How to Get to San Marino from Bologna?
The distance between Bologna and San Marino is 130 km. You can travel by train to Rimini and then take a bus to San Marino, or you can drive a rental car. The journey doesn't take many hours, so San Marino may be included among the places to visit near Bologna during a day trip.
1. Train and Bus
There is no direct connection between Bologna and San Marino. First, you'll need to take a train to Rimini, and from there a bus to Città di San Marino (the capital of the Republic of San Marino).
Trains from Bologna's Stazione Centrale to Rimini train station take between 1 and 2 hours, depending on the type of train. We recommend leaving earlier in the morning and choosing a train with a journey time of no more than 1.5 hours. Ticket prices start at €10.80. You can check the train schedule on TrenItalia.com.
The connection between Rimini and San Marino is provided by coaches operated by Fratelli Benedettini and Bonelli Bus. It is advisable to book your ticket in advance on the companies’ websites to avoid arriving in Rimini only to find that there are no seats left on the coach.
The price of a one-way ticket is €7. Children with height under 1 meter travel for free, and two children under 1 meter pay for only one ticket.
The ticket price includes the transport of one piece of luggage up to 20 kg (the total of its three dimensions must not exceed 140 cm). An additional fee applies for each extra piece of luggage.
The coaches depart from near the train station, at Piazzale Cesare Battisti (in front of Hotel Napoleon). The journey to Città di San Marino takes 50 minutes.
In total, the round trip from Bologna to San Marino will cost you (depending on the type of train) from €35.60 per person. The travel time will be at least 2 hours (plus the waiting time between the train’s arrival and the bus departure).
2. Rent a Car
If you prefer to rent a car, you can cover the distance between Bologna and San Marino in just 1.5 hours, driving along the Adriatic Highway to Rimini and from there on Strada Statale 72 to San Marino. On the website autostrade.it you can calculate the tolls you will have to pay, depending on your starting point.
In Città di San Marino, there are several parking lots available - some free (the more distant ones) and others paid. You can walk up to the old town (in some places there are elevators you can use) or take the cable car that goes up from Borgo Maggiore (one of the nine administrative divisions, called castelli). Because of the views it offers, the cable car is considered one of the tourist attractions in San Marino.
