Location: Trieste
Top Things to do in Trieste
Countries
What to do and see in Trieste, Friuli Venezia Giulia: The Best Free Things to do
Trieste (/triːˈɛst/; Italian pronunciation: [triˈɛste] listen (help·info); Slovene: Trst) is a city and a seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of Italian territory lying between the Adriatic Sea and Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city. It is also located near Croatia some further 30 kilometres (19 mi) south.
Restaurants in Trieste
1. Piazza dell'Unita d'Italia
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 8,509 reviews
Reviewed By saronic - Zurich, Switzerland
Trieste is at its most majestic by the Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia. Covered with sandstone slabs, free of traffic, it is surrounded by palaces and it is also facing the sea. Most guidebooks will tell you that this is Europe's largest square by the sea. Spontaneously Lisbon's Praça do Comércio came to my mind, which is more than twice as big, but okay it is facing a river, not really the sea. Going around clockwise one will first pass the Palazzo del Governo with its mosaics at the façade. Built at the beginning of the 20th century, it is the youngest structure here. Next comes the Casa Stratti, built for a rich Greek merchant, now housing the famous Café degli Specchi, a place not to miss, when here. The third palace on this side is the Palazzo Modello, the Town Hall, originally meant as a guesthouse. The large building on the opposite side of the sea, with a tower at the centre and many arched windows, is the Palazzo del Municipio, a work by the Triestine architect Giuseppe Bruni, who also built the Palazzo Modello, and who was a representative of the eclecticism in architecture, mixing different past styles. In front of the Palazzo del Municipio is the 'Fontana dei Quattro Continenti', the square's oldest structure, erected in 1750, which explains, why Australia is missing. Captain James Cook only landed on this continent 20 years later. On the right side of the Piazza, looking at it from the sea, comes the oldest palace, the Palazzo Pitteri from 1790, today owned by the insurance company Lloyd Adriatico. Some tourists will know the next palace also from the inside, when they are staying here. Once as the 'Locanda Grande' the largest hotel in town, it has been renamed in the 1970's as 'Grand Hotel Duchi d'Aosta'. Last building on this side, close to the sea, is the Palazzo del Lloyd Triestino, now the seat of the regional government.
2. Carso Triestino
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 460 reviews
Reviewed By vchiara22 - Trieste, Italy
The Karst has a long history, hidden between its leaves. In every path you step, every tree you meet has something to tell you. And while you enjoy its quiet and fiery, you are overwhelmed by the view of the sea
3. Faro della Vittoria
4. Cattedrale di San Giusto Martire
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,700 reviews
Reviewed By minnekes2018 - Venice, Italy
This cathedral is in reality two churches, which in the 14th century were joined together. The two original basilicas were erected between the 9 and 11th centuries. The first one was dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption and the second one to S. Justus (S. Giusto, an early Christian Martyr). The Roman pillars in both churches are beautiful. the 14th central a new central nave was built to join the two churches and a new façade was added with a fine-looking Gothic rose window. In the bell tower you can see some of the Roman remains of the site on which the original church was built. When walking outside to the edge of the piazza you have a wonderful view over Trieste and the bay.
5. Beach Barcola
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 536 reviews
Reviewed By DvoraVienna - Vienna, Austria
Difficult parking on weekends but somehow always manage to get a spot.....Beautiful view of the city, convenient kiosks with snacks and drinks....and every few meters the historical half circle changing coves with free showers and wc....The water is usually quite clean, especially for being so close to a major town. I suppose because the shipping business ain't what it used to be....The harbor is pretty quiet.
6. Strada Vicentina
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 336 reviews
Reviewed By saronic - Zurich, Switzerland
A highly recommended activity in Trieste is a hike along the 3,7km long 'Via Napoleonica' or officially the 'Strada Vicentina' - not to be confounded with the 230km long 'Via Vicentina' along Portugal's Atlantic Coast all the way to the Cabo de Sâo Vicente, Europe's southwest corner. The path here got its name from the engineer Giacomo Vicentini, who designed the route, although generally more often used is the name 'Via Napoleonica', since it is believed that French troops in the times of Napoleon had started its construction. We began our walk from the village of Prosecco, at the bus stop 'Strada per Monte Grisa', to where bus 44 had brought us from the Piazza Oberdan in Trieste. Pretty soon one gets to the Strada Vicentina, a quite level and easy path on the edge of the carst with the typical rocks and vegetation, but on top with a superb view of the coastline. The city of Trieste is often visible, but also the Castello di Miramare or the Faro della Vittoria. En route one passes the lookout 'Vedetta Italia' and the 'Santuario Nazionale a Maria Madre e Regina', where one can go for a coffee. There are also fortifications from WWII, a 'Via Crucis', and a Via Robert Baden-Powell, honouring the founder of the Scout Movement. The 'Strada Vicentina' ends at the Obelisco di Opicina, from where bus 4 takes one back to Trieste.
7. Riserva Naturale della Val Rosandra
8. Civico Museo della Risiera di San Sabba
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,855 reviews
Reviewed By SurfingSimon - Sacramento, United States
A former Nazi prison camp, the only one left in Italy, built in an old rice factory. While off the beaten path (we traveled by bus), this was well worth the visit. The place is somber and evocative and moving. The footprint of the former crematorium is laid out in metal slabs. Tiny cells for prisoners stand in quiet testimony to the horrors of the camp. Everyone should make a visit here.
9. La Foiba di Basovizza
10. Trieste Infopoint
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 379 reviews
Reviewed By Rumples - Tucson, United States
We decided to make a day trip via train from Venice to Trieste and assumed that we could get information and a map from Tourist Information in the Trieste train station. But no office exists there. A station customer care rep gave us vague instructions on how to reach the office in the old town, about a 15-minute walk away. En route, we had to ask a few people for directions before reaching our goal, the Town Hall, located on Piazza Unita. Though we found a Trieste Infopoint office on the building’s ground level, it was closed for renovations. A sign directed us to another office nearby. Again, we asked directions from a passerby and finally got to the correct place about a 1-minute walk away on a street off the piazza. A woman, who spoke excellent English, welcomed us and told us about a self-guided audio tour with 22 stops. She also gave us a free map and mentioned free brochures on a long rack. We opted to take the audio tour, which came with a map. I was required to leave personal identification while out with the two audio guides. We paid a total of 8 E for the excellent tour, which can last from 2 hours and up, depending on the level of interest and speed of participants. We visited 10 places in 3 hours and also ate lunch. Stops included piazzas, churches and Roman ruins. When heavy rain began to fall, accompanied by the fierce wind that Trieste is known for, we decided it was time to return to the train station. Back at the Infopoint, a rep was kind enough to call a taxi for us. When coming from the station, Trieste Infopoint can be found by following the sea until reaching Piazza Unita. While standing by the water, look at the square and proceed to the first street on the right that runs lateral to the square The Infopoint is located on the right, facing Hotel Duchi D’Aosta.
