Getting There
By Train -- Trains arrive at and depart from Stazione Centrale on Piazza della Libertà (tel. 040-452-8111), northwest of the historic center. There are on average two trains an hour to and from Venice (2 1/2-3 hr.), where you can make connections to Milan and other Italian cities. There are also frequent, twice-hourly connections to and from Udine (1-1 1/2 hr.). Two trains a day connect Trieste to Budapest, Hungary (11 hr.), three daily to Ljubljana, Slovenia (3 hr.).
By Bus -- The bus station is on Corso Cavour, to the left of the train station (tel. 800-915-303; www.saf.ud.it). Frequent buses (28 a day) link Trieste and Udine (1 1/2 hr.), and many other towns throughout the region. There's also one bus Monday to Saturday (check for the schedule, as it often changes) to Ljubljana, Slovenia (2 3/4 hr.).
By Car -- Trieste is a 2-hour trip from Venice along Autostrada A4.
Visitor Information
The tourist office is at Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia 4B near the waterfront (tel. 040-347-8312; fax 040-437-8380; www.triestetourism.it; daily 9am-7pm). There's another office at Via S. Nicolò 20 (tel. 040-679-6111; fax 040-679-6299).
City Layout -- The center of Trieste, which is snuggled between the hills and the sea, is compact and easy to get around on foot. The bus and train stations are at the northern end of the center, on the Piazza della Libertà. From there, follow the harbor south for about 10 minutes along Corso Cavour (you'll soon cross Trieste's Canal Grande) and its continuation, Riva III Novembre, to the Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia. This dramatic space -- with Habsburg-commissioned, neoclassical buildings on three sides, open to the sea on one side, and a fountain in its center -- is the heart of old Trieste and the present-day city as well. Via Carducci, Trieste's main shopping street, cuts through the center of the orderly 19th-century city. It begins in Piazza Oberdan (a few blocks east of the train station on Via Ghega) and cuts a straight swath south to Piazza Goldoni; from there the Corso Italia leads west to Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia and the sea.
Getting Around
Central Trieste is easily navigable on foot, but the footsore can use the extensive network of TT buses and trams (tel. 040-425-001 or 800-016-675 in Italy; www.triestetrasporti.it) that run throughout the city. You can purchase tickets at any tabacchi (tobacconist) for 1€ ($1.30) for 60 minutes (valid for 4 hr. on Sun). One foot-saving route is the no. 24 line from the train station to the hilltop Castello di San Giusto and its adjoining cluster of remarkable buildings , or call a taxi at tel. 040-54-533 or 040-307-730.
