Holiday in Trieste

What makes Trieste special as a destination?

Trieste, located at the northeastern tip of the Adriatic Sea, is a city of borders and contrasts — Italian at heart, Habsburg in architecture, and Slavic influenced in cuisine. As the former main port of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the city exudes a grandeur reminiscent of Vienna: magnificent historic palaces line the wide boulevards, and the Piazza Unità d’Italia — Europe's largest open square to the sea — is a monument to imperial ambition. The Castello di Miramare, a white fairy-tale castle by the sea, was built for Archduke Maximilian and is set within a botanical park filled with subtropical plants. The Grotta Gigante, one of the largest walkable caves in the world, opens just a few kilometers outside the city into the karst rock. Trieste is a world-class literary city: James Joyce lived here for eleven years and wrote parts of Ulysses, Italo Svevo paid literary tribute to the city, and the historic Caffè San Marco, Caffè degli Specchi, and Antico Caffè Tommaseo breathe the spirit of a coffeehouse culture that rivals Vienna. Culinary-wise, Trieste connects Central Europe with the Mediterranean: Jota (sauerkraut soup), goulash, and fresh fish from the Adriatic share equal footing on the menu. The Bora, a cold fall wind from the karst, can sweep through the streets in winter at speeds exceeding 150 kilometers per hour. Trieste is easily accessible from Ljubljana, Venice, and Vienna and serves as an ideal starting point for trips to Istria and Slovenia.