Rimini travel guide

Rimini, Italy

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Rimini

Introduction

Rimini is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, on the Adriatic side of the country. It is one of the larger cities in Italy, though its real draw for travellers lies in its seaside setting and its place within the wider Emilia-Romagna area rather than in any record-book status.

Use Rimini as a base for exploring this part of northern Italy: the city itself is a proper Italian comune with its own urban life, and the surrounding region is known for its food and its long coastline.

Before you go

Rimini has been settled since prehistoric times and was founded by the Romans, and its long history still shapes the city you'll walk through. To the Romans it was a stronghold on the Adriatic and a gateway to the Po valley, with three major roads converging here. Keep that in mind as you plan: this is a place with deep roots, not just a beach stop.

You won't find many tour buses filled with Americans or English here, so pack a phrase book. Locals will work with you and are always happy to see a foreigner at least trying to communicate in their language, so make the effort even if your Italian is rough.

Getting there

Rimini is served by Federico Fellini International Airport, about 7 km southeast of the town centre. It handles regular flights from Moscow and other East European cities, as well as domestic Italian routes, with seasonal western connections to Munich, London Stansted and Vienna. Start Romagna Bus 9 runs into town every 20 minutes, taking about 30 minutes to reach the railway station. As alternatives, you can fly into Marche Airport near Ancona or into Bologna.

By rail, fast trains run from Milan via Bologna through Rimini on to Ancona, Bari and Lecce, though not all of them stop here, so you may need to change at Bologna for the hourly regional train via Imola, Faenza, Forli and Cesena. Another train runs hourly from Ravenna via Cervia and Cesenatico. Rimini railway station sits near the old town at the north end of the main beach strip, next to the bus station, and has an ATM, a news stand and a tourist information office. By road, the A14 motorway, known as the autostrada del mare, runs north, the SS 72 heads inland towards San Marino, and the SS16 comes in from the north and from Ravenna. Flixbus also runs direct buses from Milan, Venice-Mestre, Bergamo, Ancona, Pescara, Rome and elsewhere.

Getting around

Most hotels sit within walking distance of both the beach and the centre, so you can cover a lot of the resort area on foot, and the railway station is near the old town at the north end of the main beach strip. For trips along the coast or inland, buses run regularly from the station and are frequent and cheap; the main stop is Palacongressi, served by several lines, and timetables are published by Start Romagna. Buy a ticket valid for 60 minutes from the vending machines on the bus, and note that ticket machines are available around the clock. For longer stays, Mi Muovo is an integrated public transport pass for the region, while short-stay visitors might use Mi Muovo Multibus, a 12-trip bus ticket.

Rimini is bike-friendly, with expanding greenways and cycle paths; many hotels lend bicycles to guests, the municipality runs a bike sharing service, and the Bike Park at the station offers rental, parking and repair. Electric scooters are a popular low-impact option, with BIT Mobility covering the city centre and beachfront and LIME offering e-scooters and e-bikes across the city — both are pay-per-minute and need their apps to locate and unlock a vehicle. METROMARE, a zero-emissions electric bus rapid transit line, links the Rimini and Riccione railway stations daily with intermediate stops. Car rental with or without a driver is available for exploring the city and surrounding area, and taxi sharing is another option, including for hotel-to-Palacongressi trips.

Where to stay

Rimini's accommodation runs from backpacker hostels to family-run hotels, with most places clustered along the seafront and in the resort districts north and south of the centre. Along Viale Vespucci you'll find larger hotels such as the four-star Family Hotel Continental and the affordable, modern Hotel Europa Rimini, which has its own private beach and easy access to nightlife. Near the railway station, the Logis Hotel Vienna Ostenda is a budget option with small rooms and older fittings but comfortable enough for a short stay.

Food & drink

Being on the seashore, Rimini is a place to eat fish, and several restaurants are singled out as among the best: Lo Squero, Il Lurido, Da Guido and Marinelli. Wherever you eat, a dish usually comes with piadina, a thin and very tasty sort of bread. You'll also find excellent restaurants just off the main streets.

