San Marino
From World travel guide
| Flag | |
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| Quick Facts | |
| Capital | San Marino |
| Government | independent republic |
| Currency | euro (EUR) |
| Area | total: 61.2 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 61.2 sq km |
| Population | 27,730 (July 2002 est.) |
| Language | Italian |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
The third smallest state in Europe (after the Holy See and Monaco) also claims to be the world's oldest republic. According to tradition, it was founded by a Christian stonemason named Marinus in 301 A.D. San Marino's foreign policy is aligned with that of Italy. Social and political trends in the republic also track closely with those of its larger neighbor.
Contents |
Cities
- San Marino
Understand
San Marino is made up of a few towns dotted around the mountain sides. The capital of San Marino is itself called 'San Marino' and is situated high up on a mountain top. The capital is surrounded by a wall and three distinct towers overlook the rest of the country.
This article focuses primarily on the capital rather than the more industrial and less tourist-oriented towns surrounding the capital.
Get in
By plane
San Marino has no airports. The nearest major airport is at Rimini.
By train
San Marino has no train stations. The nearest major train station is at Rimini.
By car
You should have no problems driving into San Marino. Border controls do not exist.
By bus
Bus 72 runs from Rimini to San Marino daily at regular intervals. A return ticket costs around €8.
By other means
There is a 1.5 km cable railway connecting the city of San Marino to Borgo Maggior.
Get around
Once you're inside the walled city, it's small enough to simply walk around. There are only a few streets on which cars are able to drive (and only if they are small cars).
Talk
The people in San Marino are very friendly. They speak a very clear Italian.
See
You can see two of the three towers (as seen on the flag of San Marino) by purchasing the "Red Card" for €4.50. The "yellow card" (€3) only allows you to see one of the towers. You cannot enter the third tower (since there does not seem to be an entrance!)
Simply walk around the city. The narrow streets are full of surprises. The walkways wind up and down the hillside in an interesting way, inviting exploration.
Do
Buy
- A lot of the souvenir shops sell weapons, from swords to B-B guns.
- Like other states which have the Euro as their currency, San Marino has it's own patterns on the back of the Euro coins. You can try to obtain these coins by simply going around buying things and collecting the coins that way, but a quicker solution is to buy the set in a souvenir shop. Unfortunately, these sets seem to lack the €1 and €2 coins.
Eat
Drink
The local beer is very tasty. Spirits are also very commonly found, especially a lemon liquor.
Sleep
Although San Marino has a few hotels, the seaside resort of Rimini has a lot more and is probably a cheaper option.
Learn
Work
Stay safe
Stay healthy
Respect
Contact
External links
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