Day trip from Venice to Trieste
 

I'm visiting Venice next year, mainly for the Architecture Biennale, and wondering about taking a day trip to Trieste. About two hours each way on the train, so it does take a while. I'll likely take trips to Padua and maybe Verona while I'm in Venice.

Has anyone taken such a day trip to Trieste, and did they think it worthwhile. I've read Jan Morris' book about Trieste, the Hapsburg empire and all that, and I'm trying to figure if it is worth the journey. What's there to see, what unique things are there, interesting buildings, whatever.

A bit of advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

I visited Trieste last year, having also read Jan Morris' book. When I say I was unimpressed, you should make allowance for the fact that the weather was bad, and that I am not a fan of baroque or of monumental. But I would certainly not recommend taking a day from Venice and spending four hours in transit. How about Ferrara? Or Ravenna?

This was my blog post on Trieste:

https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...te-in-trieste/

We took a day trip to Trieste, of sorts, last month, driving down from Vienna early on a Saturday morning (DH needed to be there for a workshop, so I tagged along for an overnight.) Our visit coincided with Barcolana, the big regatta; between viewing the boats, enjoying a seafood lunch, admiring the Baroque (and comparing it to Vienna), we felt that a full afternoon was about right for Trieste, and was an interesting mix of Imperial Vienna and Venice. I had intended to visit Miramare the following morning after the regatta, but rain had begun falling and I decided to return home early.

I highly recommend Verona. It is one of our favorite Italian cities and is a very enjoyable to explore. With its colosseum and the Adige river that winds through the city, it's kind of like a mini Rome. The town is lovely and well worth at least a day trip.

We also went to Trieste during the Barcolana regatta and although it won't make me forget Verona, it was enjoyable. It's really more of a working port town than a tourist destination.

I read a detective story set in Trieste once and enjoyed it very much so i've always fancied visiting it.

i know that's not much help, but I just thought I'd mention it!

anyway, given the length of your stays in Venice, and the time it takes to get there, I'd feel inclined to do an overnight at least, if not two nights. Afternoon train, pre-prandial stroll, dinner, next day exploring, another dinner, early train home the next morning.

Also depends on the time of year - if it's winter/early spring, by the time you've got there the short day length might curtail your explorations, and if it's cold/wet, you might want to spend most of the day in a restaurant having lunch!

ttt

For an architecture afficionado Vicenza should be a place of pilgrimage for the Palladian heritage: the Teatro Olimpico is almost obligatory as is the Villa Rotunda, just to mention two buildings.
I found Verona somehwat overrated and Padua a more interesting place.

You have to be interested in travel in a level of more than: "Does this location rub my personal Travel-G spot? Is it MY little cup of tea? Does it DO IT for me?"

Trieste is an utterly fascinating piece of Italy, and not only for its past cultural mash-up but also its present cultural mash-up. It is is Italy's most cosmopolitan city, with probably 4 or 5 languages spoken within the city. It's got its own commercial trade life facing in several directions, and its own hyperactive rhythm. Fans of history will find a lot to ponder in the many architectural remnants of Trieste's colourful multicultural past, including its long relations with Venice. Visible evidence too of the heavy hand of Mussolini in the centre of town. If at all possible, go on a day when you can visit the Synagogue, which keeps limited opening hours.

If you like coffee, Trieste almost qualifies as a "must." If you should go, you should eat lunch at one of the old-style buffets. Pepi is one I'd recommend. If you like baked treats, pick up lots to take back to Venice.

Two hours is a lot to invest to get to a place for a short visit, so if you haven't considered Aquileia, I believe you can get there by public transportation in shorter time. I highly recommend the paleo-Christian museum in addition to the Basilica and its surroundings.

I've never read the Morris book.

I loved Trieste - an incredibly historic city which is highly under-rated as it's off the Venice-Florence-Rome 'tourist treadmill'.

Verona is also lovely, but more touristy than Trieste. With train travel on the regional trains so cheap and requiring no prior reservation, just turn up, buy a ticket, validate it and go - I'd definitely consider Trieste.

Take the tram up from its Piazza Oberdan terminus to Villa Opicina - great views as it climbs the escarpment, a real unique Trieste experience. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triest...picina_tramway

You have to be interested in travel in a level of more than: "Does this location rub my personal Travel-G spot? Is it MY little cup of tea? Does it DO IT for me?">>

why? what's wrong with that approach? it might not work for you, SL, but what suits you may not suit me, or Peter, or indeed anyone else.

