Bologna

5 favourite daytrips from Rimini, Italy

by with No Comment Italy
Bologna

Besides being a nice destination, Rimini is perfect for going on daytrips because of its location. In this blog I will share my 5 favourite daytrips that I did from Rimini and how to get there by public transport.

San Marino

The idea of a country in a country sounds so weird to me. However, Italy has two countries in the country: San Marino and Vatican city. From Rimini, you can get to San Marino in approximately 30 minutes by bus. You will get dropped off at the spot that is the most interesting for tourists. This is a small castle like settlement on a hill with paths going up to the towers. Along the way up you will pass a lot of tourist shops and restaurants. Besides the fact that this feels a bit like a tourist trap, it also feels like your going back in time. The little castles feel like a fairy tale. You do not need a awful lot of time up here, in about 2 to 3 hours you will have seen everything. I would suggest to just walk around and enjoy the beautiful views of San Marino and Italy.

San Marino

How to get there and back?

There are two bus organisations operating between Rimini and San Marino: Benedettini and Bonelli. For both organisations I would suggest to buy a ticket of 5 euros (one way) in advance on the opposite side of the train station in Rimini. The bus to San Marino leaves from multiple stops like Arco di Augusto or in front of the trains station and I would suggest to check the updated timetable.  

Ravenna

I love this little Italian city, which is also why I visited it multiple times. Ravenna is mostly known by its beautiful mosaic. On many street corners you can enjoy a small mosaic art piece, but the main attraction here is the Basilica di San Vitale. This big basilic has the most beautiful mosaic work inside I have ever seen in my life. With bright colours and gold shimmering in the sunlight this cathedral is a must-see when visiting Ravenna. On the same ground there is a small mausoleum where you can enjoy another beautiful and mosaic covered building. Furthermore, there are a few more places where you can see mosaic, but I think the two listed above are the best.

San Vitale
San Vtale

Another place worth to visit is the basilica di San Francesco, in which you can see a part covered in water. When you throw a small coin in the machine, the lights will turn on and you can see the water in the church. Also, if you are lucky you can see the fish swimming in the water. The next stop is Dante Alighieri’s tomb, this small tomb is dedicated to the famous Italian philosopher Dante Alighieri who lived from 1265 until 1321. My last tip for Ravenna is to have a visit at the Biblioteca Classense. This town library is covered in beautiful paintings and covered in mosaic floors.

San Francesco
WhatsApp Image 2019-10-28 at 13.29.31 (4)

How to get there and back?

From Rimini central station there is a direct train to Ravenna. You can buy your ticket at the station at the Trenitalia ticket machines. The train ride will take you around an hour and during this trip you will pass the station of Cesenatico, which will also be covered in this blog. Do not forget to validate your ticket before you board the train!

Bologna

The next daytrip option is the city famous for it Tagliatelle al Ragu and it often called the food capital of Italy: Bologna. In a day you will probably not be able to see everything and so this city is actually worth more days. But for this blog I will share the main highlights.

Besides good food, Bologna has a lot of nice buildings and streets to offer. One of the main squares is called Piazza Maggiore (the Big square). Here you will find a nice church and some streets for a great aperitivo! If you have never heard of the concept of Aperitivo I would like to refer you to one of my previous blogs about food in Rimini (button).

If you are feeling active and you like good views, I can recommend climbing the Due Torre. One of these towers (the highest one) is available for visitors and wooden steps will bring you up the roof. From the tower you can search for the second tower which seems gone, until you find it! From here you have a beautiful view over the city and you will understand why Bologna is called ‘La Rossa’ (red).

Enjoy some nice food at one of the pizzerias or osterias, I will share my favourites in my Bologna city guide and if you still feel active afterwards, you can walk all the way up to Basilica di San Luca. More information about this hike and more about Bologna will soon be on my website so stay tuned!

Bologna
Bologna
Basilica di San Luca

How to get there and back?

From Rimini station there are multiple direct trains to Bologna. It depends on the speed and time when you book how much it will cost. Most of the trains take around 2 hours and will cost a bit less than 10 euros one way. The station of Bologna is in the centre and after a 10 minute walk you will reach Piazza Maggiore. You can buy your train ticket again at a Trenitalia ticket machine. Do not forget to validate your ticket before you board the train!

Padua

This city is a bit further away than the others, but if you have time, definitely worth a visit. I did this in one day but Padua deserves more days. This cosy city is full with students which means that there are a lot of nice bars to drink or eat. Futher, Padua offers a beautiful and big cathedral: Basilica di Sant’Antonio. Another signature spot of Padua is the Prato Della Valle which is surrounded by multiple statues. And of course: you should not miss Palazzo Bo. Not only because it has my name haha, but because it is the oldest anatomic theatre in the world and is now home to the School of Law.

Padua

How to get there and back?

