Things to Do in Rimini: Beaches & Historic Sights
Rimini in Italy is a fun town with a wide range of things to do, from beaches to historic sites in the old town. We visited for 5 nights and found the city entertaining. The seafront has many beaches and attractions, and Rimini’s old town is the place to go for historic sights.
We spent our time enjoying the sea, visiting a few iconic beaches, taking seafront walks, and exploring Rimini’s Roman sights. Highlights of the historic centre of Rimini were Arco di Augusto, Castel Sismondo and the buildings of Piazza Cavour.
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Things to Do in Rimini Old Town
We did most of our sightseeing in Rimini Old Town for free, with a few bars and cafes mixed in for a break. There are also many themed walking tours and passes for multiple paid attractions.
Arco di Augusto
Arco di Augusto is one of Rimini’s main Roman sights and marks one end of Corso d’Augusto. It was built in 27 BC in honour of Emperor Augustus and was once part of the city walls. It was the main entrance to the city centre in Roman times; today, a park surrounds the arch, and it is great to see.
Borgo San Giuliano
Borgo San Giuliano is just across Ponte di Tiberio from the old town. This is the former fishermen’s district, with narrow streets, colourful houses, and murals.
It is a great area for a walk; we arrived after walking down the canal and crossing the Passerella galleggiante bridge, which had great views of the arch. In addition to the decorative buildings, Borgo San Giuliano has a selection of bars and restaurants in its narrow streets.
Castel Sismondo
Castel Sismondo is a large fortress in Piazza Malatesta, built for Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, the 15th-century ruler of Rimini. Construction started in 1437, although only part of the original fortified complex survives today. The castle is now part of the Fellini Museum, where you can go inside.
I explored the castle’s exterior, walking around and taking in the details and fortifications. Also, just outside the building is Arena Francesca da Rimini, where they sometimes play live music. One of my favourite views of the castle was from the water in Piazza Malatesta.
Piazza Cavour
Piazza Cavour is one of the main squares in Rimini’s historic centre, surrounded by some of the city’s most interesting buildings. These include Palazzo dell’Arengo, Palazzo del Podestà, and the Galli Theatre. In the middle of the square is the Fontana della Pigna and a Monument to Paul V.
Palazzo dell’Arengo
Built in 1204, Palazzo dell’Arengo is a nice building that reminded me of architecture in Bologna and Ferrara. This used to be the meeting place of Rimini’s medieval council and has large Gothic arches and battlements
Palazzo Garampi
Palazzo Garampi dates from the 16th century and now houses Rimini’s municipal offices, forming part of the line of historic buildings overlooking Piazza Cavour.
Vecchia Pescheria
Being a market lover, Vecchia Pescheria caught my eye, and I sought it out. It is Rimini’s old fish market, built in 1747. The market has its original Istrian stone fish counters still beneath the covered loggia.
Malatestiano Temple
The Tempio Malatestiano is Rimini’s cathedral and one of the city’s main Renaissance buildings. Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta commissioned the rebuilding of the earlier church in the 15th century, and Leon Battista Alberti designed the distinctive exterior.
It’s nice to look at the exterior details, especially the facade, tower, and decorations on the right-hand side. Also inside are works including a crucifix by Giotto and a fresco by Piero della Francesca.
Piazza Tre Martiri
Piazza Tre Martiri is a pretty town square whose location used to be Rimini’s ancient Roman forum. It is one of the main pedestrian squares in the old town.
Standout features of the square for me were the Clock Tower, remains of Roman paving and the Tempietto of Sant’Antonio. Also at the edges are colourful buildings, shops and cafes, a nice place to explore.
Porto canale di Rimini
Porto Canale follows the old mouth of the River Marecchia, which was diverted further north in 1927. Today it is still a working harbour area with fishing boats and moorings, and makes for an interesting walk from the sea towards Ponte di Tiberio.
Along there way were brdges with views of the roman bridge and the Porta Galliana a medieval urban doorway. We found the walk along the canal to have good shade to escape the sun.
