The Best Hotels in Trieste for Every Traveller

Design lovers on a budget will fall for this hotel on the Corso Italia – one of the city’s main thoroughfares, lined with boutiques, cafés and restaurants. The 18th-century palazzo has been completely restored and today, within its age-old bones, you’ll find contemporary interiors speckled with colourful, minimalist furniture and lightning by Italian brand Artemide. Rest comes assured in the sound-proofed suites, especially when you know a night here won’t break the bank. Breakfast is served in the stylish restaurant, which transforms by night to serve upscale food (think ravioli filled with tender turbot, pea cream and olives) that seals the hotel’s status as one of the city’s best.

If you love yourself some old-fashioned luxury, this hotel is for you. Its interior is a modern take on a 19th-century country house, with sophisticated details such as vintage travel trunks, antique rocking horses and a selection of modern art on the walls. Your personal concierge can help you organise a tour of Trieste’s antique bookshops, classic boutiques or historic cafés, where famous writers and poets such as James Joyce have taken their morning espressos over the centuries.

If you’re looking for a romantic hideout in Trieste, you’ll appreciate the personal approach of this snug bed and breakfast. It’s run by Ilaria and Luca, a couple who’ve drawn on their love of travel for the design, including vintage world map wallpaper in one of the three rooms, which are all kitted out with cloud-soft foam mattresses. The Italian-style breakfast includes fresh juices, fruits, yoghurt and local baked goods, which can be served up to your room if you’re craving a duvet day. At other times, the lounge is stocked with help-yourself hot drinks and snacks.

This hotel is a great basecamp for family holidays, as the larger rooms can host up to five people and a babysitting service is available. The modern, minimalist rooms make for a pleasant contrast with the opulent decor on the outside of the building: this palazzo is one of the most beautiful examples of extravagant Liberty-style architecture in Trieste. Its sumptuous statue-studded facade and art nouveau ornaments make it a standout among the surrounding, more sober buildings.

Wellness warriors who pick hotels based on their pool and spa will be glad to discover this seaside stay and its Adriatic-spying wellness centre. It looks out over the surrounding bay and includes sea-view saunas, a Turkish bath, salt room and even a private beach. In summer, you can have a sunset dinner with fresh seafood on the panoramic terrace and almost forget the city entirely – though in truth it’s only a 10-minute drive away.

Foodies will have a blast at this seaside hotel lining Trieste’s main boulevard. The chef collaborates with Eataly, the renowned Italian food marketplace, to create a seasonal menu of fresh Adriatic fish, Gragnano pasta and a classic Wiener schnitzel that reflects Trieste’s Austro-Hungarian past. The rooms are nothing less than what you would expect of a smartly-suited luxury hotel: in-laid wooden floors, Calacatta marble bathrooms, velvet-clad armchairs and pastel-toned tapestries.