Rimini in 7 days

Fifteen kilometres of Adriatic beach, Roman ruins and Fellini's hometown nightlife. Best time to visit: June-September for beach, May and October for sightseeing. Average daily budget: $100 to $210 USD.

Day 1, Land & wander

Base: Centro Storico, The Roman and medieval core: Piazza Cavour, Tiberius Bridge, the Malatesta Temple and the Fellini Museum.

Morning: Cross the Tiberius Bridge. A 2,000-year-old Roman bridge still carrying foot traffic into Borgo San Giuliano, best photographed at golden hour.

Afternoon: Explore Centro Storico, The Roman and medieval core: Piazza Cavour, Tiberius Bridge, the Malatesta Temple and the Fellini Museum.

Evening: Spend a day at the bagni. Rent an umbrella and two loungers at one of the numbered beach clubs; most include showers, bars and beach volleyball.

Eat: Piadina romagnola filled with squacquerone and rocket

Day 2, Iconic sights

Base: Marina Centro, The main beachfront with the classic bagni, the Grand Hotel and the busiest promenade.

Morning: Visit the Fellini Museum. A three-site museum across Castel Sismondo and Palazzo del Fulgor devoted to Rimini's most famous son and his films.

Afternoon: Explore Marina Centro, The main beachfront with the classic bagni, the Grand Hotel and the busiest promenade.

Evening: Day-trip to San Marino. A 50-minute bus to the world's oldest republic, with three fortress towers on a mountain ridge and huge views over the Adriatic.

Eat: Adriatic fritto misto and grilled sardoncini

Day 3, Food & markets

Base: Borgo San Giuliano, A fishermen's quarter of painted lanes and Fellini murals just over the Roman bridge, with the best trattorias.

Morning: See the Malatesta Temple. Alberti's unfinished Renaissance masterpiece, built around a Gothic church, with a Piero della Francesca fresco inside.

Afternoon: Explore Borgo San Giuliano, A fishermen's quarter of painted lanes and Fellini murals just over the Roman bridge, with the best trattorias.

Evening: Piazza sull'Acqua below the Tiberius Bridge, a water-level park most day-trippers miss.. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Eat: Cappelletti in brodo and strozzapreti pasta

Day 4, Local neighbourhoods

Base: Marebello & Rivazzurra, Quieter southern beach districts, cheaper hotels and more space on the sand.

Morning: The Domus del Chirurgo, a Roman surgeon's house with intact mosaics and surgical instruments.. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Afternoon: Explore Marebello & Rivazzurra, Quieter southern beach districts, cheaper hotels and more space on the sand.

Evening: Santarcangelo di Romagna, a hilltop village 15 minutes inland with tufa caves.. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Eat: Sangiovese di Romagna and Albana wines

Day 5, Day trip

Base: Centro Storico, The Roman and medieval core: Piazza Cavour, Tiberius Bridge, the Malatesta Temple and the Fellini Museum.

Morning: The Parco del Mare cycle and walking corridor replacing the old seafront road.. A local favourite most visitors miss, worth the detour.

Afternoon: Explore Centro Storico, The Roman and medieval core: Piazza Cavour, Tiberius Bridge, the Malatesta Temple and the Fellini Museum.

Evening: Dinner at Piadina romagnola filled with squacquerone and rocket, then a quiet drink wherever the locals are in Centro Storico.

Eat: Piadina romagnola filled with squacquerone and rocket

Day 6, Hidden gems

Base: Marina Centro, The main beachfront with the classic bagni, the Grand Hotel and the busiest promenade.

Morning: Slow start: coffee in Marina Centro, then an unhurried walk before the heat or the crowds.

Afternoon: Explore Marina Centro, The main beachfront with the classic bagni, the Grand Hotel and the busiest promenade.

Evening: Dinner at Adriatic fritto misto and grilled sardoncini, then a quiet drink wherever the locals are in Marina Centro.

Eat: Adriatic fritto misto and grilled sardoncini

Day 7, Slow finish

Base: Borgo San Giuliano, A fishermen's quarter of painted lanes and Fellini murals just over the Roman bridge, with the best trattorias.

Morning: Slow start: coffee in Borgo San Giuliano, then an unhurried walk before the heat or the crowds.

Afternoon: Explore Borgo San Giuliano, A fishermen's quarter of painted lanes and Fellini murals just over the Roman bridge, with the best trattorias.

Evening: Dinner at Cappelletti in brodo and strozzapreti pasta, then a quiet drink wherever the locals are in Borgo San Giuliano.

Eat: Cappelletti in brodo and strozzapreti pasta

Hidden gems

Piazza sull'Acqua below the Tiberius Bridge, a water-level park most day-trippers miss.
The Domus del Chirurgo, a Roman surgeon's house with intact mosaics and surgical instruments.
Santarcangelo di Romagna, a hilltop village 15 minutes inland with tufa caves.
The Parco del Mare cycle and walking corridor replacing the old seafront road.

Getting around

The beachfront and old town are 15 minutes apart on foot and linked by bike lanes; bike hire is the local default. The Metromare rapid bus runs down the coast to Riccione, and regional trains connect Bologna in an hour and Ravenna in 50 minutes. Buses to San Marino leave from the train station. Federico Fellini airport is 15 minutes from the centre.

Safety

Rimini is safe, though the summer crowd brings petty theft on the beach and around nightlife strips: never leave bags on loungers while you swim. Watch drink prices at clubs, and use official taxis or Metromare at night. Adriatic currents are mild but jellyfish appear in late summer. Traffic on the coastal roads is heavy in August.

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