Ponte di Tiberio a Roman Bridge
Ponte di Tiberio is another of Rimini’s impressive Roman landmarks; unfortunately, on our visit it was being renovated and mostly covered. Augustus started the bridge in AD 14, and Tiberius completed the five-arched structure in AD 21.
The bridge links the historic centre with Borgo San Giuliano and is especially nice to see from the waterside area beside it. On the waterside is also an archaeological site where you can see some of the original stones. Benches here let you enjoy the views, or you can wander into the park.
Chiesa di Sant’Agostino
Chiesa di Sant’Agostino is an eye-catching church in the centre, dating from the 13th century. It has one of Rimini’s tallest bell towers, making it easy to spot while walking around the old town.
The church is free to visit inside, and I found it open quite early. Inside are medieval frescoes associated with the 14th-century Rimini school of painting.
Corso d’Augusto
Corso d’Augusto connects Arco di Augusto and Ponte di Tiberio and is a great route for a sightseeing walk. On the route are big piazzas, churches and lots of nice architecture. We also found a few nice cafes along the way.
Also on Corso d’Augusto is Cappella Madonna del Giglio, a small chapel with origins in the 15th century that we popped into to have a look around. The street is also home to the city’s cinema if you wanted to catch a movie.
Beaches & Seaside Attractions We Visited in Rimini
The beaches and seaside attractions are the main reason people visit the city, and there are lots of them. Rimini has about 250 private bathing establishments, known as bagni, along its 9.3-mile stretch of coastline. This blog post features the areas we enjoyed and the beaches we spent time on.
Many of the beaches are private, and you have to pay to sit in these areas; however, you can still walk along the water’s edge for free. Early mornings are a great time for dog walks along the beach, especially at sunrise.
Spiaggia Libera Tutti Rimini (Free Beach)
In addition to the private beaches with rows and rows of parasols, there are free beaches. The nearest to the centre is Spiaggia Libera Tutti Rimini near the Ferris wheel. It’s a sandy beach and looked well kept. I visited for a sunrise walk and very much enjoyed it.
Bagno 57 – Le Spiagge Rimini
One of the observations people told me before visiting was that Rimini is rows and rows of parasols and sun loungers. This is true, but in Rimini we did what tourists do and hired a few. My favourite was Bagno 57 – Le Spiagge Rimini, which was close to our hotel; it had a decent bar, Bar Doris, with big bottles of Italian beer.
To get a seat, head to the beach reception and pick an area; they’ll then take you to your allocated seat number, and hey presto, that’s yours for the day. At Bagno 57 we treated ourselves to one near the sea, which was quite expensive but run at the sme time. When the beach was closed, we also enjoyed dog walks on this part of the long sandy coastline, including sunrise and sunset.
Bagno 55 Delfino
The other beach that we paid for seating during our visit was Bagno 55, also known as Delfino. We chose cheaper seats away from the area where we stayed. As a bonus, they also had a dog-friendly area, which is nice, but it was far too hot for Henry to sit in the sun during our visit. This place shares facilities with beaches 53 and 54, including reception and changing facilities.
Sunrise and Sunset Beach Walks
In summer, the beaches tend to open after sunrise and close before sunset, so the beach area is pretty empty and a free-for-all. We enjoyed many dog walks at this time of day between Bagno 1 and Bagno 80.
It was sandy and had good colour for both sunrise and sunset. Sunrise was amusing, with a mix of dog walkers, people watching the sun come up, and others heading back from the late-night clubs.
Another good walk at this time of day was the boardwalk that follows the coast; this has sea views and is near the beachfront hotels and bars.
Rimini Marina
If you like boats, then Rimini Marina is worth exploring; there is lots to see. I enjoyed a few walks past to see the comings and goings while seeing the canal. It’s a long walk from the beaches; you can save some time by catching a small ferry from Faro di Rimini.
La Ruota Panoramica
