Rimini.

ESN Rimini, active since 2005 and run entirely by volunteers, organises the exchange calendar: welcome days and a September Welcome Month for new arrivals, country meetings, a buddy programme, SocialErasmus volunteering and Erasmus in Schools outreach, plus beach volleyball tournaments and boat parties that make the most of the coastline. An ESNcard unlocks discounts at bars, restaurants and language schools around the city. Since the Rimini campus is compact, with international students making up more than a quarter of its enrolment, exchange students tend to find their group fast.

• Join ESN Rimini's September Welcome Month and beach volleyball tournaments.
• Use your ESNcard for discounts at bars, restaurants and language schools.
• Get matched with a local student through ESN Rimini's buddy programme.

Rimini is cheaper than Italy's big cities, though beach season pushes prices up in summer. A room outside the centre averages around 580 euros a month, an inexpensive restaurant meal costs about 18 euros, and a cappuccino is close to 2 euros. Budget around 750 to 1000 euros a month once rent, food and transport are covered, more in July and August when the resort fills up. A monthly public transport pass costs around 30 euros, one of the cheaper rates among Italian university cities.

• Budget 750 to 1000 euros a month, more during the busy summer season.
• Expect a room outside the centre around 580 euros, cheaper than big cities.
• Pay around 30 euros a month for public transport, a low rate for Italy.

Students at the Rimini campus apply for a place through ER.GO, the Emilia-Romagna regional student services agency, which runs an annual competitive call for subsidised beds and a Borsino Alloggi listing board for other options. Apply as early as the call opens, since Rimini's beds are limited compared to Bologna's main campus. On the private market, remember the city is also a major seaside resort, so prices and availability shift with the tourist season, and a room that is cheap in October can be booked solid by June. Always view a place in person before paying a deposit.

• Apply to ER.GO's annual call as soon as it opens for a subsidised bed.
• Check the Borsino Alloggi listing board for other ER.GO housing options.
• Book early, since seaside demand pushes up private rents before summer.

Federico Fellini International Airport sits about 5 kilometres southeast of the centre, near Miramare. Bus route 9 runs directly between the airport, the railway station and the city centre, and the Metromare trolleybus line stops nearby too. Metromare itself covers 9.8 kilometres and 17 stops on a dedicated track linking Rimini and Riccione railway stations, opened in 2019, with connections to the airport and Fiabilandia theme park. Rimini's main station also sits on the Bologna to Ancona line, with frequent regional and high speed trains along the coast.

• Take bus 9 from the airport straight to the station and centre.
• Ride the Metromare trolleybus between Rimini and Riccione along the coast.
• Use Rimini's station on the Bologna to Ancona line for coastal trains.

Most exchange students in Rimini join the University of Bologna's dedicated Rimini campus, one of four satellite campuses beyond Bologna itself, alongside Cesena, Forlì and Ravenna. It enrols close to 4,700 students across 18 first and second cycle degree programmes and 8 disciplinary areas, with 44 percent of programmes taught in English and around 1,254 students on international tracks. Incoming and outgoing mobility runs through AlmaRM, the campus's international office. Courses focus on tourism, fashion, cosmetics, sport, wellness and business, so check whether your subject area is offered before you apply.

• Apply through AlmaRM, the Rimini campus's international mobility office.
• Choose from 18 degree programmes, 44 percent taught fully in English.
• Expect a focus on tourism, fashion, sport, wellness and business courses.

Als EU- oder EWR-Bürger brauchst du nichts außer der Meldung deines Wohnsitzes, wenn du länger als 90 Tage bleibst. Nicht-EU-Studierende brauchen fast immer ein nationales Typ-D-Studienvisum, das du vor der Anreise beim italienischen Konsulat beantragst, plus Nachweis über Einschreibung, Finanzen und Krankenversicherung. Was genau du brauchst, hängt von deiner Nationalität ab, also check früh bei deinem Konsulat.

Einmal in Italien müssen Nicht-EU-Studierende innerhalb von acht Tagen nach Ankunft die permesso di soggiorno, die Aufenthaltserlaubnis, beantragen, über ein Post-Kit und einen Termin bei der Questura (Polizei). Es ist langsam und papierlastig, also bring Kopien von allem mit und rechne mit Warteschlangen. Das International Office deiner Uni führt dich meist durch den Prozess.

• EU/EWR, kein Visum; Meldung ab 90+ Tagen Aufenthalt
• Nicht-EU, Typ-D-Studienvisum vom Konsulat
• Nach Ankunft, permesso di soggiorno innerhalb von 8 Tagen

Piadina romagnola, a thin flatbread first documented in 1317 and now protected by EU geographic status, is the everyday food of the whole Romagna coast, sold hot from kiosks called piadinerie and filled with cheese, cured meats or vegetables. Being on the Adriatic, Rimini's kitchens also lean heavily on fresh fish and seafood. The historic centre still carries Roman Ariminum's layout around the Arch of Augustus, while Borgo San Giuliano, once a fishermen's quarter, is now covered in murals celebrating native son Federico Fellini's films.

• Try a piadina filled with cheese or cured meats from a piadineria.
• Order fresh Adriatic fish and seafood, a Rimini kitchen staple.
• Walk through Borgo San Giuliano to see its Fellini themed murals.

Marina Centro, the seafront strip with the Fountain of the Four Horses, is Rimini's tourist heart, lined with hotels, bars and the famous beach clubs. The historic centre inland mixes Roman ruins with Renaissance monuments like the Tempio Malatestiano, and it stays lively well beyond summer. Borgo San Giuliano, just across the Ponte di Tiberio, is a former fishermen's district turned atmospheric, mural covered neighbourhood of small squares and trattorias. Covignano, up in the hills above the city, offers villas, vineyards and quiet views over the coast for a change of pace.

• Stay near Marina Centro for beach clubs and the liveliest summer nights.
• Explore Borgo San Giuliano's murals and small squares across the Ponte di Tiberio.
• Head up to Covignano's hills for vineyards and quiet views over the coast.

San Marino, a whole separate microstate perched on a mountain, is only 26 minutes away by car or a direct bus from Arco d'Augusto, taking about 28 minutes and running hourly. Bologna, with its own historic centre and airport, is around an hour away by train on the Trenitalia Frecce line. Ravenna, famous for its Byzantine mosaics, is even closer at about 43 minutes by direct train. Along the coast, Riccione and the rest of the Riviera Romagnola are a short hop by Metromare or regional train.

• Take the hourly bus to San Marino from Arco d'Augusto in 28 minutes.
• Day trip to Bologna in about an hour by direct train.
• Visit Ravenna's Byzantine mosaics in just 43 minutes by train.

Rimini shifts personality with the seasons: expect a packed, party paced beach town in July and August, and a much quieter, more local place the rest of the year, when many exchange students actually arrive. Register with AlmaRM and your faculty as soon as you land to sort your timetable and paperwork. Bring a bike or good shoes, since the flat coastal city and the Metromare line make getting between the centre, campus and beach easy without a car. Book early for a room, since summer tourism eats into the same housing stock students need in autumn.

• Expect a quieter, more local Rimini once the summer tourist season ends.
• Register with AlmaRM and your faculty as soon as you land.
• Book housing early, since summer tourism competes for the same rooms.