Our first family holiday – San Marino with a baby

After 5 months of new baby chaos, sleeplessness and adoration, we decided it was time for H’s first proper holiday. Our first real holiday as a family. H had already spent Christmas in Wales and taken a day-trip on the Eurostar to France. But this was his first proper trip, the big one. And where else could we go, but San Marino with a baby!

OK, so most of our holiday was spent in Italy. In fact, San Marino is a tiny land-locked country completely surrounded by Italy on all sides.

We had planned a 9-night trip, using trains to travel between Bologna, Florence and Rimini. Where’s Rimini you ask? And why Rimini? Well, it’s a seaside town within easy reach of San Marino. Rimini gave us the perfect base for a day in San Marino with a baby.

Rimini itself is a nice enough place, with a big sandy beach and perhaps serving the biggest ice creams on the planet (for only 3 Euros!). It also has a really fun day out with a baby or toddler nearby – Italy in Miniature. This walkable and stroller-friendly attraction has miniature replicas of Italy and global landmarks. It’s an irresistible photo-opportunity and H put up with us holding him near tiny models of famous Italian landmarks – in miniature.

But I digress….  Let’s get into San Marino with a baby!

If you enjoy reading this, you may also like my post on a day trip to Liechtenstein, another tiny European country.

Getting to San Marino with a baby

Travelling with a baby isn’t usually fun so long trips are to be avoided. Luckily the bus journey from Rimini to San Marino is only around 45 minutes. The bus departs from across the road from the train station and it’s around 10 Euros for a return ticket.

When you arrive at San Marino city, it’s a walk uphill to the quaint streets, but you’ll need to get used to that – everything’s either uphill or downhill! Luckily there are lots of lovely coffee shops where you can rest your legs.

What is there to do in San Marino with a baby?

What is there to do anywhere with a baby? At 5 months old, H was still very portable and he spent a lot of the day in his sling. This made it very easy to walk around and H could get his naps in easily too. So, H just got on with his typical baby day (poos, sleeping, being cute) whilst we explored the city.

I was breastfeeding whilst travelling at the time, which meant that we had the perfect excuse for snacks and refreshments at the many cafes in the town. Rhino managed to get a couple of beers in over lunch too. Don’t worry, there is one stellar sight too – the Three Towers.

The Three Towers of San Marino

If you buy a postcard from San Marino, it will likely include a photo of the Three Towers. They are the most famous sight and are even on the national flag. The Three Towers – Guaita, Cesta and Montale – date from the 11^th to 14^th centuries and perch on top of the hilltops across San Marino.

Whilst the Three Towers are picturesque enough, Rhino, H and I enjoyed the walk the most. It offered an opportunity to leave the touristy town and provided spectacular views. There were some old ruins to clamber through a couple of times too. The Three Towers walk is a must-do so, if you’re in San Marino with a baby, then remember to take your baby sling.

Would I recommend San Marino with a baby?

H’s next holidays were to Iceland and Montenegro, and he followed those up year with trips to Cape Verde, Cyprus, Kosovo and Macedonia.

So you can say he was an adventurous traveller and keen to rack up many countries!  But OK, really it was Rhino and me who wanted to visit San Marino….  It’s a country that had been on our list for years and having H gave the perfect opportunity to go.

It was our first holiday with baby H and we wanted somewhere easy, clean and safe to go to. Italy provided these and we were treated to amazing architecture and scrumptious food along the way. But I needed San Marino too. I wanted H’s first holiday to include somewhere remarkable and unique to kick-off his globe-trotting spirit. H started with a micro-nation state that only attracts intrepid travellers. He can always say: ‘I’ve been there’ when San Marino comes up in conversation.

So would I recommend San Marino with a baby? Yes and no.

Combined with a jaunt around Italy, San Marino is definitely worth visiting. The nearby seaside town of Rimini is lovely and Italy in Miniature is a hoot. I had a wonderful 3-night stopover there and the undoubted highlight was San Marino. So I would absolutely recommend San Marino with a baby if planned properly within an overall Italian adventure.

But is San Marino as a standalone destination a ‘must-see’? Aside from its nation status, I have to say ‘no’. There are prettier towns nearby in Italy and San Marino is over-touristy. That said, the Three Towers are impressive sights. And it is the uniqueness of San Marino that stands out and makes it so memorable anyway. So overall, if your family enjoys exploring unique destinations then San Marino should be on your list.

The most memorable thing about visiting San Marino with a baby?

This could have happened anywhere and, to be honest, tended to happen most days …  H  threw-up after feeding. His timing was perfect on this occasion.

After our umpteenth café of the day and settling the bill and tip, H timed his afternoon vomit to perfection. Whilst we were exchanging pleasantries with the waiter and getting up to leave, H retched up his milk all over the open courtyard and street, practically splashing the waiter’s shoes. Both me and the waiter had to make a split-second decision on how to proceed and luckily he politely waved us away. So, we sheepishly proceeded up the street, ignoring the group of onlookers who were trying to heap shame on us for daring to travel to San Marino with a baby!

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll love our other posts of travelling with babies and toddlers. Check out:

11 Reasons your Baby is the Best Travel Companion Ever

21 Fantastic Family Travel Destinations with Kids Under Five

As we didn’t have the best weather during our trip to San Marino with a baby! Image Credit for cover and pin photo by Lorenzo Castagnone on Unsplash