Where to Stay in Trieste? The 5 Best Areas & Places to Stay

Trieste is Italy’s most Austrian city. It was the Habsburgs’ great port for centuries, and you can see it in the squares, the coffee houses and the grand palazzi facing the Adriatic. The city is squeezed between the sea and the Karst plateau, and Slovenia is only a 15-minute drive away. Deciding where to stay in Trieste mostly comes down to one thing: city or sea.

The centre is small and easy to explore on foot, while the coast towards Barcola and Miramare gives you swimming and peace and quiet. Here are my five suggestions for areas, with three hotels in each.

Where to Stay in Trieste: The Best Areas

• Piazza Unità & Rive - best area for first-time visitors
• Borgo Teresiano - best area for cafés and for arriving by train
• Cavana, Old Town & San Giusto - best area for couples, food and nightlife
• Viale XX Settembre & Barriera Vecchia - best area for local atmosphere and lower prices
• Barcola & Miramare - best area for swimming, views and travelling by car

Below, I go through the areas one by one with a map, transport, price level and three hotels in each. The prices come from a search for a weekend in May for two people, so expect them to rise in July and August, and especially over the weekend of the Barcolana sailing regatta in October. €1 is roughly 84p.

1. Piazza Unità & Rive - best area for first-time visitors 🏛️

• 📍 Distance to the centre: You’re right in the middle of the centre. Borgo Teresiano and Cavana lie on either side of the square, and both are a five-minute walk away.
• 🚶 Transport: You can do everything in the centre on foot. From Trieste Centrale it’s about a 15-minute walk along the water, and city buses run along the Rive out towards Barcola and Miramare.
• ✈️ Time from Trieste Airport: About 45 minutes on the regional train from the airport’s own station to Trieste Centrale, then a 15-minute walk or a short taxi ride.
• 💰 Price level: €€ to €€€€. The three hotels below cost roughly £110 to £360 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• 👮 Safety: Very safe, even late in the evening. The square is well lit and full of people until late at night in summer.

Piazza Unità d’Italia is Trieste in a single square. It’s one of Europe’s largest seafront squares, open to the water on one side, with the town hall, the Government Palace and the old Lloyd Triestino palace on the other three. In the evening the façades are lit up, and half the city strolls out onto the Molo Audace pier to watch the sun set over the bay. Caffè degli Specchi has been on the square since the 19th century, and an espresso at one of its outdoor tables is the first thing I’d do.

The Rive are the wide quays running along the water on both sides of the square. This is where you’ll find the big hotels, seafood restaurants and the Museo Revoltella on Via Diaz, the city’s art museum in a 19th-century palazzo. The museum is closed on Tuesdays, and admission is free on the first Sunday of the month. If you’d like the city’s coffee culture and history explained, you can join a guided walking tour with coffee at a historic coffee house for around €54 (about £45).

See hotels near Piazza Unità here.

I’d stay here if it’s your first trip to Trieste, or if you only have a weekend. You have the sea in front of you, the Old Town behind you and all the great coffee houses within a few minutes’ walk. If you’re coming from Venice, Trieste is an obvious next stop, and if you haven’t booked there yet, my guide to where to stay in Venice can help.

The downside is the price. The hotels overlooking the square and the sea are the most expensive in the city, and the restaurants right on the square charge tourist prices for their food. Walk one street in towards Cavana or Borgo Teresiano and you’ll eat better for less. In winter, the bora wind can also sweep across the open square at gale force, so pack a proper jacket.

Hotels near Piazza Unità & Rive

Grand Hotel Duchi d’Aosta - five-star grand hotel right on Piazza Unità

Grand Hotel Duchi d’Aosta sits on Piazza Unità itself and is the city’s classic five-star hotel, with a spa, an indoor pool and breakfast included. Some of the rooms look straight out over the square and the sea. It’s the most expensive hotel in this guide, and parking is by valet at an extra charge, as there’s no space on the square itself.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “Beautiful historic hotel in the middle of the city. Well maintained.”

See photos and book Grand Hotel Duchi d’Aosta here.

Savoia Excelsior Palace - waterfront palace hotel with sea views from many rooms

Savoia Excelsior Palace stands on Riva del Mandracchio, a minute from Piazza Unità, in a large palazzo facing the harbour. There’s a restaurant, a bar, a gym and a steam room, many rooms have sea views, and its Booking.com score is among the highest in this whole guide. A few guests feel the carpets are due for replacement.