Down at the beach in the San Guiliano a Mare area, beach restaurants serve dinners al fresco in warm weather; don't be wary of them, as the food is excellent and inexpensive, and they sometimes offer a multi-plate dinner meant to be shared. For budget eating in the city centre, look to Pizzeria del Secolo on Via Alessandro Gambalunga, Borgo Antico and Yerbabuena on Via Cairoli, the deli La Golosa on Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, or Chinatown on Vicolo San Michelino in Foro. Along the beach, options include Osteria di mare da Wally, The Piada And The Sea, Pizzeria Mille Gusti, La Piada di Amerigo, I Mattarelli and PesceAzzurro. Mid-range choices include La Magnuga on Via Cairoli, Osteria Delle Poveracce on Vicolo Pescheria, La Esse Romagnola on Via Ortaggi and Habana Cafè at Bagno 44 on the Lungomare Augusto Murri. For a splurge, Osteria dell'Accademia sits inside the Montegridolfo Castle, a drive from Rimini, and is known for typical Italian cooking such as tagliatelle, cappelletti, carne alla griglia, truffle and mushroom, with a sea panorama from its medieval hilltop setting.

The whole town is geared towards tourists, so nightlife is lively and there are bars everywhere; once the sun goes down the streets fill with lights, colour and noise as daytime sunbathers become evening revellers. Note that Rimini has no "real" clubs, only bars with dance floors — for proper clubbing head to Riccione, the next town over, about a 15-minute drive away. Carnaby's, on the outskirts and within walking distance, is the exception, with a free shuttle bus; it's a three-storey building where each level has its own atmosphere, music style, bars and DJs. Life club on Viale Regina Margherita has two floors, an outdoor smoking area with seats, a free bus and drink promotions, while Opéra Marano at Riccione's seafront bathing area is a beach dance club with a tropical setting, live music and a meat and fish dinner menu.

What to see and do

Rimini's Roman bones are easy to trace on foot: the Augustus Arch, raised for the emperor who gave it his name, and the Tiberius Bridge, where the Aemilian Way begins. The Domus of the Surgeon is an archaeological area that lays out twenty centuries of the city's history, while the Tempio Malatestiano on Via IV Novembre is the bizarre burial chapel built for Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, his mistress Isotta degli Atti and the Malatesta family. In the historic centre, the Federico Fellini Museum covers the director's life and career from his earliest days to his greatest films, and hosts regular exhibitions of drawings, photographs and sketches. The Museo della città di Rimini rounds out the city's collections.

La Marina is the name for the long stretch of beaches, as distinct from il Porto, the place for leisure craft. It costs nothing to visit and swim, but almost all of the sand is staked out by sunchair-rental services; in summer it is a hubbub of loudspeakers blaring commercials and vendors touting their wares. The beach plots are numbered north to south, so look for the unmanaged sections, the spiaggia libera, where you can lay your own towel — around no 97 near Parco Murri, for instance. The sea is warm and sheltered with next-to-no tide; in winter La Marina is deserted and the Mediterranean is cold. Further out, Rimini Fiera, the exhibition centre northwest of the city with its own railway station, runs events year-round — some trade-only, others, especially around food, drink and leisure, open to the public by ticket. Don't confuse it with the Convention Centre, the UFO-shaped hall south of the city centre.

When to go

Rimini has a humid subtropical climate softened by the Adriatic, so rain is spread through the year and humidity stays high whenever you visit. Warm foehn winds from the southwest can bring warm temperatures in any season.

Three days in Rimini

Day one: Start in Rimini itself, getting your bearings in the city before heading out along the Adriatic coast. Use the Start Romagna Bus to reach Ravenna, with its early Christian mosaics, and continue to Cervia and Cesenatico if time allows. Keep the pace easy on arrival day, especially if you have flown into Federico Fellini International Airport from Moscow, East European cities, Munich, London Stansted or Vienna.

Day two: Head inland into Emilia and Romagna to explore the smaller towns strung along the old Roman routes. Imola, Faenza, Forli and Cesena are all within reach, and each rewards a slow wander rather than a rushed stop. The Romans left their mark across this stretch of Italy, and the Po plain shapes the landscape and the food you will find along the way.

Day three: Use Rimini as your base for a final day, perhaps heading south toward Ancona and Marche Airport if you are continuing your journey, or north to Bologna, Milan, Bari or Lecce by train. Locals will tell you the coast is at its best when the weather is warm and the beaches are busy, so build in time for the Adriatic shoreline before you leave. If you are flying out, allow time to reach Federico Fellini International Airport.

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