This Underrated City Is Called the 'Coffee Capital' of Italy—and It Was Named One of the Best Places to Travel in 2025

Travel + Leisure

26-05-2025

Take an evening stroll on Piazza Unita d'Italia, the 'living room' of Trieste and the largest seafront square in Europe.
Enjoy fin de siècle glamour and views of the Gulf of Trieste from a balcony suite at Savoia Excelsior Palace, one of the city's grand dame hotels.
Enjoy a guided tour of Miramare Castle, the home of the ill-fated Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, and be sure to spend time in the peaceful botanical gardens.
If you're visiting in early October, don't miss Barcolana, the largest sailing race in the world, with thousands of boats participating.
Sip on literary history at Caffè San Marco, the vintage coffeehouse where James Joyce and his contemporaries once held court.
On just about any list of must-see places in Italy, Trieste isn't usually in the top 10. But one visit to this elegant city, with its broad, palace-lined piazzas, impressive literary chops, and fascinating history, and you'll soon see what the rest of the world is missing out on.
Facing the northernmost Adriatic Sea, Trieste is in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy, set on a sliver of land just a few kilometers wide and surrounded on two sides by Slovenia. For more than 500 years, it was one of the most strategically important cities for the Habsburg Dynasty, and later, a crucial seaport for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During the Cold War, Trieste's location just outside the Iron Curtain made it a hotbed for espionage, defections, smuggling, and other international intrigues.
The city has long attracted artists, writers, and intellectuals, and a cerebral, film-noir-like vibe still pervades, especially in the city center.
Modern Trieste is a mix of its past—part Italian, part Slavic-Slovenian, and part Austrian-German. And while the city's geopolitical importance may have faded, its deepwater port is increasingly attracting large cruise ships that have been banished from Venice, located roughly two hours southwest. That means more and more travelers are discovering the sophisticated charms of this seaside city. Travel + Leisure even named it one of the best places to travel in 2025. So make sure to grab your seat at a sidewalk cafe before they're all taken. Guest room in Tivoli Portopiccolo Sistiana Wellness Resort.
Trieste's reigning five-star property, Grand Hotel Duchi d'Aosta, overlooks Piazza Unita d'Italia and features rooms and suites with a spot-on mix of modern and early 20th-century style. The James Joyce Suite pays tribute to the Irish novelist, who spent much of his adult life and his most productive years in Trieste—even if he could never have afforded such posh digs.
Rooms at Savoia Excelsior Palace, first opened in 1911, can feel a little business-like, says Florence-based editor Mary Gray. 'But you really can't beat the port views from the suite balconies.' We love that the hotel retains so many original details, including elaborate molded ceilings and an exuberant white stucco facade.
'Triestini are warm and welcoming,' says Gray. 'I learned this on my first visit when I stayed at this cozy hole-in-the-wall hotel within walking distance of all the main attractions.' Family-run and set in a house from the 1700s, this intimate 10-room lodging has exposed stone walls and wood-beam ceilings. There are also five self-catering apartments for rent, some of which have balconies.
Set about 30 minutes from Trieste, this seafront resort offers easy access to the city, though it's tempting to just stay on property and enjoy the ample amenities, including a European-style Purobeach club with multiple pools plus a spa, shops, and several restaurants and bars. Aerial view of Miramare Castle.Before he sailed off to Mexico, where his short-lived reign as Emperor Maximilian I ended in front of a firing squad, Habsburg Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian oversaw the construction of Castello di Miramare. Set on a dramatic promontory on the Gulf of Trieste, the striking white stone castle contains its original furnishings and artwork, including the archduke's study, designed to resemble a wooden ship's interior. Our guided tour brought the castle and the stories of Ferdinand and his bride, Princess Charlotte of Belgium, to vivid life. The extensive, wooded gardens are delightful.
