Your perfect 3-days travel itinerary in Trieste

Trieste is a peculiar city that has been part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until 1918. 

Located a step away from Slovenia, it has historically been a place of contention for centuries being the meeting point between Mediterranean and Central Europe and it is now a melting pot of cultures and influences that have left indelible traces also in the architecture and in the gastronomy.

Its atmosphere its special; no wonder why, in the past, great artists such as James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway and Umberto Saba decided to settle here.

It is a unique place and certainly deserves a visit. And, if a visit of the city centre can be fit in one day, if you have more time on your hands, we suggest you to organize at least a 3 days break to discover the beauties of the surrounding of this extraordinary city.

This is our recommendations for a 3 days itinerary.

3 DAYS IN TRIESTE

Day One

Your first day in Trieste should focus on the exploration of the city centre. 

Start from Piazza Unità d'Italia for a full immersion into the city life; pay attention to the elegant architecture of the buildings on the square and the surrounding streets. Have a stroll along the Molo Audace and enjoy the sea view, the myriad of jellyfish populating the water and the lively docks. 

Trieste City Hall, Piazza Unità d'Italia

Jellyfish, Trieste

Stop at the Museo Revoltella for a visit of this interesting modern art gallery created by the will of Baron Pasquale Revoltella who left his palace and art collection to the city. The gallery includes works by famous Italian authors such as Hayez, Morelli, Favretto, Nono, Palizzi and Previati.

Take your time for a walk in the ancient Ghetto of Trieste and, if you are visiting on the third Sunday of the month don't miss the antique and second-hand market that takes place here. In this area, you will also find plenty of wine bars and trattorie for your lunch break. 

After lunch, start your climb towards the San Giusto hill, but not before having a look at the Roman theatre.

The hill of San Giusto dominates the city of Trieste. On its top, the large square of the cathedral and castle has been the center of the political, social and religious life of the city since Roman times. 

This is also the perfect spot to enjoy an amazing view over the gulf, especially at sunset!

San Giusto Cathedral

For aperitif and dinner, get back down to the city center and explore the picturesque Borgo Teresiano and Ponte Rosso. 

Borgo Teresiano, Trieste

Day Two

Day two should take you to one of the most popular landmark of Trieste, the Miramare Castle.

Located about 8 km from town, this wonderful fortress overlooking the Gulf of Trieste was built between 1856 and 1860 at the behest of Maximilian of Austria, brother of Emperor Franz Joseph, who lived there with his wife Charlotte of Belgium. After Maximilian's death in 1867, it became the mansion where the Habsburgs occasionally stayed. 

Miramare Castle

Take your time to explore the elegant rooms and for a walk in its large park, offering extraordinary views of the Gulf of Trieste.

In the afternoon, we suggest you a visit to the Grotta Gigante, located on the Trieste Karst around 30 minutes drive from the Miramare Castle and approximately same distance from Trieste city centre. 

Grotta Gigante, Trieste

Grotta Gigante, Trieste

It is considered one of the largest tourist cave in the world and it is made up of a huge cavity almost 100m high, 168m long and 76m wide filled with many large stalactites and stalagmites of exceptional beauty.

For dinner, you can head to Barcola for a romantic meal by the sea, or back to Trieste city centre. 

Day Three

Your third day should be a full immersion into history and should start with a visit to the Duino Castle.

To get to there, drive to Sistiana and take the Rilke trail. The walk is short (slightly more than 2Km) and undemanding, but located in a unique and spectacular natural setting. The path takes its name from the Prague poet R.M.Rilke who was a guest at the Duino Castle at the beginning of the last century, where he composed his famous "Duino Elegies".

Rilke trail

Rilke trail

View of the Duino castle from the Rilke trail

At the end of the walk you will reach the immediate vicinity of the Duino Castle, the historic home of the princes of Torre and Tasso, The history of their family is linked to the management of postal services, in various European states for more than 350 years.

The castle was built on the ruins of a Roman outpost and incorporates a 16th century tower; it is surrounded by a magnificent park overlooking the sea where you will also find a very interesting  bunker built during the WWII. 

Duino Castle

Duino Castle

Castelvecchio ruins, Duino Castle

After walking back to your car and a nice lunch by the sea, you should drive back to Trieste and dedicate the afternoon to the discovery of the Risiera San Sabba.

Risiera San Sabba

Declared a National Monument in 1965, the museum of the Risiera di San Sabba is located in a building built in 1898 for rice husking, which from autumn 1943 was transformed by the Nazi occupiers into the only concentration camp in Italy and used for the sorting of racial and political deportees from Germany and Poland and for the detention and elimination of Italian, Slovenian and Croatian partisans and political prisoners. 

In 1944 a crematorium also went into operation, later destroyed by the fleeing Nazis in 1945.

The visit includes the 17 cells that made up the factory laboratory and were later used for detention and torture and the death cell underpass. The Hall of Crosses displays a selection of goods stolen from the Jewish prisoners.

The Risiera is a fundamental stop for those visiting Trieste: an important opportunity to get to know the thousand faces of this border town and to reflect on the horrors of history.

OUR TIPS: 

1.If you have time stop for breakfast, a coffee or an aperitif at the Caffé degli Specchi

2. Try the local cuisine that can offer an interesting taste of the cultural melting pot of this city and the local wine, called Terrano

3. Make sure you have enough time to enjoy one of the outstanding sunset that the city and the surroundings can offer! You won't regret it!