This comment makes no sense to me. Many travelers coming from the U.S. can't get home from Venice without a layover somewhere, so why not start from a smaller airport? Particularly when (a) it would make more sense for a given itinerary than backtracking and (b) it might avoid having to get up at an ungodly hour to take a ridiculously early flight out of Venice.

People who want to fly from Trieste to the US via another airport than Rome or Frankfurt, can actually try to do that via
Bari, Brindisi, Catania, Palermo,Olbia, Cagliari, Valencia, Lamezia, Krakow or Tirana.
But according to the timetable of ryanair, there will be some more interesting destinations during the season.

May be that can be of some help for transatlantic passengers with few luggage who don't mind to not have all flights on the same ticket.

Why not through Rome or Frankfurt?

It all depends on what is available to the OP and their home airport in Montana, which is not a major US hub.

In this instance, the OP is not going onto other points in Europe to visit but rather home. We also do not know if Ryanair is an option for them. Ryanair and its limitations are not for everyone, especially when the advice is to generally travel on a single ticket.

OP, find what best suits you and your itinerary whether it be Trieste, Ljubljana or Venice. When we say Venice flights leave early - they often leave around 6-9am, meaning you need to be at the airport very early in the morning and would have to stay near the airport, which might take a night away from your itinerary if you plan round-trip.

You have a year to figure this out. Keep in mind flight schedules can change in that time. You may consider this year as a ​ guide for next year.

Fortunately for me, Delta offers flights from Trieste - Rome - Minneapolis - to my home airport, so it ends up saving me some time by not having to backtrack. I would be on a similar flight from Venice back to MT.

I'm glad that will work so well for you!

We really liked Cortina. We were there in September and had beautiful weather and very few crowds. Bolzano was fine too. After seeing "frozen fritz" we took a drive uo to Merano. Gorgeous gardens, views and a great dinner there.

Good to know! I have been hesitant about Cortina, but I will look into staying there as an option.

We also liked Cortina... or you could stay near Cortina (close enough for dinner) but somewhere smaller and closer to the Tre Cime and the Fanes-Sennes-Braies parks. Misurina.

IMO this almost endless airport discussion is ridiculous.
I said in post 19 that flights from Trieste to the US make sense via the hubs of Rome or Frankfurt only..
The OP flies via Rome and that makes sense.
BTW: from VCE too, there are flights in late morning/early afternoon if you don't mind change planes in Rome or Paris.

IMO the real problem for the OP will be how to do day trips from Trieste into Slovenia and Croatia without a car.

In post # 19, you said, "Trieste Airport ... Forget it...." Yes, you went on to say "for flights to transit hubs others than Rome and Frankfurt," but by then, you'd made it sound foolish to even consider Trieste. And perhaps even more to the point, by then, the OP had already said that flying out of Trieste seemed to work for him (post # 13, reaffirmed in post # 25) AND that it would be nice to avoid backtracking to Venice. So if you are finding the discussion about airports "almost endless" and "ridiculous," well, I must wonder why YOU don't drop it.

The OP has also responded to your concern about day trips from Trieste (post # 20). It would seem to me that if you have specific concerns that are not allayed by that reply, then it might be beneficial for you to detail them. Otherwise, even if you're intention is to be helpful, you're just repeating yourself without adding anything and you're doing it in a way that could be read as dismissive of the OP.


@ cubeck: Fodorites can be very passionate about their views! Please don't let that deter you from seeking out input.

cubeck, I'm sure you'll figure out what works best for you. Just know that flight times and days of operation, etc., might change. If you do book early (typically 330 days prior), keep a constant eye on the reservation as the airlines aren't always good at sending alerts about flight changes.

To kja
I said everything I had to say in my posts 8, 18 and 19.
In post19 I said that flights from Trieste to the US make sense via the hubs of Rome or Frankfurt only..
You replied "This comment makes no sense to me".
I shouldn't have answerd to that and there would be no problem.

As to Istria, there will of course be no problem if one pays 70-120 USD/PAX for a guided daytrip. But in this forum, we are rather used to see individual travellers.

Maybe I am misunderstanding you but this is the OPs decision in 1) how they choose to get around and 2) how they choose to spend their money.

And, we have plenty of people (seasoned or not) on this forum who opt to do a guided day tours as individual travelers, myself included. Because of some of the nuances in traveling in this region, I can see why the OP has opted to go this route for this portion of their trip. After two weeks of travel, I can also see why someone may want to not have to worry about getting around as much on their own.

