How does the bora wind affect outdoor cafés in Trieste?

The bora is a dry, usually cool north-to-northeast wind. In Trieste its gusts usually pass 120 km/h and can reach 140 km/h on the port piers, and on the worst days ropes and chains are strung along downtown sidewalks. On those days an indoor table is the practical choice.

Which cafés have tables on Piazza Unità d'Italia in Trieste?

Caffè degli Specchi, founded in 1839, sets its tables on the square itself and serves everything from breakfast to brunch and chocolates. Gangemi on Capo di Piazza Gianni Bartoli, Caffè Piazza Grande on Via Malcanton and Urbanis on Piazza della Borsa are a short walk away, all with outdoor seating.

Where can you sit outside by the sea in Trieste?

On the Barcola riviera along Viale Miramare, a free public bathing area lined with semicircular terraces since 1959, Il Pane Quotidiano Lungomare at number 72 has outdoor tables. Closer to the center, Cafe Retro is on the waterfront at Riva Nazario Sauro 16.

Outdoor Cafés in Trieste: Piazza Unità, Canal and Seafront

Sitting outside in Trieste depends on the bora, a dry, usually cool north-to-northeast wind that can reach 140 km/h on the port piers.¹ Gusts in town usually pass 120 km/h, and on the worst days ropes and chains are strung along downtown sidewalks for pedestrians to hold.² In high summer the opposite problem arrives: around Ferragosto (15 August) temperatures climb well into the 30s °C.³

Viale XX Settembre has the most cafés with tavolini all'aperto (outdoor tables), with the Città Vecchia and the Borgo Teresiano close behind. In the old town around Piazza Unità, about four in ten cafés seat customers outside.

Local tip: Check the forecast for bora before planning a terrace morning: gusts in town often pass 120 km/h, and Caffè Stella Polare and Eppinger Caffè on Via Dante both have indoor rooms to fall back on.²

Where these cafés are: Viale XX Settembre & San Giovanni (11), Piazza Unità & Città Vecchia (10), Borgo Teresiano (10), Barcola & Roiano (3), San Giacomo & Servola (2), Piazza Goldoni & Barriera Vecchia (1), Opicina (1).

At a glance

38Cafés listed

16With opening hours

06:30Earliest opening

02:00Latest closing

Opens earliest: Bar Ulpiano, from 06:30 (Mon–Fri 06:30–22:00 · Sat 06:30–14:30).

Closes latest: Kama Caffè, until 02:00 (Daily 07:00–02:00).

Most common features: indoor seating (58%), open late (16%), vegetarian options (16%).

Piazza Unità and the old town

Caffè degli Specchi, founded in 1839, sets its tables on Piazza Unità d'Italia itself.⁴ Its menu runs from breakfast with a capo in b to brunch, a bistro and a cioccolateria (chocolate counter).⁵ Gangemi, at Capo di Piazza Gianni Bartoli 2, and Caffè Piazza Grande on Via Malcanton are a short walk away, and Urbanis has tables on Piazza della Borsa.

In Cavana, Chocolat on Via di Cavana and Dafina on Piazza di Cavana seat customers outside, and MUG Bakery uses Piazza Attilio Hortis. Antica Tostatura Triestina, which roasts its beans over wood, sets out tables on Piazza Venezia and opens 08:00–20:00 every day.⁶ Cafe Retro is on the waterfront at Riva Nazario Sauro 16.

Along the Canal Grande and Via Dante

The Canal Grande, dug in 1754–1756, has ended at Piazza Sant'Antonio since its inland stretch was filled in 1934.⁷ On Via Rossini, Zeroquaranta and Spritz@lunch put tables beside the water, and White Cafe does the same across the canal on Via Genova.

Caffè Stella Polare, at Via Dante 14, has tables outside and opens daily 07:00–22:00. Eppinger Caffè at Via Dante 2b combines an outdoor terrace with a first-floor room.⁸ Caffè Sacher is at Via Dante 1, Viezzoli Pirona on Via della Cassa di Risparmio, Harry's Bar at Via Carducci 2 and Bar Tartini on Via Martiri della Libertà; north of the canal, Lab and Bar Alpino share Via San Lazzaro.

Viale XX Settembre and around

The first stretch of Viale XX Settembre is closed to cars.⁹ Aqvedotto Caffè at number 37c, Lettera Viva at 31b and Bar Politeama at 34/a all set tables on it, and Lettera Viva adds a balcony full of plants.⁸

Off the avenue, Bar Giulia on Via Giulia opens at 07:00 and is air-conditioned inside, Bar Ulpiano on Via Giustiniano runs until 22:00 on weekdays, and Bar Rossetti on Via Giorgio Strehler closes at 14:00 on Saturdays. Bar X on Via del Coroneo and Sister's House Café on Via Filippo Lippi also have outdoor seats, and Eni Caffè Università serves the campus on Via Alfonso Valerio.

The seafront, the south and the Karst

On the Barcola riviera, which the semicircular Topolini terraces turned into one free public beach in 1959, Il Pane Quotidiano Lungomare at Viale Miramare 72 has outdoor tables.¹⁰ Kama Caffè in Roiano, open 07:00–02:00 daily, and Bar Maggio on Via Santa Teresa also seat customers outside.

Up on the Karst plateau, Caffè Vatta at Via Nazionale 38 in Opicina has been listed in the Guida Bar d'Italia for ten years and passes its used coffee grounds to local producers.⁸ In the south of the city, Panificio Viezzoli on Via Antonio Baiamonti and Bar Stadio on Piazzale di Valmaura also have outdoor seats.

Cafés with outdoor seating in Trieste

At a glance

Antica Tostatura Triestina

Bar Rossetti

Bar Ulpiano

Caffè degli Specchi

Eppinger Caffè

Il Pane Quotidiano Lungomare

Kama Caffè

Lab

Lettera Viva

MUG Bakery

Sircelli

Bar Giulia

Caffè Stella Polare

Chocolat

Panificio Viezzoli

Aqvedotto Caffè

Bar X

Caffè Piazza Grande

Caffè Sacher

Caffè Vatta

Dafina

Sister's House Café

Urbanis

White Cafe

Zeroquaranta

Bar Al Foro

Bar Alpino

Bar Maggio

Bar Politeama

Bar Stadio

Bar Tartini

Bar Weiss

Cafe Retro

Eni Caffè Università

Gangemi

Harry's Bar

Piazza Unità and the old town

Along the Canal Grande and Via Dante

Viale XX Settembre and around

The seafront, the south and the Karst

Sources

Other ways to browse Trieste

Pasticcerie

Open late

Wi-Fi

Outdoor seating in Trieste: questions

How does the bora wind affect outdoor cafés in Trieste?

Which cafés have tables on Piazza Unità d'Italia in Trieste?

Where can you sit outside by the sea in Trieste?

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