PYRTPlan Your Road Trips
Create TripMy TripsCommunityMerchandise
PYRTPlan Your Road Trips
Create TripMy TripsCommunityMerchandise
T
Destinations
Home›Destinations›Trieste
EuropeItalyFriuli Venezia Giulia

Trieste

Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy · Europe

About Trieste

Trieste works well as a base: 10 minutes from Opicina, 18km from Škocjan Caves.

Trieste is a city located in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy. With a population of 204,338, it is an important destination in Europe.

On a road trip, Trieste sits in Italy, where you drive on the right. It's in the Europe/Rome time zone. Below you'll find where to stay, things to do nearby, and everything you need to add Trieste to your route.

About Trieste

Trieste ( tree-EST, Italian: [triˈɛste] ; see more) is a city and seaport in northeast Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the regional decentralization entity of Trieste. As of 2025, it has a population of 198,668. Trieste is located at the head

Read more of the Gulf of Trieste, on a narrow strip of Italian territory lying between the Adriatic Sea and Slovenia; Slovenia lies close, at approximately 8 km (5 mi) east and 10–15 km (6–9 mi) southeast of the city, while Croatia is about 30 km (19 mi) to the south of the city. The city has a long coastline and is surrounded by grassland, forest, and karstic areas. Trieste belonged, as Triest, to the Habsburg monarchy from 1382 until 1918. In the 19th century, the monarchy was one of the Great Powers of Europe and Trieste was its most important seaport. As a prosperous trading hub in the Mediterranean region, Trieste grew to become the fourth largest city of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (after Vienna, Budapest, and Prague). At the turn of the 20th century, it emerged as an important hub for literature and music. Trieste underwent an economic revival during the 1930s, and the Free Territory of Trieste became a major site of the struggle between the Eastern and Western blocs after the Second World War. A deep-water port, Trieste is a maritime gateway for northern Italy, Germany, Austria and Central Europe. It is considered the end point of the maritime Silk Road, with connections to the Mediterranean, Suez Canal and Atlantic Ocean. Since the 1960s, Trieste has emerged as a prominent research location in Europe because of its many international organisations and institutions. The city lies at the intersection of Latin (due to Italy), Slavic (due to Slovenia and Croatia) and Germanic (due to Austria) cultures, where Central Europe meets the Mediterranean Sea, and is home to diverse ethnic groups and religious communities. A scholarly area, Trieste has the highest percentage of researchers, per capita, in Europe. Città della Barcolana ("City of the Barcolana"), Città della bora ("City of the bora"), Città del vento ("City of Wind"), "Vienna by the sea" and "City of Coffee" are epithets used to describe Trieste.

Read more on Wikipedia

Where to Stay in Trieste

Compare prices across Booking.com, Airbnb, Expedia, and more. Select your dates to see availability.

Filter presets

Pick your must-haves once: provider links open pre-filtered. Each filter lists which sites it applies to.

Booking.comExpediaTripAdvisorHotels.comAgodaAirbnb

Compare before you book!

Prices can vary significantly between platforms. We recommend checking at least 2-3 sites to find the best deal for your stay in Trieste.

Explore the Area

Discover famous landmarks, scenic roads, and more near Trieste.

Loading map...
Open in Google Maps

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best things to do in Trieste?

Trieste offers many attractions including tourist sites, museums, parks, and local restaurants. Explore famous landmarks, scenic roads, and natural wonders on our interactive map and plan your visit.

How do I plan a road trip to Trieste?

Plan your road trip to Trieste with Plan Your Road Trips! Add Trieste as a destination, and we'll help you find the best route and discover more amazing places along the way.

Where is Trieste located?

Trieste is located in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy, Europe. The coordinates are 45.6495 latitude, 13.7768 longitude.

What is the population of Trieste?

Trieste has a population of approximately 204,338 people, making it a city in Italy.

Plan a Road Trip

Add to your itinerary

Start planning your road trip with Trieste as a destination. Create a custom route and discover more amazing places along the way.

Start Road Trip

What's Nearby?

Discover destinations like Tinder

Swipe through stunning destinations near Trieste. Save your favourites and add them to your trip.

Explore now

Quick Information

Population
204,338
Continent
Europe
Country
Italy
Region
Friuli Venezia Giulia
Timezone
Europe/Rome
Coordinates
45.6495, 13.7768

Emergency & Services

Essential numbers in Italy

Police
113
Ambulance
118
Fire
115
All emergencies
112
Driving side
right

ACI roadside assistance: 803 116. ZTL (limited traffic zones) in city centres are camera-enforced.

