Trieste Italy - Dolce vita in Friuli

Discover Trieste in Italy

Trieste in Italy is worth a visit. We make a flying visit on the return journey from our trip to Slovenia. Triest It's an ideal destination, as the city is only a few kilometers across the border. Here's what you should know for a short visit to Trieste.

I can hardly remember my first visit to Trieste Italy. At that time I was traveling with my parents and we ended up in Trieste more or less by chance on our way home from Slovenia. What I still remember well is that even then we had problems finding a parking space in the center of Trieste. Parking in Trieste has its pitfalls. Back then we had to walk for more than an hour to get to the center from our car. Not much has changed about that. This time we only had a few hours to explore the port of Trieste and the surrounding area. So I wanted to plan the whole thing a little better.

Plan a day trip to Trieste from the coast

If you're not planning a classic city break in Trieste, but rather want to combine it with the sea, camping, and onward travel, a location outside the city might be more suitable than a hotel in the center. This is especially true if you're traveling with a campervan, caravan, or tent and only planning a day trip to Trieste. We'll show you which location is best for this in our article about... Campsites near Trieste by the sea.

First of all, we limited our flying visit to Trieste in Italy We visited the Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia and its surroundings, as we only planned a stopover on our return journey to Austria. This turned out to be a good thing, because once again we spent part of the time looking for a parking spot for our car. While there are parking spaces at the port of Trieste near the Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia, they are usually full by mid-Sunday mornings. Therefore, we had no choice but to drive back to the port of Trieste and park there. Ultimately, however, this proved to be a stroke of luck.

From the port of Trieste to Piazza dell 'Unita d'Italia

Our walk from Trieste's marina takes us along the waterfront, always with a view of the bay. The sight of the boats moored at the pier, the Salone degli Incanti (Sunset Hall), and the Acquario Marino della Città de Trieste (Trieste City Aquarium) is pure bliss. We enjoy a late summer morning strolling along Trieste's harbor with the city's Sunday visitors. There's so much to see! Young families pushing their children in strollers. Apparently, calming the little ones when their eagerly awaited ice cream doesn't immediately land in their hands isn't so easy. Boat owners are preparing their vessels for a trip out onto the Adriatic Sea, which, bathed in sunshine, exerts a powerful pull.

Trieste city map

Skateboarders glide past us with a skill that never ceases to amaze me. Remarkably, they don't bump into anyone on the sidewalk, where the number of pedestrians is increasing. We encounter an older couple, holding hands lovingly and gazing deeply into each other's eyes. I begin to wonder. Are they perhaps celebrating a wedding anniversary? Or are they not even married? Worlds open up, but I won't resolve them in the here and now. As we approach midday, the number of large families gathering at the port of Trieste for their Sunday outing increases. Or perhaps it's just for a family lunch at one of the trattorias, beer halls, pizzerias, or ristorantes along the Riva del Mandracchio or in the Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia. Fish, pasta, and peperonata wait already.

Dolce Vita in Friuli

We decide to do the same to them. Therefore, we look for our way through Vespas, which honk us loudly before crossing the port road of Trieste, the Riva del Mandracchio. Unimpressed, we choose a place in one of the Ristorantes on the town square, which with its palazzos is reminiscent of the time of the K.-und-k. Monarchy remembered before the First World War. At that time Trieste was under the rule of the Habsburgs and belonged to Austria. The heritage of Austria can still be felt in some parts of the city. The palaces in the Piazza dell 'Unita d'Italia seem to want to record this time. We are happy to save the other sights of the city for a later visit, because we have the opportunity to experience the Dolce Vita of Italy up close.

The hustle and bustle in the Piazza is increasing. We observe a wedding party posing photogenically in front of the Fountain of the Four Continents (Fontana dei Quattro Continenti) for commemorative photos of this important day in the couple's lives. Afterwards, the photographer arranges the newlyweds in front of the Palazzo del Governo for another photo before they and the entire entourage of wedding guests disappear inside. To sign the forms at the registry office? We don't know.

Eat well in Trieste Italy

Instead, we lose sight of them completely when our lunch is served. With great skill, the waiter fillets the sea bass, which gazes reproachfully at me from my plate. I only look again when it lies filleted before me. Perhaps it came from the Fish farm of Portoroz Where does it come from? It certainly tastes just as delicious. Meanwhile, Petar is enjoying his salad next to me, which looks equally inviting.

Dolce far niente in the Trieste way

The other guests enjoying their Sunday at the restaurant are interesting: at the next table, an older gentleman sits engrossed in his newspaper, a glass of beer in hand. He only occasionally glances at his dog, who reciprocates by raising his head now and then to check that his owner is still sitting quietly beside him. A well-oiled machine, so to speak. Quite different are the two ladies in elegant Sunday attire, engaged in a loud and animated conversation. I don't understand what they're talking about, but it seems to be something that's really on their minds, as their conversation continues for the entire time we're in the restaurant.

A stroll through the streets of Trieste in Italy

I would have liked to watch them longer, but it's time to return to our car. We still have several hours of driving ahead of us to reach our destination for the day, the Seehotel Enzian am Weissensee in CarinthiaFor the return journey, we choose Via Armando Diaz, which runs parallel to the harbor road but is considerably quieter. Here, the building facades look more weathered than the magnificent fronts along the harbor road. Instead, we find the somewhat morbid charm of Italian old towns with their windows overflowing with flowers. Wrought-iron gates provide security. Here, I also discover some of those entrance doors that always pique my curiosity about what lies beyond. This is the Italy I particularly love. Most impressive, in my opinion, are the side doors to the Museo Revoltella, a modern art gallery, which I'll definitely put on my list for our next visit.

Immediately next door, Emperor Maximilian looks down from his pedestal to Piazza Venezia, which we cross before we walk back along the harbor promenade to our car. Although we missed many sights during our flying visit to Trieste, but enjoyed a few hours of Italian Dolce Vita and brought home an experience that will stay with us in the memory.

Questions and answers about Trieste Italy

Travel organization to Trieste in Italy

Parking at the airport

Here you can reserve your parking space at the airport.

Arrival to Trieste Italy

Book your trip here, for example, by plane, bus or train*. Trieste has its own AirportsThe city can also be reached by train. However, the easiest way to get there is by car. This also gives you mobility once you're there. For travel from Munich For example, it takes five hours, from Salzburg it's four hours from Vienna Four hours and 50 minutes. From Portoroz in Slovenia, the journey takes half an hour. From Venice, however, it takes two hours.

Rental car

A Car hire from Trieste airport * You can also book here.

Accommodation in Trieste in Italy

Book yours here, for example. Accommodation in Trieste *.

Trieste travel guide in Italy

Order your travel guide for Trieste and the surrounding area here*.

If you purchase via a link marked *, we receive a commission, which we use to run this blog.

More things to know

• Luxury Camping on the Adriatic Sea in Italy: Your Ultimate Guide
• Pure enjoyment in Trieste: the best hotels for slow travellers
• Discover Trieste: Relaxed journey through history and enjoyment
• Camping by the sea near Trieste
• Adriatic vacation
• The most beautiful beaches in Italy
• A wild herb hike in Northern Italy in May
• Beautiful cities in Italy
• Marche Italy - tips for two days in the region
• Italy for connoisseurs
• Torrone - white nougat from Italy
• Three hotels in the Marche region
• Discover three sights in Ljubljana on a flying visit
• Good pizza and pasta at the Italian in Victoria, Canada

Source: own research on site. We financed the trip ourselves. As always, our opinion remains our own.

Text: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Photos: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Video: © Copyright Petar Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline