San Marino

Panoramic view of San Marino
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:San_Marino_%281%29.jpg
Author: fdecomite


San Marino is a tiny country completely surrounded by Italy. Covering just 61.2 sq km (24 sq mi), it is the smallest country in Europe after the Vatican City and Monaco. It claims to be the world's oldest republic, having existed since AD 301 as Marinus.

According to legend, it was founded by a stonecutter, Marinus of Arbe, on 3 September, 301, as the continuation of a monastic community. Its constitution, which dates to 1600, is the world's oldest still in effect.

Towers of San Marino
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Towers_San_Marino.jpg
Author: Nickel Chromo


San Marino is located on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It follows Italy in many aspects, including adopting the Euro as its official currency, and observes the same time zone, the Central European Time, which is an hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+1) and two hours ahead in summer.

The country has a population of about 31,700 (2011 estimate) with its capital also called San Marino. The official language here is Italian. Traffic in San Marino is driven on the right. The phone IDD code is +378. Electricity is 230V/50Hz using European and Italian plugs.

Via Piana in San Marino
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Via_Piana,_San_Marino.jpg
Author: Pablo Nicolás Taibi Cicaré


San Marino has one of the highest GDP per capita. In 2008, its estimated nominal GDP was $1.44 billion, equivalent to a per capita nominal GDP of $44,208. Its per capita GDP at purchasing power parity stood at $35,928. Through an arrangement with the Council of the European Union, it uses the euro as its official currency, although it is not a member of the European Union. It was also granted the right to design its own euro coins, which are a popular collectors item.

The economy of San Marino is based on banking, electronics and ceramics. It also produces wine and cheese. Another source of income is its issuance of postage stamps, which like its euro coins, are a source of tourist interest.

Preparing Money for San Marino

The currency used in San Marino is the Euro (EUR).

Planning your visit to San Marino

San Marino has neither an airport nor a railway station, so the only way to reach it is by road. There are no border control when entering San Marino, and almost all the parking areas offer free parking.

Major Cities in San Marino

Places of Interest in San Marino

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.