Monte Titano - the highest mountain in San Marino
739 m
Monte Titano:
When peaked: 10/19/2023, departure at 12:40 p.m
Compared to the other mountains we have achieved, the highest point of San Marino, Monte Titano, was noticeably different. The mountain is located close to the city center and almost all the way to the top is accessible by public transport. Therefore, there is no need to specify the total distance, ascent or duration when talking about this mountain. It also depends on the direction of approach. You also probably want to go around the shops or, for example, pick up an ice cream from a gelato kiosk, which you can eat while climbing to the top.
The peak of Monte Titano looks like a castle from a distance. It has three towers on top: Guaita (First Tower/Prima Torre), Cesta (Second Tower/Seconda Torre) and Montale (Third Tower/Terza Torre). The highest of these is Cesta, or tower number two. This tower reaches a height of 756 meters and next to it is also the highest point in San Marino. When searching for information about the Cesta tower, you may also notice its other names, as the names De La Fratta and Falesia also refer to exactly the same tower. The photo on the right was taken from close this second tower in the direction of the first tower.
We chose to go around the towers from right to left, i.e. three, two and one. Monte Titano is clearly not the most physically demanding mountain to achieve, although of course there will be some ascent to walk.
Starting point and parking :
- Bus (Bonelli Bus) departure point: RIMINI Stazione FS (Hotel Napoleon)
- Bus (Bonelli Bus) drop-off point: SAN MARINO P.le Calcigni Park 1A Bus
- Bus fee 6e each way (year 2023) + entrance fee Cesta tower if desired
Road to the parking lot of Monte Titano :
One of the easiest ways to get to San Marino is by bus from the Italian side of Rimini. Rimini is also known as a beach resort. There are several options but I think the most obvious one is the Bonelli bus. It runs every day 8 times a day and leaves near the Rimini train station in front of Hotel Napoleon (RIMINI Stazione FS Hotel Napoleon). The trip costs 6e each way and takes about 50 minutes.
In addition, the bus park in San Marino is relatively close to the top of Monte Titano, as shown on the map above (SAN MARINO P.le Calcigni Park 1A Bus). This way, there will not be the extra climb too much, even though the height differences in the country is very typical. The up-to-date timetables of the Bonelli bus can be found here. We also bought a bus ticket with that site before the bus left and showed the tickets to the bus driver on the phone when we boarded.
Route to the top of Monte Titano, Tower 3:
You can reach the top of Monte Titano from two directions. We chose the route through the third tower, because the restaurants and shops are mainly closer to the first tower. We thought to go there after visiting the highest point and before taking the bus back to Rimini. In my opinion, the route was also more interesting going around this way. The total distance from the parking lot and back was only about 2.5 kilometers.
On top of Monte Titano, Tower 2!
Of course, we also had to take the geocache from the route. If the word geocaching doesn’t say anything, you can learn more about the topic on the website here. In any case this “treasure hunt” hobby often leads to the most beautiful places, because often the purpose of a geocache is to present a beautiful landscape or some other significant place. In any case, a new country, San Marino, was now added to the geocache list of ours.
After this, it was time to go up from the third tower towards the second tower and eventually the top of Monte Titano. Unfortunately, the top of Monte Titano itself was not marked separately. However, according to the shape of the terrain, it had to be located right near the second tower. It was still a little disappointing because, of course, it would have been nice to take a picture with the summit sign.
Unfortunately, the Cesta tower was also closed after the peak of the tourist season due to renovations, where we would have bought tickets otherwise. However, next to the tower was one of the best photographing locations in the direction of the first tower. Outside of the tourist season, you didn’t have to suffer too much from the amount of people.
Route down from Monte Titano, Tower 1:
Then we continued down towards to the first tower from the second tower. There you also found excellent photographing locations for the second tower, i.e. in the direction of the highest point.
The first tower was open during the winter opening hours between 9 a.m and 5 p.m, as long as you enter before 4:30 p.m. With an 8e entrance fee (in 2023) you could enter two museums (or towers) of your choice. However, the second tower was closed and the third tower is never open to the public from the inside anyway. The 10e entrance fee (in 2023) would have allowed you to visit not only the first and second towers but also the following destinations: Public Palace, State Museum, Pinacoteca San Francesco, National Gallery, Museum of Stamps and Money. If you have a plenty of time in San Marino that option could be suitable for you.
We spent about four hours in San Marino in total. It was more than enough to visit the three towers and the highest point, a few shops and for coffee and ice cream breaks. Bonelli bus has eight one-way trips every day and that give everyone the opportunity to choose your visit just the right length. Of course, there are hotels too, if you want to extend the visit longer or visit more museums, for example. We bought bus tickets back to Rimini just about 15 minutes before the bus departure, when we were sure of our desired return time. It was possible because there was not plenty of people during October waiting for the bus.