From one review: “A fantastic stay. All in all, the hotel is fabulous in every respect!”

See photos and book Savoia Excelsior Palace here.

My Way Rooms - simple, clean rooms two minutes from the square

My Way Rooms is a small guesthouse on Via Diaz, a two-minute walk from Piazza Unità and right next to Cavana. The rooms are simple, the building has a lift, and the price was the lowest of my three picks in this area when I searched. There’s no restaurant, and some guests mention that the water pressure in the shower is low.

One guest highlights: “A nice room for a short stay. Very central and close to all the main sights.”

See photos and book My Way Rooms here.

2. Borgo Teresiano - best area for cafés and for arriving by train ☕

• 📍 Distance to the centre: Just north of Piazza Unità. From the Canal Grande it’s a five-minute walk to the square and five to ten minutes to Trieste Centrale.
• 🚆 Transport: Trieste Centrale on Piazza della Libertà sits at the northern end of the district, with trains to Venice, Udine and the airport. The bus terminal is right next door.
• ✈️ Time from Trieste Airport: About 35 minutes on the regional train to Trieste Centrale, then a few minutes’ walk to your hotel.
• 💰 Price level: €€ to €€€. The three hotels below cost around £110 to £235 a night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• 👮 Safety: Safe and lively. That said, the park in front of the station on Piazza della Libertà isn’t a pleasant place to walk through late at night.

Borgo Teresiano is named after Empress Maria Theresa, who in the 18th century had the salt pans north of the old town filled in and a new merchant quarter built, with straight streets and a canal running through the middle. The Canal Grande was meant to bring ships right up to the warehouses, and today small boats line the quays while the cafés have put their tables out on both sides. At the far end stands the church of Sant’Antonio Taumaturgo, and beside the canal is the Serbian Orthodox church of San Spiridione with its blue domes.

On the Ponte Rosso bridge, a bronze James Joyce stands mid-stride. The Irish writer lived in Trieste for more than ten years and wrote much of his early work here, and the city is proud of him. Around the canal you’ll find aperitivo bars, where an evening glass of wine comes with little snacks, while Corso Italia and Via Roma are the city’s shopping streets. The district is flat, so you’re spared the hills that are otherwise part of life in Trieste.

See hotels in Borgo Teresiano here.

I’d stay here if you’re arriving and leaving by train, or if you want to be central but pay a little less than around Piazza Unità. The train from Venice takes about two hours, and you can read how to buy tickets and choose between regional and high-speed trains in my guide to trains in Italy. Trieste Airport has its own station, and trains from the airport usually run a couple of times an hour during the day.

The downside is that the area gets drabber the closer you get to the station. The streets right around Piazza della Libertà are busy with traffic, and people hang around in the park in front of the station. Pick a hotel in the southern half by the canal, and you’ll have both the station and the square within a few minutes’ walk.

Hotels in Borgo Teresiano

Hotel Continentale - stylish four-star hotel between the canal and the square

Hotel Continentale is on Via San Nicolò, one of the city’s smart shopping streets, with the Canal Grande five minutes to the north and Piazza Unità five minutes to the south. The décor is modern and stylish, there’s a restaurant and bar, and some rooms have a balcony. Several guests do mention that the rooms are small, though, and parking is by paid valet service.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “The hotel’s location.”

See photos and book Hotel Continentale here.

Hotel Solun - spacious, soundproofed rooms close to the station

Hotel Solun is on Via Milano in the northern part of Borgo Teresiano, about a seven-minute walk from Trieste Centrale and ten minutes from Piazza Unità. It’s a four-star hotel with a bar, soundproofed rooms and an underground car park nearby, and guests particularly praise how spacious and clean the rooms are. The breakfast, on the other hand, gets mixed reviews.

From one review: “An excellent hotel, the staff were so friendly and helpful.”

See photos and book Hotel Solun here.

Residence Theresia - apartments with kitchens on a quiet side street off the canal

Residence Theresia is on Via Trento, a couple of minutes’ walk from the Canal Grande, and has apartments with kitchenettes, a 24-hour reception and a lift. It’s the cheapest of my three picks in the area and a good choice if you’d like to make your own breakfast. The garage costs €20 (around £17) per day and must be booked in advance, and a few guests had trouble checking in late in the evening.

One guest highlights: “Excellent place, very clean, spacious and centrally located.”

See photos and book Residence Theresia here.

