A hidden gem you’ll want to keep secret, Trieste is a city of contrasts and diversity. For centuries it was where Italian, Balkan and Austrian culture collided. The city—and surrounding province of the same name—bears the marks of this unique history.

While most tourists make a beeline to Venice, you can sit back comfortably down the coast in Trieste, enjoying smaller crowds, a unique cuisine, and more than enough attractions to keep you occupied for days.

It’s also a key rail hub, and a perfect place to jump off from if you want to explore the rest of Italy, Central Europe or the Balkans. Let’s explore some of the top things to do in Trieste.

Where is Trieste, Italy?

Trieste is tucked in the northeastern corner of Italy, surrounded on almost all sides by neighboring country Slovenia and attached to the rest of Italy by a thin strip of land. Also the capital of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, it is a port city overlooking the Gulf of Trieste, which is the northernmost part of the Adriatic Sea (and the wider Mediterranean).

Image Credit: Getty Images, Romana Lilic. Image Location: Piazza Unità d'Italia, Trieste, Italy

What are the best things to do in Trieste, Italy?

Piazza Unità d’Italia

Closest station: Trieste Centrale

The Piazza Unità d’Italia—meaning ‘Unity of Italy Square’ in English—is the main square in the city of Trieste and a great place to take in the seafront overlooking the Adriatic Sea as well as grand views of Trieste City Hall. It is often said to be Europe’s largest square located next to the sea and looks great in the daytime as well as at night when the buildings are neatly lit up. The square has occasionally been used as a concert venue for bands like Green Day and Iron Maiden as well as for visits of foreign heads of state.

Miramare Castle

Closest station: Miramare

Miramare Castle is a 19th-century castle found about 5 miles north of the city center in the town of Grignano. It was built from 1856 to 1860 for Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian and his wife Charlotte of Belgium (who later become Emperor Maximilian I and Empress Carlota of Mexico). The castle’s grounds include an extensive cliff and seashore park designed by the archduke, while the grounds were completely relandscaped to feature numerous tropical species of trees and plants.

Image Credit: Getty Images, Maremagnum. Image Location: Miramare Castle, Grignano, Trieste Province, Italy

Civico Museo Revoltella

Closest station: Trieste Centrale

The Civico Museo Revoltella was the home of wealthy Triestine merchant Pasquale Revoltella, but now houses an extraordinary collection of late 19th and 20th-century art.

Faro della Vittoria

Closest station: Trieste Centrale

The Faro della Vittoria is Trieste’s elegant lighthouse commemorating World War I sailors and is perched on the Gretta Hill offering spectacular views of the Gulf of Trieste.

Visit the caves of the Karst Plateau

Closest station: Villa Opicina

Across the Karst plateau, which extends over the border of southwestern Slovenia and northeastern Italy, there are around 1,500 caves of various sizes. The Grotta Gigante is the largest tourist cave in the world with jaw-dropping stalactites and stalagmites, while those willing to cross the border into Slovenia can explore the Postojna Cave and the Skocjan Caves.

Image Credit: Getty Images, xbrchx. Image Location: Faro della Vittoria, Trieste, Italy

What is the best restaurant in Trieste, Italy?

There are a host of great restaurants to sample in the province of Trieste, such as Caffè Tommaseo, which is the oldest, having been founded in 1830 by Tommaso Marcato. You can also honor the Trieste tradition of buffets at restaurants like Buffet Clai, Buffet L’Approdo and Trattoria Mara, but be sure to save room to try a grappa-filled cake for dessert.

Where are the best beaches in the Trieste Province?

The beaches you’ll find in the province of Trieste tend to be either rocky or based on a pier or other facility, rather than wide and sandy, and are often referred to as "lidos". Here are three of the best:

Barcola Beach

Closest station: Trieste Centrale

The most popular beachfront in Trieste, very spacious and clean and set in front of a stunning pine forest.

Spiaggia Costa dei Barbari

Closest station: Sistiana-Visogliano

Less crowded but harder to access. You’ll need to walk for 15 minutes from the entrance to reach this pier-based lido.

Caravella Beach

Closest station: Sistiana-Visogliano

A free pebble beach with surrounding natural cliffs located on the Sistiana Bay.

Image Credit: Getty Images, Flavio Vallenari. Image Location: Sistiana Bay, Trieste Province, Italy

What is the weather like in Trieste?

The weather in the province of Trieste is best during the warm summer months of June, July and August, when average temperatures are in in the 70s Fahrenheit. The coldest winter months are December, January and February, when you’re looking at average temperatures in the 40s Fahrenheit. The climate is occasionally dominated by the Bora, an extremely powerful northeasterly wind that brings cold, wet and windy weather to the region.

Trieste by train

Why not add Trieste to your wishlist of European cities to visit? Also check out our guide to the best hotels in Trieste.

Download the Trainline App and search the cheapest and fastest trains across Italy. Book your tickets securely in app—and in US dollars. By high-speed train, Trieste is only a few hours away from these other top Italian cities:

Header Image Credit: Getty Images, Freeartist. Image Location: Grand Canal, Trieste, Italy

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