A Quick Guide to Rimini, Italy
exploring the roman city on the emilia-romagna coastline
Friends, hello! Happy Sunday! I hope this post finds you enjoying the loveliest of mornings, coffee in hand, comfy socks on, and perhaps in the mood for a light spot of armchair travelling. I’m here to, hopefully, add to the aforementioned loveliness by sharing my latest travel offering: A Quick Guide to Rimini, Italy. Believe it or not, some iteration of this post has actually been sitting half formed in my drafts since 2022, which is when we’d first hoped to visit the city! WELL, it might’ve taken us four years longer than initially planned, but we finally made it to Rimini back at the end of February!
If you haven’t heard of it before, allow me: Rimini is a small city dotted along the Adriatic Coast in our favourite Italian region, Emilia-Romagna. Mostly known for a thriving nightlife scene and ample beachside attractions — neither of which Husband or I would be very interested in —, I wasn’t exactly sure Rimini would be the place for us. Truthfully, our visit to Rimini only transpired because it’s the easiest city to get to San Marino from, but we ended up being very surprised by what the city had to offer; we really enjoyed our time there!
Everything we know and love about Rimini is listed below, divided into the following categories: getting there, where we stayed, where we had coffee & pastries, where we ate, where we drank, where we tourist-ed, and where we shopped. It ended up being a tad longer than expected, but I just couldn’t bear to leave anything out.
PS: in case you missed it, this is my third post about this trip! You can read the two previous posts here: One Week in Italy & San Marino | Our Itinerary for Baby’s First Trip and The Bologna Diaries, Vol. 05.
Enjoy!
getting there
Getting from Bologna to Rimini was surprisingly straightforward. Here’s how we made the journey:
we took a direct ‘Intercity’ train from Bologna Centrale to Rimini Centrale, with a journey time of around 1-hour and 15-minutes. Because the two cities are so close, there are a bunch of different train options to chose from; the ‘Intercity’ one we opted for was neither the fastest nor the slowest, but we felt it was a good medium length without costing too much.
we purchased our tickets online in advance of our journey, and because we booked a certain amount of time out, we were able to avail of TrenItalia’s ‘Me&You’ offer: a discounted fare of up to 50% off for couples travelling together. More money for pastries 😉
our tickets included assigned seating, which meant we didn’t have to worry about finding seats together, and because they were booked for a certain day and time, we also didn’t have to worry about validating our ticket. The less things I have to worry about as a new parent travelling for the first time, the better! For more info about train fares and routes, visit the TrenItalia website here.
from Rimini Centrale, we strolled a very flat and straightforward 11-minutes to our apartment, below.
where we stayed
Corso51 Suite Apartments // a wonderfully located apartment in the centre of the old town, this was easy walking distance to everywhere we wanted to visit. We booked into the ‘Augusto - junior suite’ apartment and it was perfect: spacious, with a well-stocked kitchenette area, dining table and chairs, extra roomy couch + bed, very well equipped en suite with rainfall shower, and a washer/dryer. Natalia, the lovely manager, also supplied us with a travel cot for Bean, and left out a few baby-friendly toys, towels, bathing products etc., which was such a thoughtful surprise. Would warmly recommend. Address: Corso d'Augusto, 51, 47921 Rimini RN
where we had coffee & pastries
Bar Pasticceria Vecchi // the pasticceria we stopped at every single morning! Okay, technically we only stopped here on our first morning — but we became so obsessed with the pastries we devoured that Husband went back every morning for takeout while I fed Bean. They were called castagnole al pezzo, and they were a sheer delight: bite-sized, deep-fried, light-as-air, doughnut-adjacent balls filled with crema or cioccolato, rolled in a crunchy sweet cinnamon sugar mixture. Ungh, is anyone else drooling reading that? So addictively good. A must-visit. Address: Viale Tiberio, 7, 47922 Rimini RN
Cesari Pasticceria // a little outside town, but another solid pastry spot. They had a huge array of delicious looking pastries on display, but I went for their pistacchio croissant because I’m a basic b, and Husband went for their sfoglia frutta di bosco. My pastry was probably one of the best I had on the whole trip — the pistachio filling was especially delicious, and layers were perfection —, but Husband thinks he may have ordered wrong. Still: would recommend. Address: Viale XXIII Settembre 1845, 34, 47921 Rimini RN
where we ate
dined in
Osteria io e Simone // such a lovely little restaurant! We stopped by for an early lunch one afternoon and loved everything about this place: the vibe, the mismatching furniture, our lovely waitress — not to mention the food! We devoured a basket of fresh bread with olive oil before ordering, along with a glass of wine each: Sangiovese for Husband, Vernaccia for me. From the menu, I ordered their cappelletti pasta with capon and beef broth, Husband went for their meatballs in tomato sauce, and we shared a side of patate al forno; everything was fantastic. If we’d had another night in town, we 100% would’ve eaten here again! A must-visit. Address: Piazzetta Teatini, 3, 47921 Rimini RN
took out
Berberè Pizzeria // a solid sourdough pizza spot. Husband ventured out here to collect dinner one evening while I was feeding Bean and secured one classic margherita pizza + one fennel sausage with parmesan white pizza. We enjoyed them with a glass or two of vino rosso that Husband also secured, and I rather enjoyed them! The bases had that great signature sourdough chew, and I always love getting a non-traditional white pizza. Would recommend. Address: Via Tempio Malatestiano, 30, 47921 Rimini RN