Trieste is known for its grand 19th-century architecture, but its past dates back much further—to the second millennium B.C.E. The Città Vecchia, or Old City, is a medieval area built over older Roman ruins, on narrow streets which likely follow their original Roman layout. Home to a Roman theater, charming litle cafes, shops, and guesthouses, the Città Vecchia is a fine base for exploring Trieste.
There's a lot to unpack at Museo d'Antichità J.J. Winckelmann, Trieste's main archaeological museum, which contains artifacts from the immediate area and throughout the Mediterranean. But according to British writer William Cook, 'The main draw is the eerie memorial to the man after whom it's named, Johann Joachim Winckelmann, a German art historian and archaeologist who is widely regarded as the founding father of modern archaeology. Winckelmann was passing through Trieste when he befriended a young man, Francesco Arcangeli, who murdered him here, for reasons which remain unclear.' Winckelmann is buried at Trieste Cathedral.
Ringed by neoclassical and Liberty-style buildings, Piazza Unita d'Italia is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful in Europe for its grand dimensions and dramatic seaside setting. By day, you can ogle yachts in the Gulf of Trieste and espy the distant Dolomites. Come evening, sip a spritz or a prosecco in one of the elegant cafes fronting the piazza. In the summertime, the piazza is the setting for concerts and other events. A restaurant on the water in Trieste.
Vegetarians, or anyone who's not in the mood for a heaping plate of boiled meat, might find this historic eatery somewhat challenging. But it's a Trieste tradition and typical of the Austro-Hungarian buffets that serve meat, meat, and more meat, accompanied by pickles, sauerkraut, potatoes, and spicy mustard.
'For dinner, it's well worth the cab fare to venture outside the center for comforting goulash and other delicacies in an elegant, old-world lodge setting,' says Gray of Antica Trattoria Suban. It's been in the same family since its 1865 debut, when the original Suban used his lottery winnings to open a restaurant. Despite a meat-heavy menu, vegetarians will find plenty of choices here.
Trieste is known as the coffee capital of Italy, and that's saying a lot considering how much Italians love their java. Caffè degli Specchi, located right on Piazza Unita d'Italia, offers the quintessential coffee-drinking experience in Trieste, with tufted chairs and antique fixtures, plus espresso and other coffee drinks, pastries, and brunch fare served with much pomp and circumstance.
This Trieste institution lacks the piazza views of the more famous Caffè degli Specchi, but according to Gray, 'the people-watching is equally excellent, and there's a whole bookshop inside.' James Joyce was a regular, and he and his contemporaries would still feel at home in the well-preserved Art Nouveau interior. Archway leading to Miramare Park in Trieste, Italy.Gray calls winters in Trieste 'gloomy in the best possible way,' but visitors not in the mood for cold, windy days will do best to visit from late spring to early fall. The Barcolana, the world's largest sailing race, takes place at the beginning of October and involves thousands of sailboats of all sizes. Be sure to book your hotel well in advance if you plan to visit during this period. In the summer months, the normally chilly waters of the northern Adriatic Sea are warm enough for swimming, and beaches near Trieste, especially Barcola and Grignano, fill up with sunseekers. A busy street in Old Town, Trieste.
Trieste can be reached by train, plane or car. Trenitalia regional and high-speed trains from Venice travel at least once an hour to Trieste, and the journey takes between two and three hours. Private high-speed carrier Italo also runs trains between Venice and Trieste.
Reachable by train from Trieste, Trieste Airport is about 30 minutes from the city, and welcomes flights from within Italy and other points in Europe. The closest airport with flights arriving from the U.S. is Venice Marco Polo Airport, about a two-hour drive from Trieste.
Much of Trieste's historic center, as well as the Città Vecchia, is walkable. The city is served by an extensive bus network operated by Trieste Trasporti, which also offers ferry service to points along the coastline, including Miramare Castle. Delfino Verde also offers seasonal ferry service. Taxis are readily available in Trieste, and you can call them via Radio Taxi Trieste or the Uber app.
It's not necessary to have a car to explore Trieste, though a rental may come in handy for reaching suburban areas or venturing into neighboring Slovenia or Croatia. Otherwise, if you drive to Trieste, you'll likely be able to park your rental car and stick to exploring on foot or via public transportation.