3. Cavana, Old Town & San Giusto - best area for couples, food and nightlife 🍷

• 📍 Distance to the centre: Just south and east of Piazza Unità. From Piazza Cavana it’s a three-minute walk to the square and 15 minutes up the steps to San Giusto.
• 🚶 Getting around: Your own two feet are all you need. The streets are narrow and steep up towards San Giusto, and the city buses run along the Rive below.
• ✈️ Time from Trieste Airport: Around 45 minutes by train to Trieste Centrale, then a short taxi ride, as the last few streets are no place for suitcases.
• 💰 Price level: €€ to €€€. The three hotels below cost roughly £110 to £195 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• 👮 Safety: Safe. Around Piazza Cavana there are lots of people and a fair bit of noise on weekend evenings, while the streets up towards San Giusto are quiet.

Cavana is the lower part of Città Vecchia, Trieste’s Old Town, and the streets here are narrow, winding and packed with small restaurants. Only a few decades ago the neighbourhood was run-down and had a poor reputation; today it’s the best place in the city to eat and go out. Around Piazza Cavana and Via Cavana you’ll find wine bars, osterie serving fish from the bay and buffets, the Triestine lunch spots where you get boiled pork with mustard and horseradish.

Heading uphill, you pass Arco di Riccardo, a Roman city gate, and Teatro Romano, a Roman theatre that sits in the open right between the houses. At the top of the hill stand San Giusto Cathedral and Castello di San Giusto, a castle with bastions and views over the whole bay. If you’d like to taste your way through the area, you can join a food tour with local tastings for about €62 (around £50).

See hotels in Cavana and the Old Town here.

I’d choose Cavana if you’re a couple or a group of friends who want to eat well and go out in the evening without having to catch a bus home. This is where you’ll find the city’s small boutique hotels and apartments in old buildings, and you stay closer to local Trieste than at the big hotels on the Rive. In the mornings the streets are completely quiet, and a coffee standing at the bar costs a fraction of the price on Piazza Unità.

The downsides are the noise and the hills. The bars around Piazza Cavana have customers until late into the night at weekends, so ask for a room away from the street. Many of the old buildings have no lift, and the higher up towards San Giusto you stay, the steeper the walk home with your shopping bags.

Hotels in Cavana, Old Town & San Giusto

Boutique Hotel Albero Nascosto - small family-run boutique hotel in the heart of Cavana

Albero Nascosto is on Via Felice Venezian in the middle of Cavana, a five-minute walk from Piazza Unità. It’s a small, personal hotel with a breakfast buffet, a bar and some rooms with a kitchenette, and its Booking.com score is among the highest in the city. There’s no lift, some rooms could do with a refresh, and the garage costs €20 (around £17) per day.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “Everything was fantastic, the hotel is incredibly cosy, a small family hotel with soul.”

See photos and book Albero Nascosto here.

Hotel James Joyce - classic city hotel with a good breakfast buffet

Hotel James Joyce is on Via Cavazzeni in the Old Town, a couple of minutes from Piazza Cavana and five minutes from Piazza Unità. It’s a three-star hotel with a lift, a bar and a breakfast buffet that guests praise again and again. Some rooms are smaller than expected and can be noisy at night, and parking is in a garage outside the neighbourhood for €25 (around £21) per day.

From one review: “Excellent location and a really good breakfast.”

See photos and book Hotel James Joyce here.

URBANAUTS STUDIOS Minelli - design studios with a kitchen and self check-in

URBANAUTS STUDIOS Minelli is on Via della Madonna del Mare at the southern end of Cavana, close to the Rive and Museo Revoltella. The studios are beautifully furnished and have a fully equipped kitchen, and you check yourself in without a reception. It’s the cheapest of the three, but there’s no lift and no staff on site, so if you have any questions, they’re handled by phone.

One guest highlights: “The place is beautifully furnished, and every single detail has been thought through.”

See photos and book URBANAUTS STUDIOS Minelli here.

4. Viale XX Settembre & Barriera Vecchia - best area for a local feel and lower prices 🍦

• 📍 Distance to the centre: About 1 kilometre east of Piazza Unità. It’s a 15-minute walk to the square and a little less to the Canal Grande.
• 🚌 Transport: Several city bus routes run from Piazza Goldoni and Piazza Garibaldi to the Rive and the railway station, but most people simply walk into the centre.
• ✈️ Time from Trieste Airport: About 50 minutes by train to Trieste Centrale, then a bus or taxi onwards.
• 💰 Price level: € to €€. The three hotels below cost roughly £75 to £200 a night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• 👮 Safety: An ordinary, safe residential area. Around Piazza Garibaldi it’s a bit more worn and less polished than the centre, but not dangerous.