Everything Tonfromleiden wrote about Vicenza is true. It is a beautiful small city with gorgeous architecture. It is close to Venice - easy train ride.

annhg,

The question was about Trieste. If Peter had asked "Is Vicenza worth it?", I would have written something different.

Or I suppose we could all just shrug and answer all such questions about destinations: "Well, whatever works for you."

Regarding Opacina, which is charming, and the Miramare castle (which I've not seen), you'd need to be early risers and also willing to put in a fairly long day to see either and still see the main sights of Trieste.

Perhaps Jan Morris's book has become the most famous about Trieste, but it was also an inspirational home to James Joyce, Hemingway, and Rainer Marie Rilke, who wrote the Duino Elegies down the road a bit, in Duino, and several important Italians

http://bostoniano.info/travel-to-ita...ce-saba-svevo/

I visited Trieste for an overnight a few years ago, but popped my knee the day before and wasn't able to get to a lot of the places I went there to see. I think you'd enjoy spending some time there, but as a daytrip, not so much. Definitely do it as an overnight.

This might answer your question, Peter. If you're bored reading this, you'd probably be bored by Trieste

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/...legies/302507/

Ah, decisions, decisions. Sandra, thanks for that link, and I'm rather seduced. I have only sixteen dayes in Venice this trip, so it will be pretty busy.

Two days each for the Giardini and the Arsenale, maybe half a dozen for other architectural venues around Venice plus the Fortuny and Tre Ochi on Giudecca, and I'm left with six days.

Verona for the Castel Vecchio, a nice conjunction with the Querini Stampalia in Venice - both venues a legacy of Carlo Scarpa, Venice's best modern architect. Padua to see how the new greenhouse at the botanical garden fares in autumn, and to buy linen for Lou at the street market there.

Not Vincenza this time, as I've visited previously and really enjoyed it. The Palladio museum there is great, and really shows how Palladio's design concepts are seen everywhere, from the Melbourne public library to ante bellum houses in the south of the USA.

So maybe Trieste can be squeezed in as a day trip. First train leaves Venice at 6:40, so I could make a fair day of it. Staying near the Frari, so the Ferrovia is a short stroll.

Thanks all for your great suggestions.

I've done the day trip to Trieste by train from Venice and loved Trieste - very unique place - Italian with a Germanic flare - train station had Italian coffee and cups of Austrian style brew too.

An old part of town on a hill was just being refurbished - old wood buildings - neat architecture all around - can see where it may not excite some - does not reek of oldness as many centers of Italian cities that size do - if time take the old tram to Villa Opicina and the Slavenian border area. I did enjoy it for its novelty and Germanic look and feel.

Vincenza is an architect's paradise especially if into Palladio - I loved that day trip too as Peter did - Verona is super nice - Padua a so-so town with some neat churches.

and it's Tree-estah

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miramare_Castle

Just outside Trieste on the sea - near the train line from Venice to Trieste is Miramare Castle built in the 1800s by the Archduke of Austrian Empire who also built a special train line to it from Austria just to serve his needs basically. If you do not find enough for a full day in Trieste keep the palace in mind.

Trieste was actually a selling point for me to get to go to Venice as it was between Venice and Istria on a recent trip with my parents (Dad not being interested in Venice, this was my way to compromise). We overnighted there for three nights.

Trieste is definitely interesting with some old Roman structures and newer Hapsburg architecture. Culturally, as others mentioned, it has a lot of influence by so many cultures that surround it; and was part of Slovenia as recently as 1947, I believe.

With that having been said, we saw most of Trieste our first full day, covering the Roman ruins and castle and the "old town" area. Our third full day was at Miramare Castle, which PalenQ mentions. Miramare is definitely worth visiting, in my opinion, as there are several acres of park area to explore - which I found to be beautiful. If you're at all interested in US WWII history, the US were based there once Italy was liberated until 1947, if I remember from my notes correctly.

From going to Trieste from Venice, though, the traffic noise really struck me - but then again, we had just come from a town without cars, so keep that in mind. Would I go back? Sure, maybe. But I would not necessarily go out of my way considering that we covered so much ground in our time there.

I personally think it would be a great day trip, albeit with a four-hour round trip from Venice.