Full driving guide for Italy

Tags

EuropeItalyFriuli Venezia GiuliaCity

Worth the detour from Trieste

8 notable places within an hour's drive.

landmark

Lipica Stud Farm

The 16th-century birthplace of the elegant white Lipizzaner horses on the windswept Karst plateau.

7 km · about 15 min drive

castle

Miramare Castle

White Habsburg castle built 1856-1860 for Archduke Maximilian on a promontory over the Gulf of Trieste, kept with original interiors and a 22-hectare park. The approach along the Strada Costiera is one of Italy's finest short coastal drives.

8 km · about 15 min drive

natural wonder

Škocjan Caves

A UNESCO-listed cave system featuring one of the largest underground river canyons in the world at 146 meters deep.

18 km · about 20 min drive

landmark

Piran

A perfectly preserved Venetian coastal town perched on a narrow peninsula, Slovenia's most beautiful seaside gem on the Adriatic.

21 km · about 25 min drive

landmark

Grožnjan

A once-abandoned Istrian hill town repopulated by artists in the 1960s: now some 20 galleries and studios fill its Venetian stone lanes, with a summer jazz festival and views over vineyards to the sea.

30 km · about 35 min drive

castle

Predjama Castle

A remarkable Renaissance castle built into the mouth of a cave in a cliff face, holding the Guinness record for the largest cave castle.

33 km · about 40 min drive

landmark

Motovun

A captivating hilltop medieval town in Istria surrounded by truffle-rich forests and vineyards, known for its annual film festival.

35 km · about 40 min drive

natural wonder

Postojna Cave

A 24-kilometer karst cave system explored by underground railway, home to the rare cave-dwelling olm salamander.

36 km · about 40 min drive

Driving roads near Trieste

  • 37 kmSolkan BridgeThe world's longest stone railway arch, an 85 m span of hewn limestone blocks: vaults the emerald Soča river just north of Nova Gorica, best admired from the riverside road below.
  • 46 kmUčka TunnelA 5 km motorway tunnel bored beneath Mount Učka in 1981, linking inland Istria with the Opatija Riviera and sparing drivers the old switchback climb over Poklon Pass.
  • 68 kmSoča ValleyValley of the turquoise Soca river below the Julian Alps, followed by a scenic road from Bovec through Kobarid to Tolmin.
  • 76 kmKrk BridgeTwin reinforced-concrete arches leap from the mainland to Krk island; on opening in 1980 the 390 m main span was the longest concrete arch in the world, a dramatic gateway to the Kvarner islands.

Driving in Italy

Drives on
the right
Petrol
~€1.82/litre
Motorway tolls
~€8.50/100km

When to drive here

April to October

Nearby Destinations

Other places to explore near Trieste.

Opicina

🇮🇹 Italy

4 km awayPop. 8,009

Muggia

🇮🇹 Italy

5 km awayPop. 10,929

Domio

🇮🇹 Italy

6 km awayPop. 1,860

Prosecco-Contovello

🇮🇹 Italy

7 km awayPop. 1,994

Hrvatini

🇸🇮 Slovenia

8 km awayPop. 1,232

Zolla

🇮🇹 Italy

8 km awayPop. 68

Dolina

🇮🇹 Italy

8 km awayPop. 1,892

Ankaran

🇸🇮 Slovenia

8 km awayPop. 3,278

Plan a trip around Trieste

Italy road trip planner

Plan a Road Trip from Trieste

Create your perfect itinerary with our calendar-based planner. Add stops, discover attractions along the way, and share your trip with friends.

Start Planning
PYRT

The ultimate road trip planning platform. Discover 150,000+ destinations worldwide, plan scenic routes, and create unforgettable adventures.

Inspiration

  • Discover Trips
  • Travel Guides
  • Community

The Product

  • Calendar Planner
  • Integrations
  • How It Works
  • Collaboration Mode
  • Get the App
  • Merchandise: PYRT Supply Co.
  • Become a Creator
  • Trip Marketplace

Plan Your Trip

  • Road Trip Planner
  • Famous Routes
  • Planners by Country
  • Best Road Trip Planner App
  • Discover Road Trips
  • Events
  • Travel Guides
  • How It Works
  • My Trips
  • Community Groups

Company

  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Support
  • Contact Us
  • Sign In
  • Create Account

© 2026 Plan Your Road Trips. All rights reserved.

•[email protected]
Data sources:GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)•Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)•Mapbox•Photography: George Lawrence