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This is by no means a comprehensive guide to everything there is to do in Trieste. These are just the things I have done or plan to do on my next trip. For your convenience I’ll put a hyperlink glossary here so you can click and skip the intro and go to the section of interest.
- Getting to Trieste
- Transportation in Trieste
- Where to Stay in Trieste
- What to Do in Trieste
- Eats and Drinks
Introduction
Trieste was one of those nice-surprise cities for me. I wanted to see some of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy, so why not start with the capital. But being vastly overshadowed in the tourism world by cities like Rome, Florence, and Venice, I didn’t really know what to expect. In the end, it was beautiful, clean, had nice locals, and great, unique food.
I hope you like it as much as I did.
Getting to Trieste
The train station that most people will use is Trieste Centrale.
- From Ljubljana, Slovenia: I’d take a bus (about an hour and a half) just to have the most options. Flixbus isn’t glamorous, but it’s inexpensive and reliable. Tickets here.
- From Venice: Venezia Santa Lucia to Trieste Centrale, approximately 2 and a half hours (buy train tickets on Trainline here).
My suggestion for buying train tickets in Italy is to skip the line at the machine and buy the tickets on Trainline. Please check out my post, Essential Resources for Italy Travel.
Transportation in Trieste
Trieste is fairly small, so you can get around most of it on foot. For longer trips, you can use a bus (local company TPL FVG – ticket info here).
Where to Stay In Trieste
For booking accommodations, my go-to services are Hostelworld and Booking.com.
On my trip to Trieste, I stayed at ControVento Hostel. It was a family/home style hostel, with a small staff and a cool vibe. I really loved the location. On my last night there I met a cool guy from Argentina who also played gypsy jazz guitar, so we had an impromptu jam session in the hostel kitchen that turned into a mini concert. Man, I love hostels.
If hostels aren’t your thing, or you just want to look around some more, just try to keep it within a 10 minute walk of Piazza Unità d’Italia and you’ll be in a good location.
*Some hotel options to consider:
- Budget-friendly: Residence Liberty
- Mid-range: YouMe Design Place Hotel
- Luxury: Savoia Excelsior Palace Trieste
*Please note: as a frequent, solo traveler, I usually stay in hostels, not just for the cost savings, but also for the community experience. So, my hotel recommendations may not always be places I have personally stayed. However, most people want to stay in hotels, so I want to provide recommendations. I vet online reviews and geographical location for every place I recommend, and will only recommend places that I would stay myself if budget allowed.
Things to Do
Trieste is a great city to just walk around – one of my favorite travel activities. Start with Canal Grande di Trieste and go from there. Here’s some places to put on your list:
- Visit Teatro Romano di Trieste
- Visit the unique Santuario di Monte Grisa. This uniquely-designed Catholic church was completed in 1965, and its location gives you a great view of the Gulf of Trieste. You can access the church from Trieste via bus in about 50 minutes.
My go to places for tours are GetYourGuide and Viator.
Visit the Castello di San Giusto (official website here).
Eats and Drinks
The food in Trieste is pretty much unlike any “Italian” food we’re used to back in the States. This is largely due to its location, at the crossroads of Italy, Austria, and Slovenia. These influences have all combined to bring some really unique flavors. Things like jota, brodetto, musetto – these were all new to me.
I went for the jota (a hearty bean and sauerkraut soup) and musetto (a boiled pork sausage). Presentation-wise, both left something to be desired. But the flavor was truly incredible.
Restaurants
- Vecio Buffet Marascutti – as part of my usual strategy, I asked a local where I could find the most typical food in the city and they sent me here. It was exactly what I was looking for.
- Buffet da Pepi – this one came locally recommended as well and has a similar menu to Marascutti
- Osteria de Scarpon – locally recommended for seafood
Bars & Aperitivi
- Al Ciketo – this is a small but very popular spot for locals to go drink and snack. They have a nice assortment of Venetian style cicchetti (small appetizers) and a great wine selection. If you go on a weekend night, it will be a shoulder-to-shoulder kind of crowded, FYI.
- Caffè San Marco – Founded in 1914, this is a historic spot which was a popular rendezvous for intellectuals including Italo Svevo, James Joyce, Justin Beber, and the like. I highly recommend you get the strudel di mele (apple strudel) here and just relax.
- Via Torino and Via di Cavana are full of places to eat, drink, and snack, so you can just go for a walk and find your spot.
That’s All For Now
I sincerely hope you found value in this article. If you have recommendations of your own or have suggestions on what else you would like to see covered here, please write in the comments below. Additionally, if you’re planning a trip to Italy and need one-on-one support or guidance, check out my services page where you can get in touch with me.