Viale XX Settembre is Trieste’s answer to a boulevard: a long, tree-lined street, largely pedestrianised, with cafés, gelaterias and cinemas. In the evening, families stroll along it with an ice cream, and the Politeama Rossetti theatre stands at the top end. Right next to it is the Giardino Pubblico, the city’s green park with busts of the writers who have lived in Trieste, and a couple of streets away you’ll find Caffè San Marco from 1914, the coffee house where writers and students still sit with books and chessboards.

Barriera Vecchia is the neighbourhood south of the street, around Piazza Garibaldi and the Mercato Coperto, the covered market hall from the 1930s. This is where ordinary Triestini live and shop, and you’ll notice it in the prices at the bars and the little pizzerias. Honestly, the market itself is a bit quiet, but the building is handsome, and the surrounding streets are full of small shops, bakeries and barbers that have been here for generations.

See hotels around Viale XX Settembre here.

I’d stay here if you want the most for your money, or if you’re in town for several days and would rather live like a local than among the tourists. The area has the city’s best choice of apartments with kitchens, and you can easily walk to both the Canal Grande and Cavana. It’s also a good choice for families, as there’s space, a park with a playground and a gelateria every hundred metres.

The downside is that the sea isn’t on your doorstep, and the streets towards Barriera Vecchia are busier with traffic than they are pretty. Parking is difficult throughout the area, so if you’re coming by car, plan on using a paid garage.

Hotels around Viale XX Settembre & Barriera Vecchia

Victoria Hotel Letterario - four-star hotel with a gym and steam room near Piazza Garibaldi

Victoria Hotel Letterario is on Via Oriani, a few minutes’ walk from Piazza Garibaldi and 15 minutes from Piazza Unità. It’s a four-star hotel with a gym, steam room, bar and suites big enough for families, and it’s the most classic hotel in the area. Some guests have heard the traffic with the windows open, and parking costs up to 19 euros (around £16) a night.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “The place was lovely. We had a suite for three people, and it was spacious and well equipped.”

See photos and book Victoria Hotel Letterario here.

URBANAUTS STUDIOS Ginnastica - modern apartments with kitchens close to Viale XX Settembre

URBANAUTS STUDIOS Ginnastica is on Via della Ginnastica, a couple of minutes’ walk from Viale XX Settembre and the Giardino Pubblico. The apartments are modern and spacious, with fully equipped kitchens, a lift and soundproofing, and check-in is self-service. Street parking is almost impossible, so a car and this apartment don’t go well together.

From one review: “Beautiful apartment, great location and excellent communication with the staff.”

See photos and book URBANAUTS STUDIOS Ginnastica here.

Garibaldino Rooms - cheap, cosy rooms with a shared kitchen

Garibaldino Rooms is a small guesthouse on Via del Molino a Vento, right by Piazza Garibaldi. The rooms are simple, clean and cosy, there’s a lift and a shared kitchen, and the price was the lowest in this entire guide when I searched. Guests mention that parking is hard to find, and you should allow a 20-minute walk to Piazza Unità.

One guest highlights: “The room was fantastic, very cosy and comfortable.”

See photos and book Garibaldino Rooms here.

5. Barcola & Miramare - best area for swimming, views and a car 🏖️

• 📍 Distance to the centre: Barcola is about 4 kilometres north-west of Piazza Unità, and Miramare about 7 kilometres.
• 🚌 Transport: City bus 6 runs along the coast from the centre to Barcola and on towards Grignano, and in the summer season the Delfino Verde boat sails from the centre to Barcola and Grignano.
• ✈️ Time from Trieste Airport: About 25 to 30 minutes by car along the coast road. By train and bus, allow an hour.
• 💰 Price level: €€ to €€€€. The three hotels below cost from roughly £125 to £510 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• 👮 Safety: Very safe. The rocks and concrete along the water are slippery, so keep an eye on the children when they swim.

Barcola is Trieste’s beach, even though there’s hardly any sand. Along the seafront promenade sits a row of semicircular concrete platforms that the locals call Topolini, because from the air they look like Mickey Mouse ears, and from May to September half the city lies here on towels. At Pineta di Barcola the pine trees give shade, and there are bars and free access to the water. Every year on the second Sunday in October, thousands of boats sail out into the bay for the Barcolana regatta, and Barcola is sold out well in advance.