The easiest and cheapest way to get to Padua from Rimini is by taking the Flixbus. You can buy tickets in advance on their website. The ride takes around 4 hours and the bus provides you with WI-FI and comfortable seats.

Cesenatico

This last daytrip is especially nice when you go in the December period before Christmas. I visited this place when my parents came to Italy in the beginning of December. The whole town is covered in Christmas lights and the boats are decorated with Christmas stories. The little fishers village gets a romantic and cosy atmosphere with Christmas music playing on the speakers. Here I just suggest to walk around and enjoy the boats and the lights. If you decide to go in Summer, there is also a nice beach where you can go for a swim or work on your tan.

Cesenatico

How to get there and back?

From Rimini station you can get a direct train in the same direction as Ravenna. This will only take you around 25 minutes and costs around 3 euros one way. You can buy the ticket at the station at a ticket machine of Trenitalia. Do not forget to validate your ticket before you board the train!

Jerash Jordan

Story time: How we got invited to a local home in Jerash, Jordan

by with No Comment Beautiful PeopleJordan
Jerash Jordan

This story is about someone we met during our travels in Jordan. This story is about a salesman in Jerash working in the tourism industry. This story is about kindness, trust and respect. This story is about Morad.

Daytrip to Jerash, Jordan

We start our trip in Jordan in the capital Amman. Amman is a great city and also has a lot of possibilities for daytrips. Jerash is one of these possibilities. Jerash is the largest Roman site of Jordan which is why a lot of tourists decide to go see these ruins. Of course, where tourists are, there are souvenir shops and salesmen trying to sell you all kinds of local products. One of these salesmen is Morad and he tried to sell us the typical scarves of Jordan.

At first, I felt really annoyed as we were not even through the main gate of the ruins and already ended up in a shop, but after a while we saw that he was actually a very nice guy. He looked our age and was just doing his job. Men working in tourist shops often are seen as pushy and annoying and I also sometimes try to avoid an encounter with them. However, Morad made me look differently at these people.

We spend way too much time in his shop talking with him and ended up both buying a scarf. Afterwards he made us necklaces which he gave to us and then he invited us for lunch the next day at his home. His mother would cook a traditional meal for us. My boyfriend gave his phone number and we promised to stay in contact.

To be honest, I was a bit scared. I did not fully trust the situation but I was also curious about the experience. We decided to do it and arranged an appointment with him for the day after. The next day we took a taxi back to Jerash and the whole way I was picturing everything that could go wrong in my head. But now I am thinking: what were these scary images based on?

Lunch at a local home

He picked us up from the taxi stop and we walked to a restaurant of someone he knows and had a nice lemon mint there (if you go to Jordan, make sure to try the lemon mint!!). We were not allowed to pay for the drinks as the custom in Jordan is when you invite someone, you pay everything for them.

After this drink, we went to his house where he and his mom live to eat traditional Mansaf. On the way to his house, which is not in the tourism part of Jerash, we were looked at by local people but he said that we were his guests, and so they left us alone. In his house, we sat down on one of the pillows that were laying on the floor and he told us that this was also the place where they slept.

He placed a piece of plastic on the floor and put plates and glasses on there. Then, his mom came with the Mansaf, which is a rice dish with chicken (or lamb) and yoghurt, and this was also placed on the plastic on the ground. We sat down and enjoyed the food and some nice talks, of course for me it was hard to eat chicken but I did it out of respect. Morad told us about his life in Jordan and before Jordan and his goals in life.

local home Jerash Jordan
mansaf

Traditional Mansaf

Pushy salesman or person with a story?

Morad is from Syria and had to flee his country because of safety. He arrived in Jordan when he was 15 years old and now only lives with his mother. His father helped his sister and brothers to move to Canada and Germany but by the time he was going to help Morad he passed away. Now Morad got the full responsibility to take care of his mother and find a job. After a while he found a job in tourism because he could speak English and this is where we met him.

He explained to us that a lot of times tourists can be very rude or even ignore him. He finds this hurting as he is also just a person with a story. Tourists can treat him like he has no talent or knowledge and nothing better to do in life.

This is what I would like to raise awareness on. It is of course okay if you are not interested in particular products, but I think it is very important to respect other persons at any time. If you show interest in the local people you might get a beautiful experience in return and otherwise made their (and your) day a little bit better! This lunch was one of our highlights of the trip as it really brought us closer to local life. It opened our eyes and showed us a story of an incredible friendly person who despite everything that happened still tries to accomplish his dream: to rap.

As a kid he already dreamed of writing songs in English and rap about his life. This is the way for him to show his soul and heart instead of always only listening to the mind. He loves humans from every religion or country as he believes that we are all the same in the afterlife. So next time, when you are annoyed by local sales people, think about people like Morad. Just people with a different life story.