extant sovereign state, and the oldest constitutional republic. It is named after Saint Marinus, a legendary stonemason from the Roman island of Rab, who is said to have fled persecution under Emperor Diocletian to have established a monastic community on Monte Titano, where he built a small chapel. The country has a rare constitutional structure: the Grand and General Council, a democratically elected legislature, selects two heads of state, the Captains Regent, every six months. They are chosen from opposing political parties, and serve concurrently with equal powers and preside over several institutions of state, including the Grand and General Council. Only the Federal Council of Switzerland follows this same structure, except with some modifications due to its immensely larger size.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around San Marino
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Monte Titano
Monte Titano or Monte Brugola is a mountain of the Apennines and the highest point in the country of San Marino. It stands 739 m above sea level Its peak is located within the municipal limits of the country's capital, San Marino, immediately east of the urbanized area.
1.6 km · mountain · Wikipedia - 02Guaita
The Guaita, also known as the Rocca is one of three towered peaks overlooking the city of San Marino, the capital of San Marino. The other two are Cesta and Montale.
1.3 km · mountain peak near in the city of San Marino · Wikipedia - 03University of the Republic of San Marino
The University of the Republic of San Marino is a public research university in the Republic of San Marino. It was created in 1985, but it started its activities with the Scuola Superiore di Studi Storici.
1.1 km · university in San Marino · Wikipedia - 04Basilica di San Marino
The Basilica of Saint Marinus is a Catholic church located in the Republic of San Marino. While the country has a distinct domination of historic religious buildings of Christian faith, the basilica is the main church of the City of San Marino.
1.2 km · church in San Marino · Wikipedia - 05Palazzo Pubblico
The Palazzo Pubblico is the city hall of the City of San Marino. It is where official state ceremonies take place, and it is the seat of the Republic's main institutional and administrative bodies: the Captains Regent, the Grand and General Council, the Council of XII, and the Congress of State.
1.1 km · city hall and parliament seat of San Marino · Wikipedia - 06De La Fratta
The Cesta, also known as "Fratta" is one of three towered peaks overlooking the city of San Marino, the capital of San Marino. The other two are Guaita and Montale.
1.5 km · tower in San Marino · Wikipedia - 07Montale
The Montale is one of three towered peaks overlooking the city of San Marino, the capital of San Marino. The other two are the Guaita and the Cesta.
1.6 km · mountain in San Marino · Wikipedia - 08Monte San Cristoforo
Monte San Cristoforo is a mountain of southern San Marino. It is located between the towns of Fiorentino and Montegiardino, and rises to a height of 534 metres.
3.9 km · mountain in San Marino · Wikipedia - 09Statua della Libertà
Statua della Libertà is a statue in Piazza della Libertà, City of San Marino, the capital city of the Republic of San Marino. The Statua della Libertà, made in the neoclassical style of white Carrara marble and is located between Parva Domus and the Palazzo Pubblico.
1.1 km · statue located in San Marino (City) · Wikipedia - 10Chiesa di San Pietro
Chiesa di San Pietro is a church in San Marino. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro.
1.2 km · church in San Marino · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
San Marino’s main attractions are the three towers, which feature on the national flag. Only the
- 01Guaita Tower
- 02Cesta Tower
They are small castles at the top of Mount Titano, offering excellent views over San Marino and Italy as well as the Adriatic Sea.
- 03Basilica di San Marino
A neoclassical style Catholic church dedicated to the founder and patron saint of San Marino, Saint Marinus.
- 04Piazza della Libertà
This small square offers expansive views and is flanked on both sides by two government buildings, including the Palazzo Pubblico, the town hall.
- 05State Museum
From Wikivoyage: San Marino, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
Football: this tiny state somehow fields a men's national team, playing at San Marino Stadium in Serravalle. 16 clubs play in its Championship. Parco naturale del Monte Titano has several hiking trails. To find them, go to the Cesta tower and walk through the gateway to the right of the museum entrance. Biking is also popular and at “San Marino Experience” you can rent an ebike.
- 01San Marino Adventures
Activities including suspended trails, rock climbing, and ziplines.
From Wikivoyage: San Marino, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
Italian dishes, like pasta, pizza, gelato (Italian ice-cream), and whatever you eat in Italy. Restaurants are easy to find, and some offer tables with great views. Supermarkets in San Marino are few and far-between, although the following can help in this area: Conad, Azzurro Shopping Center, V M Moretti 23, Serravalle. Sma Supermercati. Via del Passetto 113, Fiorentino = =
- 01Pizzeria Smaller
Impeccable, very nice place, excellent cuisine.
- 02Ristorante Buca San Francesco Srl
Delicious Milanese cutlet and french fries, with decent portions.
- 03La Bettola
Great venue for small snacks or juicy sandwiches.
- 04La Spizzata
Very good pizza, soft with many different varieties, possibility of whole pizza or by the slice.
- 05L'Angela Veste Piada
Beautifully filled and delicious cassoni.
From Wikivoyage: San Marino, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to San Marino
- Airports
- Federico Fellini (RMI), 17 km · Perugia San Francesco d'Assisi – Umbria (PEG), 93 km · Florence, Peretola (FLR), 100 km
- Perugia (PG) → San Marino92 km · quickest by road, 3h 22m · €15–21
- Firenze (FI) → San Marino97 km · quickest by road, 3h 55m · €15–21
- Bologna → San Marino108 km · quickest by road, 2h 30m · €14–19
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for San Marino
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for San Marino. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inThe City of San Marino has limited parking, so why not leave your car in nearby Borgo Maggiore and take the cable car up to the city?
- Get inThere is plenty of parking near the cable car station.
- Get aroundIt starts at the western end of Contrada Omerelli and ends a short distance from the Borgo Maggiore cable car station.
From Wikivoyage: San Marino, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
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If you know how people move in San Marino – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to San Marino
- Borgo Maggioremunicipality of San Marino2 km
- Acquavivamunicipality of San Marino2.3 km
- Chiesanuovamunicipality of San Marino3.4 km
- Domagnanomunicipality of San Marino3.3 km
- Fiorentinomunicipality of San Marino3.1 km
- Cailungohuman settlement2.7 km