At the end of the coast stands Castello di Miramare, the white castle that Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg began building on the water’s edge in 1856. The park is free, while the castle costs 12 euros (around £10), and on the first Sunday of the month entry is free for everyone. Right next to it is the little harbour of Grignano, and in summer the Delfino Verde boat sails between the centre, Barcola, Grignano and Sistiana.

See hotels in Barcola and near Miramare here.

I’d stay here if you’re coming in summer to swim, or if you have a car and want to explore the area. From here you’re quickly out on the coast road towards Duino and up onto the Karst plateau, where Grotta Gigante is one of the world’s largest show caves. Slovenia and Istria are close too, and the easiest option is to pick up hire cars from Booking.com at the airport. If you’re carrying on across the border, you can read where to stay in Slovenia, or head further south with my guide to where to stay in Croatia.

The downside is the distance. In the evening you’ll need a bus or taxi into the restaurants in Cavana, and out of season the promenade is quiet. There are also few hotels, and most of the accommodation in Barcola is private flats, so book early if you want a proper hotel with a sea view.

Hotels in Barcola & Miramare

Hotel Riviera & Maximilian’s - clifftop hotel with a lift down to its own bathing area

Hotel Riviera & Maximilian’s sits on the Strada Costiera high above the sea, just north of Miramare Castle. A lift takes you down to the hotel’s own bathing area, there’s a spa, a restaurant with a terrace and free parking, and the view over the bay is the reason to stay here. It’s the most expensive hotel in this guide, the spa costs extra, and some guests have been given two single beds pushed together instead of a double bed.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “A really good example of getting what you pay for.”

See photos and book Hotel Riviera & Maximilian’s here.

Greif Hotel & Spa - five-star hotel with an indoor pool right by the promenade

Greif Hotel & Spa is on Viale Miramare in Barcola, a few minutes’ walk from Pineta di Barcola and the promenade. There’s an indoor pool, sauna, spa, restaurant and free parking, and breakfast is served on a terrace overlooking the bay. Several guests find the furniture a bit old-fashioned.

From one review: “Breakfast on the terrace was fantastic.”

See photos and book Greif Hotel & Spa here.

Trieste Sea Life - small B&B with sea views on the hillside above Barcola

Trieste Sea Life is a small bed and breakfast on Strada del Friuli, which winds up the hillside above Barcola. The rooms have sea views, there’s a garden, a terrace and parking by arrangement, and the host is praised in almost every single review. You’ll have to walk down the hill to the promenade and back up again afterwards, and a few guests would like more variety at breakfast.

One guest highlights: “Beautiful sea view, and the host was very friendly and helpful.”

See photos and book Trieste Sea Life here.

Where not to stay in Trieste?

I wouldn’t stay in the cheapest hotels right around Trieste Centrale and Piazza della Libertà. It’s handy for the train, but the park in front of the station is dreary in the evening, and you get more for your money a few streets further into Borgo Teresiano. The industrial and port areas south of the centre towards Servola and Zaule aren’t the place for a holiday either, and hotels by the airport in Ronchi dei Legionari are more than half an hour from the city.

Opicina and the villages up on the Karst plateau are beautiful and peaceful, but without a car getting down to the city and back up again is a hassle, and the choice of hotels is very small. The same goes for Muggia on the other side of the bay, which works better as a boat trip than as a base.

If it’s your first trip to Trieste, I’d stay by Piazza Unità, or in Borgo Teresiano if you’re arriving by train and want to save a little. If you’re a couple who want to eat well and go out in the evening, choose Cavana, and if you want a local atmosphere and low prices, Viale XX Settembre is your best bet. If you’re coming in summer to swim, or you have a car, stay in Barcola or near Miramare.

The city is small enough that you can walk most places, and if you want to get out to Barcola and Miramare, a standard city bus ticket costs under 2 euros (around £1.70) and can be bought at newsagents and in the TPL FVG app. Trieste also fits nicely into a longer rail trip around northern Italy, and if you have more days, my guide to where to stay in Italy can help you with your next stop.

Travel ressources & websites I use all the time 👇

• Booking.com has the best offers on hotels and unique places to stay
• GetYourGuide is the best place to book tours & activities with free cancellation
• Welcome Pickups is the best & safest place to pre-book airport transfers

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