Tour :
We spent 3 days in August 2023 to visit Rimini, San Marino and Bologna.
Our Budget for 2 adults was €900 for 3 days:
We landed at Bologna airport at 09:15
Flight: Brussels-Charleroi (CRL) – Bologna (BLQ)
Date: 12/08/2023 from 07:35 to 09:15
Company: Ryanair
Price for 2 people without luggage: €46
We start by picking up our rental car:
Company: Sicily By Car
Pick-up and Drop-off: Bologna Airport
Rental duration: 3 days
Car: Lancia Ypsilon
Rental price: €110 (Including insurance)
We leave for Rimini. Upon arrival, we find a parking space in Viale Mantova (44°02’18.8″N 12°36’37.8″E). Our accommodation is located a few steps away:
City: Rimini
Accommodation: Hotel Montecarlo
Address: Viale Taranto 1, Rivazzurra, 47924, Rimini
Location: N 044° 2.428, E 12° 36.605
2 nights, from 08/12/2023 to 08/14/2023
Price: € 244 for 2 people
Booked with Booking.com
The hotel is not exceptional, but it is still correct for such a price in Rimini, next to the beach in high season
Rimini was the first major seaside resort in Italy, and it is by copying its model that private beaches were born in Italy with beach restaurants/bars (Lido)
There are 15 km of beaches in Rimini. Each part of the beach has a number. Most of these beaches are private, belonging to hotels or bars/restaurants. There are some free public beaches:
We start by going to the beach « Bagno 108 Angelo »
At Rimini, you should not expect to find crystal clear water. But, the goal of our getaway was to discover one of the legendary seaside resorts of Italy in high season.
We settle into the café/bar and the beach and we realize that the atmosphere is very present.
For the evening, we go to the old town of Rimini. We park in the “Parcheggio Tiberio” car park (44°03’51.3″N 12°33’45.2″E).
Our tour begins by enjoying the view of the Tiberius Bridge
It is one of the oldest bridges in Italy. It dates back to 21 AD!!!
Then we take a tour in the Borgo San Giuliano district. It is a picturesque district with colorful houses and cobbled streets.
We cross the Tiberius Bridge to continue our tour towards Piazza Cavour and the Malatesta Temple
At the Arch of Augustus, we turn left towards the beach and the corniche
The Arch of Augustus was the entrance to one of the roads leading to Rome
We arrive at the Federico Fellini Park to find a Food court with Italian Street Food. We have Arancinis before continuing towards the beach and the port.
A panoramic wheel is installed on the seafront with a magnificent view of the city
We return to our hotel to rest and discover that on the main street (Viale Regina Margherita), the bars have turned into nightclubs with a crazy crowd.
It is our second day, we decide to visit, not another city, but another country: San Marino.
San Marino is a micro-state landlocked within Italy.
We park at the entrance to the old town at Parking P6 (43°56’04.8″N 12°26’57.0″E).
We start our little tour in the alleys of the city among the souvenir shops and bars to arrive at the palace: “Palazzo Pubblico della Repubblica di San Marino”
The view is magnificent.
There is a cable car (which we did not test)
We end our tour in a café in the palace square, before leaving San Marino for a beach in Riccione
We choose a seafood restaurant in the 77 beach in Riccione. The food is not exceptional but the setting is nice. We finish our refreshing break by the beach before heading to our hotel for a short break.
To spend the evening, we head to Rimini next to the port. It is a very lively area.
This is our third day. Before leaving our hotel and Rimini for Bologna, we have a last swim.
We arrive in Bologna and find an underground car park in the city center Parcheggio PIAZZA VIII AGOSTO (44°29’59.5″N 11°20’41.6″E)
We take a short tour of the city, under a blazing sun, in the shopping street “Via dell’Indipendenza”, in the square “Piazza Maggiore” before ending up in a well-rated address for Bolognese pasta: Adesso Pasta Car Ristorante (44°29’37.3″N 11°20’30.3″E)
We go to our hotel for a short rest:
City: Bologna
Accommodation: CDH My One Hotel Bologna
Address: Viale Palmiro Togliatti 9/2, Borgo Panigale, 40132 Bologna
Location: N 044° 30.498, E 11° 16.889
1 night, from 08/14/2023 to 08/15/2023
Price: 80 € for 2 people
Booked with Booking.com
It is a hotel located outside the city of Bologna, 3.5 Km from the airport.
For the evening, we return to the city center of Bologna. We find a parking space in the street « Via Montebello » (44°30’09.3″N 11°20’33.7″E)
We do the same tour of the noon to arrive at the level of the square « Piazza Maggiore« . It is considered one of the most beautiful squares in Italy. In the Piazza Maggiore, is the magnificent Basilica of San Petronio. Not far away in the « Piazza del Nettuno », is the fountain of Neptune
We continue our tour by strolling through the alleys of the authentic district of « Quadrilatero » nicknamed « the belly of Bologna ». It is full of trattorias and beautiful little shops.
We continue towards the towers of Asinelli and Garisenda « Due Torri« . These two inclined towers are the symbol of the city
We end our evening in Piazza Maggiore in a bar with a beautiful view of the square: Bar Romano
Every summer on the famous square, the « Sotto le Stelle del Cinema » takes place. It is an open-air film screening in the immense Piazza Maggiore.
It is August 14th and it is the closing night of this event.
There is a screening of a documentary about Italian cinema and the role of the city in the 7th art. The evening ends with a dance ball in the middle of the square. What a magnificent spectacle to end our little escapade in Italy.
It is the day of departure, our flight is scheduled for 09:40. We go to the airport to return the rental car and take our plane to Brussels-Charleroi. By doing the math, we have done 410 km 🙂
Flight: Bologna (BLQ) – Brussels-Charleroi (CRL)
Date: 08/15/2023 from 09:40 to 11:30
Company: Ryanair
Price for 2 people without luggage: €180
my-trip-memories.com 