gelato
Gelateria La Romana dal 1947 // a truly fantastic gelateria! We only stopped in here once because it was cold when we visited, but it was some the the very best gelato we had on our trip! I went for my usual, nocciola e pistacchio, and Husband went for solo nocciola topped with a dollop of whipped cream — both were excellent. Both flavours had flecks of roasted nuts speckled throughout and were gloriously creamy, my mouth is watering just thinking about it! A must-visit. Address: Piazza Luigi Ferrari, 5, 47921 Rimini RN
where we drank
Caffè Cavour // a lovely spot for an aperitivo! We stopped in for a spritz after a particularly long day of tourist-ing and it was just what the doctor ordered: a cosy seat outside under a heated lamp, a giant oversized goblet amount of spritz, and a salty packet of crisps on the side! Bean stayed wrapped up in her buggy the whole time beside us, people watching to her heart’s content. Address: Piazza Cavour, 12, 47921 Rimini RN
where we tourist-ed
Arco di Augusto // the oldest surviving Roman arch in the whole world! Dating back to 27 BC — a very casual 2,052 years ago!! — this gorgeous arch was created by order of the Roman Senate to welcome those who made the long journey from Rome to Rimini along the Via Flaminia. We could actually see the arch from the front door of our apartment, and it was never not mind-blowing. A must-visit. Address: Corso d'Augusto, 47923 Rimini RN
Ponte di Tiberio e di Augusto // a beautiful Roman-built bridge that’s more than 2,000(!) years old. Construction on the bridge apparently began in 14 AD, during Augustus’s rule, and finished seven years later in 21 AD, during Tiberius’s rule; hence the two names the bridge carries. Isn’t it amazing that something built so long ago can still be standing strong and completely operational?! A must-visit. Address: Ponte di Tiberio, 47921 Rimini RN.
Borgo San Giuliano // previously the old fisherman’s quarters, this is the cutest little neighbourhood! Comprised of many a narrow cobblestoned street, the area is filled with colourfully painted houses, most of which are adorned with murals showcasing the story of the city and its people. Apparently loads of the houses have been converted into bars / restaurants / galleries and the like, but nothing was open when we visited early one morning. Still, a pretty cute area for a stroll! Would recommend. Address: Via Marecchia, 45, 47921 Rimini RN
Federico Fellini’s Birthplace // widely recognised as one of the most influential filmmakers of all time, we obvz had to come here. Fellini lived at 10 Dardanelli until he was 3-years old — although, technically, the building there today isn’t the one he was born in as that was destroyed during WWII, but still! According to local legend, on the very night Fellini was born, a thunderstorm hit the city and a bolt of lightning stuck his house; fun! For film nerds, would recommend. Address: Viale Dardanelli 10, 47921 Rimini
Grand Hotel Rimini // after visiting Fellini’s birthplace, we decided to complete the tour of his Rimini life by visiting the Grand Hotel, where he worked as a caricaturist during his teenage years. Now, I haven’t actually seen any Fellini films, but Husband tells me they have a sort of dreamlike quality to them — which couldn’t be more fitting with the crazy fog that descended as we approached the hotel! It was the weirdest thing, but it really added to the magical-ness of the place. Address: Parco Federico Fellini, 1, 47921 Rimini RN
Rimini Beach // the Grand Hotel is just across the road from the beach, so naturally we had planned to take a waterside stroll while we were there… only to instead be greeted with the aforementioned fog. I ventured part of the way down a boardwalk toward the water, but the fog was so dense that I gave myself the heebie-jeebies and turned back before reaching the water. It was surreal being able to hear people nearby but literally not being able to see further than an arm’s length away. We’re not really big beach people anyways, so we almost liked it better this way? Would recommend. Address: Lungomare Augusto Murri, 47921 Rimini RN
Piazza Tre Martiri // said to be the very square that Julius Caesar stopped in after crossing the Rubicon(!), this spot is basically the centre of the old town. We walked through the square every day on our various journeys around town, and enjoyed the piazza’s highlights: the gorgeous clock tower looming over the square, ancient roman pavement, and the commemorative Julius Caesar statue. Address: Piazza Tre Martiri, 43, 47921 Rimini RN
Daytrip to San Marino // as the closest Italian city to the micro-state of San Marino, this is a very popular thing to do while in Rimini! I have a whole separate post about San Marino coming atcha next month, but it is such an easy and fun way to spend a day — would definitely recommend.
where we shopped
CONAD CITY // literally a 1-minute stroll around the corner from our apartment, we stopped in here often. Surprisingly large and well-stocked, our dining-in game really excelled here: delicious focaccias, great meat selection — fennel salami, prosciutto, salsiccia from the butcher —, fresh parmesan, burrata + stracciatella cheeses, gramigna pasta etc., and a good wine & beer selection. Truly very handy! Address: Via Alessandro Serpieri, 12, 47921 Rimini RN
And there we have it, friends: A Quick Guide to Rimini, Italy! What did you think? Have you visited this little coastal city? We honestly had no idea what to expect, but both found it to be rather charming! Hit me up with any thoughts, comments, or questions using the comment box below.
Ciao,
Vicki xo
related posts
The Bologna Diaries, Vol. 05
One Day in San Marino (coming soon!)
One Week in Italy & San Marino | Our Itinerary for Baby’s First Trip