It's the main square of the city and with its 12.280 m² it's said to be the largest square on a sea…read moreof all Europe. Built under the Austrian-Hungarian Empire it has been remodeled various time during the years, but it's still surrounded by big buildings of more or less the same age: they are so beautiful that you can really spend hours just admiring out their architectural details! It's also a great spot if you like photography, and not just because of those historic buildings surrounding it. As mentioned, the square is right on the Adriatic Sea but it's also surrounded by the Carso hills: the two details combined make always interesting pics. Also, from the square you can witness gorgeous sunsets and if the weather conditions are right, you can even see the Alps on the horizon, which are particularly beautiful when they have snow on their tops! You will always find lots of locals walking on the square: it's one of the favorite places by "Triestini" to relax. It is also used for events, concerts and during Christmas time it is adorned with several light up Christmas trees. As for the rest of the city in general, parking is very difficult, but you can reach the square via public transportation (or even just by foot, depending on your location).

An incredible piazza nestled at the foothills of the Carso opening straight into the source of the…read moreAdriatic. One of the few Grande Italian Piazza's in a major city that open's directly to the sea providing magnificent views of the sea with Mountain peaks on a clear day. The buildings surround the piazza have wonderful Austro-Hungarian design and more or less provide the dividing point between the Italian and Austrian facades that split the city.

This is a nice spot for a walk and the boats all docked beside it are a good distraction from…read morepeople watching, but in general this canal is going to be disappointing if you have been to somewhere like Venice or Amsterdam who have real canals. I still think you should go along, but just be aware that it is tiny and is only going to fill 5 minutes of your time. You are probably best to visit but then go into one if the pubs or restaurants around it for some drinks or food and to watch the world go by. Pleasant spot, but nothing fantastic.

On our way out of Trieste, my husband and I stopped at Grotta Gigante, which was a great change of…read morepace after a day of history and art in Trieste. Grotta Gigante is a giant cave - it was in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest show cave until a cave in France took its place. The central cavern is 351 feet high, 213 feet wide, and 430 feet long - which is really incredible. You should book reservations ahead of time, because the cave is popular and many people who walked in without reservations when we were there had to buy tickets for later in the day as the tours fill up. The guided walk takes about an hour. Definitely worth visiting if you're interested in caves (the region is known for them) or if you are looking to do something a little bit different!

Great guide, cool cave, interesting educational experience! My cousin (8 years old) especially…read moreloved it! The guide, who seemed a bit stiff at first blush) was fantastic with children and kept my cousin interested & engaged for the whole tour. You must wait for a guided tour - you can't wander around on your own. In the off-season there's one on the hour every hour, so time your arrival appropriately or you'll end up sitting around for 45 minutes like us! But there are things to look at & read to pass some of the time. And the advantage of going in the off-season? Instead of doing the tour with a huge group, the 3 of us got a private tour. Much nicer!! Be prepared to get a bit of a workout - there are about 500 steps down & another 500 +/- back up (though the exit is a few yards down the road so I'm not sure if its around the same number of steps or not), so it's a good way to work your legs a bit. Overall, a nice way to spend an afternoon!

My husband and I visited the Risiera di San Sabba when we were in Trieste for a day earlier this…read moresummer. Trieste is a fascinating place. At different points in its history, it has been a part of the Roman Empire (pre 935), the Byzantine Empire (476-567), the Republic of Venice (1368-1369), the Holy Roman Empire (1382-1806), the First French Empire (1809-1814), and the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1814-1922). After being a free territory from 1947-1954, it joined Italy. But a visit to the Risiera di San Sabba taught me a lot about one period of Trieste's history that I knew practically nothing about - Trieste was a part of the Operational Zone of the Adriatic Littoral (OZAK), a Nazi-occupied territory that included parts of present-day Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia from 1943-1945. The Risiera was first used as a rice-husking facility. But when Trieste was part of OZAK, German occupation forces used the Risiera as a concentration camp for the detention and killing of political prisoners and a transit camp for Jews, most of whom were deported from San Sabba to Auschwitz. The Risiera is now a national monument and museum. They have audio guides in many languages, and we spent a few hours learning from the audio guides and the museum as well. It was incredibly moving, and I learned a lot from our visit. I'm so glad we made time to visit the Risiera, because without visiting it, I might not have learned so much about what life was like for the residents of this area during WWII. If you have time, I recommend you make time for a visit here. As survivors and veterans of WWII age and pass away, places like the Risiera become ever more important to visit and experience and learn from.

What used to be a rice processing plant turns into a working/concentration camp during WW2…read more This museum is well worth a visit. It is number 20 bus from town or a 5 km walk A sad experience but something we need to remember