Trieste to Slovenia

Lois

We were to go to Slovenia & Croatia last year and I did a lot of reseach. Unfortunately we did not get there. Italy this year but not to Croatia. Looks very inviting and quite reasonable.

From the train in Trieste you could go by bus to Piran and on to Rovinj. Rick Steves has a book on Slovenia & Croatia.

You can also take a ferry from Venice to both these places.

Hi, Lois. Short answer: It would be tough. Long Answer: below.

On a day trip, it would be fairly difficult to get anywhere that you'd be able to to the differences between NE Italy, and SW Slovenia.

There are about 100k Slovenians living in that area (officially recognized minority) of Italy.

Train service is not an option, as the tracks were never rebuilt after WWII.

You can take public transportation right up to the border very easily from the bus station (which is next to the Trieste train station), but I am not sure if you can cross on the public transport. (I've had a car past couple times).

There are buses to Piran, etc but the schedule is very limited these days,and would be tough on a day trip.

I'd recommend renting a car if it's at all possible for you. No one wants to drive IN an Italian city, but the freeways from Venice to Slovenia and Trieste are all very well built, large 4+ lanes, and easy to navigate. All of Slovenia is pretty easy to drive in.

With the car, you could save enough time to maybe even see some of Trieste, head up to Slovenia and see the coast or caves (I'd go caves), and get back before midnight. The caves would be an experience you'd never forget!

Those are just a few thoughts. I'm pretty familiar with the area if you have any more questions. Sorry I'm not sure about the buses! Chris

If you're really going to be in Trieste just for the day, you won't be able to see that much, if you want to do much else in the city. But Slovenia is extremely close, and there are no longer border checkpoints, you can travel freely across the border. There is in fact train service (I took a train from TS to Ljubljana once, en route to Zagreb), although I think nowadays you have to change in Monfalcone, making it time-inefficient.

Here are schedules of the frequent bus services to Slovenian destinations:

http://www.autostazionetrieste.it/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8&Itemid=0

Sezana is the closest, up on the Carso plateau that overlooks Trieste. In fact, with a little more time, you could even take the fantastic tram from Trieste (piazza Oberdan: http://www.tramdeopcina.it/tram/pages/tt2engl.htm) to Opicina, and walk the maybe 3-4 miles to the border. On the Strada per Vienna road that leads from Opicina to the border at Fernetti, the hotel/restaurant Valeria is a terrific place to eat. (The Carso is a great wine region.)

The bus trip to Kozina is not much longer, I haven't been there, but passes by a nice part of the Carso where I've hiked, the Val Rosandra, so it might be pretty.

It's closer to an hour by bus to Koper/Capodistria, but you'd get a look at an Istrian-Venetian coast town. (Something you can also do by visiting Muggia, still within Italy - a nice boat ride from Trieste: go to http://www.triestetrasporti.it and click on Servizi Marittimi.)

In summer, Ustica Lines operates hydrofoil service to Istria, including Piran and Porec, but that would be more than you'd want to do in a daytrip to TS.

I agree with Chris though, that it's not bad to drive from Venice to Trieste, or in Trieste (except for bits of the oldest part) - and if you really want a taste of the Slovene-Italian or Slovenian Carso, a car is great.

Thank you everyone for all the advice. Jonathan, do you need an international driver's license to drive in Italy and Slovenia? It has been over a decade since we rented a car in Europe. Also what are the best companies to rent a car in Venice? And pick up would be on the other side of the lagoon or is there a car rental pick-up near the bus station in Venice? Thanks for your answers in advance.

Hi again Lois -

The only time I rented in Venice it was at the airport. It looks like there are rental locations at Piazzale Roma, the Venice bus terminal and parking lot, which makes me guess you can pick up there.

I think that time I used autoeurope.com to get the car, and that the rental company was Locauto, an Italian company, and everything worked out fine. Once in Slovenia itself I rented from Sixt, I think also via autoeurope. (These trips were three and two years ago.)

I've never had to have an international license renting in Italy or Slovenia, but it's best to check with requirements of the rental company.

Also, you may want to establish if you rent a car in Italy that you are permitted to take it into Slovenia. It is likely that this prohibition is less common than it once was, I'm not sure.

(In Slovenia itself, if you get on the freeways you have to buy and display a 'vignette', available at gas stations, but it sounds like you'll just be poking in on the local roads....)

Have fun!

Jonathan

Thanks Jonathan! Now we are talking car rental (to keep us from agonizing over the British Air strike!) So what were your favorite things in Trieste? We have only been there one other time, in November when daylight was short and it was bitterly cold. Luckily we found the local Osmisa and friendly folks who introduced us to the local terrano wine. And then we had dinner at the Foraperfora Osteria with delicious typical eastern European dishes. We had to head for the train station at that point to catch the last train back to Venice, so having a car without a deadline sounds wonderful!

Hey Lois - I'm getting envious. What to do in Trieste - like anywhere, it can depend on what kinds of things interest you most. And it's the kind of place where a lot of little things add up to its appeal... When are you going?

Sometime during the week of April 19-26. We're renting an apartment in Venice for a week but we plan to do two day trips while we are there, Trieste and Vicenza. Do you know anything about a big cave in Trieste? Maybe since the weather will be warmer than the last visit and the days will be longer, we might want to see that. Also, any recommendations on restaurants in Trieste? We liked where we ate last time but it's always fun to try new places. We also go grocery shopping in Trieste because the prices are unbelievably low!

Hi again Lois - The cave is the Grotta Gigante - official site http://www.grottagigante.it/ only in Italian, but you should be able to find more info easily. (At that link, click on 'raggiungerci', or 'how to reach us,' for a map.) It's in a great area for eating and drinking, too at the country restaurants of the Carso - for example, the trattorias Carso and Furlan in Monrupino, and Krizman in Rupingrande. If, driving around, you see a bundle of branches posted with an arrow, it's an "osmizza" - a small family farm that sells its own wine, cheese, hams and salamis to eat on the premises, for very low prices....

Hi Lois - Would love to hear how your trip went!

Well, even before we returned home we realized how fortunate we were compared to some other travelers, even though we were inconvenienced by the volcano. An extra day in Paris and another full day on trains (5 trains/15 hours) instead of a 3 hour flight to Venice sort of changed our plans. Because we lost nearly two days of our Venice visit, we decided to do a day trip to Trieste which ended early. We had no idea that once we were finished having lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Trieste seems to roll up the sidewalks from lunch until 4pm so we were limited to what we could do in Trieste. The next time we will use Trieste as the beginning of our trip to Slovenia and we will plan to stay overnights and travel to two or three cities. Thanks for all the input everyone. We loved our trip, despite a few setbacks. The weather was perfect!

Lois, in Italy it is mandatory to have an Int'l Drivers' Permit (not license, permit, along with a valid driver's license from the USA. If you should encounter the police for any reason and are unable to show the IDP you will be fined.

We did have an international driver's license but thanks for pointing that out.

Last summer I was in Ljubljana, Slovenia and took the bus to Triests. It is about 45 miles. You can easily do the same. Ljubljana is wonderful--all the grand Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings. People are very friendly. I liked it better than Trieste.

Enjoy!
Ann