At any rate, I hope the OP has what I expect to be a great trip and do hope they will submit a trip report.

Thank you! As a seasoned traveler (I try to do one international trip/year), I sometimes prefer to relax and let someone else do the driving - especially as some of the day trips I am considering involve wine tasting (one of my favorite things to do). We still might consider renting a car for a day or two after we get to Trieste - we did this in Naxos last year. I initially didn't think we needed a car, but decided to do a two day rental once we were on the island. I think it will just depend on how we feel during that portion of the trip.

Does anyone have any accommodation or restaurant recommendations for any portion of this trip? I saw a couple Ortisei suggestions on another northern Italy post and bookmarked those. Thx!

Thanks Cubek.
I'm sorry that you had to read so much chatter among fodorists that is of course of no help for you.
As to accommodation in this area, I'm no longer up to date. Sorry.

Cubek -

Another area of Venice to consider staying in is the Cannaregio. Other than the "street" that most people take through the Cannaregio to and from the train station, the area to me feels more like an actual neighborhood. Years ago, we stayed at Hotel Giorgione. More recently, we have stayed near Camp Santa Maria Formosa, which is in the Castello neighborhood but a bit out of the touristy fray. We've been able to sit at a cafe in the Campo and watch local children play as their parents chat. Most recently, we stayed at Hotel Palazzo Vitturi, and it was wonderful. But per a friend that I gave the hotel name to, they realized what a value their rates were, and have increased them (deservedly, probably, as our room was great).

A million years ago, we visited Cortina, which I recall liking (somewhat similar to Colorado ski towns), as well as a couple of nights in some more rural valley that I can't remember the name of. There, we stayed in a local B&B. If you want hiking in more rural areas, look around for that kind of lodging.

I love your comments about mountains, and visiting them from Montana. I have lived in the Colorado mountains for a long time, so when I vacation I tend to enjoy big cities and things I can't get at home. Before I lived in Colorado, I lived in big cities and so wanted to visit the mountains while on vacation. Now, even though yes, all mountains are different, I understand your viewpoint on spending too much time in the mountains while on vacation when they are at our doorstep!

Along with Lexma90, I also recommend the Cannaregio neighborhood, specifically https://www.venicemaggiorconsiglio.com/ Maggior Consiglio hotel. Have stayed there twice, in 2015 and again in 2022.

Also enjoyed my meal at nearby at Trattoria Poveldo: https://www.trattoriapovoledo.com/

Unfortunately I cannot recall where I stayed in Trieste but it was 10 years ago now and not recent enough to be relevant.

We've just returned from a trip to Italy, including Trieste. (Trip report in process.) We spent 5 nights in Trieste, and thought it was too long, but we had originally planned to possibly venture into Croatia or Slovenia which we didn't do. We also had drizzly weather which certainly colored our opinion. We did find an outstanding restaurant, with great food and lovely hosts - Nero di Seppia. Be sure to book ahead. Also, the wine bar, Giovinoto.
We've been to the Dolomites twice, with another trip planned for fall 2025. Each time we spent 5-7 nights in both Val Gardena and Alta Badia. This coming trip we will be in Alta Badia for 5 nights, coming from 7 nights in Austria, hiking out of Lech. So, I think you are short-changing the Dolomites! Car not needed in Val Gardena, especially Ortisei, as you can walk to multiple lifts or catch a bus. Easier to have a car in Alta Badia. We stay near Corvara, but have not been to Cortina.

For hotels - you don't mention what price range you are thinking about.

When I visited the Dolomites (7 or 8-ish? years ago, so not terribly current and I understand that things have become much, much busier and likely more costly), I stayed at the Hotel Grones in Ortisei. I am a pretty active/fit/hike-y type person and found it super easy to do both long and short hikes using lifts from Ortisei and taking public transportation to Selva and Santa Cristina for additional journeys. Frankly, I did not get tired of the hiking and scenery and could have stayed longer (five full days). Maybe some of that was down to the relaxing hotel with good service and good food after long hikes in the fresh air on my feet?

In Venice, these days I prefer to stay in the outer reaches of Castello. The Venice Art Biennale will be on when you visit, FYI. I'm a contemporary art and Venice fiend, so for me Castello + Biennale would be a no-brainer, especially in June, but I note that you don't list museums or art galleries in your daily activities. In Cannareggio I can recommend Hotel Ai Mori d'Oriente. In Dorsoduro, years ago we liked La Calcina, which still gets good reviews.