Rimini holds the reputation for one of the most touristic cities on the Italian Adriatic coast. A few kilometres long and some hundred meters wide coast becomes a labyrinth of sun screens and towels in the summer. And in the background there are thousands of bars, restaurants and hotels, bursting with life night and day. The first beach was prepared and opened in the long gone year of 1843 and ever since the tourist centre just kept growing. Today Rimini with its tourist settlements counts for half of Ljubljana.
After a few hour’s drive I had no problems finding the only
HI hostel in town (even without GPS), located just 200m from the coast.
Sunflower Beach Backpacker Hostel, Viale Siracuza 25, was opened a few years ago by three friends, who gathered traveling experience in Australia. They mostly stayed at hostels while down under, so upon return to Italy they said – why not try to open a hostel in Rimini? They rented a hotel and the first year results were so great they opened another one – the Sunflower City Hostel. The reception is part of the bar, where one of the founders, Davide, welcomed me and showed me the wonderfully colourful premises and gave me quick tips about what to do in Rimini. Although there was still room at the common bedroom (with 14€ a night per person) Davide recommended the private room, where I had a big bed, with enough room inside for wardrobes. There was also a bathroom and a balcony, which is just perfect for warm summer nights. Everything was spotless and the self-service breakfast was included in the price. Guests can also use the handy kitchen, which is not often the case in Italian hostels. To make the ground floor halls and the dining room nicer, Australian artist Alisha Milajew added her touches.
The hostel is also known for the music events. The dining room becomes a pleasant restaurants with a stage in the corner, where different performers play. When there is no live music, it’s the guests who chose what they’ll listen to, via a modern type of juke-box. Yup, it’s the right hostel for parties – open day and night, without strict rules but very efficiently run. You can also buy tickets for hottest clubs in town at the hostel, the most popular ticket is for a whole night party at various places – the Pub, disco crawl. It’s organized a few times a week and apart from the ticket you also get a T-shirt and a welcome drink at three pubs of your choice. Guests go to the night crawl accompanied by the hostel organizer, who’s also a great animator.
Sunflower hostel is just a few steps away from the main coastal avenue, with numerous restaurants, clubs, shops and hundreds of hotels rising to the sky. Behind the hotels there’s the miles of sand, with a promenade and cabins to change clothes (you can rent them), followed by rows of beach chairs and sunscreens. The repeating patterns are every now and again broken by small restaurants, fun parks and sport grounds, so even if you don’t plan to bathe in the water and sun all day, you can get something to do. On Wednesdays and Saturdays parts of the promenade become the town’s market, where you can mostly buy clothes, beach utilities, Italian specialities, and much more.
It’s most comfortable to explore the coastal town by bicycle. The distances are just a bit to long for walking, but you can also use the bus. It runs along the whole coast and takes you to the town centre. Bus stops are frequent and one is just a stone’s throw away from the hostel. It’s good to get a ticket in advance (at a kiosk) as the price on the bus is much higher and the driver doesn’t return change. You have to stamp the ticket upon entering the bus, otherwise it’s not valid. And the controls are very frequent! With a stamped ticket you can ride for 70 minutes.
You should also take a day to explore the old town of Rimini. The sites (cathedral, roman arch, roman amphitheatre) can be seen in about an hour’s walk. You should also visit the market and see what the fishermen bring back from the sea. There’s also an interesting stop at the roman stone bridge and near it is the old fishermen’s village where the poorest of fishermen and migrants lived. The small houses of San Giuliano are nicely renovated and in very attractive colours. Some of them are also decorated by frescos. Most of them are connected to the Rimini’s most famous son, who was both born and buried in town – the movie director Federico Fellini (1920-1993), a multiple Oscar (and other movie prize) winner. There’s a museum set up in his memory, but it’s currently closed, so the best reminder of the director are the frescos made to honour his films.
What else to do in town? There’s a water fun park Aquafun for big and small children, there’s also the Fiabilandia theme park and the exhibition of famous Italian buildings - Italia in miniatura.
