AMV

Greetings. We are spending several days in Istria and were hoping to do a day trip to Trieste. We will have a car but if it works better to take a ferry or bus we could do that too. Has anyone done this? Does a day trip allow sufficient time to experience Trieste adequately? Are there issues with border crossings or is it a relatively painless process? I am also posting this on the Croatia forum.

Thank you.

oliverHW

Just FYI, my wife and I made a day trip to Trieste a couple of years ago and enjoyed it immensely. We took the train from Venice, so can't speak to the issue of trains from Croatia, but arriving by train worked very well. The station is within walking distance of everything in the center of town. There's a long beautiful pier and a grand central square, where you must get coffee in one of the baroque old cafés. You can get a very good sense of Trieste in a day; we didn't feel compelled to stay longer or return, but I'm glad we made the visit. For a great read on the city, see Jan Morris, Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere.

madamtrashheap

Where in Istria will you be? That will make a difference as to how long it will take, but as a general rule, if you were in Pula or Rovinj it will take you around 2 hours to drive. The advantage of driving is that you can stop off in places you like the look of and continue at your own pace.

A bus will take a little longer (around 3.5) and you'll also contend with their timetable. That is, there aren't hourly services (AKAIK) so you might end up with only 2 hours on the ground before you have to head back.

Ferry services usually only operate during Summer, ie June to September, so depending on the time of year you're travelling you might not have this as an option.

I'm not sure about train services, but someone else might know.

Border crossing is busy in Summer, but fine during the rest of the year. Your passport will determine what, if any, visas you require. If you decide to drive, make sure you check with your car rental company that you have the necessary papers/permission to cross the border. And as you'll cross through Slovenia you will need a vignette to drive on the highways/motorways. You could stick to non-toll roads if you prefer.

isabel

I went from Piran to Trieste summer before last. I was en route from Slovenia to Italy so it wasn't a day trip but I only spent one night and I'm glad I had a day there. You can certainly see the main highlights in one. It has a beautiful main square right on the sea, and a nice little canal area and a really pretty castle a short bus ride away.

I actually took a taxi since the bus times/connections were not good and it was 'only' 50 euro. There was a boat that would have worked but I didn't find out about it till too late. I recall just driving through the boarder - not even slowing down, certainly no one looking at any paper work. The boarder control booth was all shuttered up. If you are coming from Croatia I guess you'll cross the boarder twice, once into Slovenia, then into Italy but since there is no boarder patrol between Slovenia and Italy I rather doubt there is between Croatia and Slovenia, however I don't know this for a fact.

Here is my trip report and link to my photos: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-the-lakes.cfm

april_vidor

Thank you all! This is exactly the kind of helpful feedback I was hoping for. I think we will probably opt to drive and will look for a route that will eliminate the need for paying for the Slovenian transit/highway fees. We will probably be originating from and returning to Opatija or possibly Rovinj.

neckervd

There are not many buses between Trieste and the different Istrian towns. Therefore, it's always better to drive.
Timetables:
http://www.autostazionetrieste.it/
Boat services: irregular and only in high season
Trains: none

april_vidor

Thanks, this is a great link!