# Trieste: Miramare, the Risiera, a tram that stops

> Miramare castle costs 17 euros and opens daily, but its park closes by the month. The Opicina tram returned on July 27, 2026 after years of stoppages.

URL: https://myitalia.it/towns/trieste
Last updated: 2026-09-02

Miramare castle costs €17 and opens 9:00 am to 7:00 pm every day, but its park closes anywhere between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm depending on the month, which is the mistake most people make here.

## The castle: €17, daily, exhibitions included

The Museo storico del Castello di Miramare opens every day from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, and in 2026 the full ticket is €17, which includes the temporary exhibitions, with a reduced rate of €7, free entry under 6 and free on the first Sunday of each month. Prices in euros.

Special guided visits cost €7 for adults and €5 for ages 11 to 17. The stables, a separate building in the grounds, open daily 10:00 am to 6:00 pm with last entry at 5:30 pm.

## The park has seven different closing times

Gates open at 8:00 am all year, and then the closing hour moves with the calendar.

| Period | Closing |
|---|---|
| January | 4:00 pm |
| February | 5:00 pm |
| March | 6:00 pm |
| April to September | 7:00 pm |
| October 1 to 14 | 6:00 pm |
| October 15 to 31 | 5:00 pm |
| November and December | 4:00 pm |

In winter that means the park shuts three hours before the castle museum does, so a late afternoon plan built around the sea views does not work between November and February. Come in the morning instead, and see the castle after.

## The Risiera di San Sabba, free to enter

Entry is free to the Risiera, the only Nazi camp with a crematorium on Italian soil, housed in a rice husking plant put up between 1898 and 1913. The Germans converted it into a Polizeihaftlager, a police detention camp, after the occupation.

It was declared a national monument on April 15, 1965 by decree of president Giuseppe Saragat and became a civic museum in 1975, in a restoration designed by Romano Boico. Hours are 9:00 am to 7:00 pm from March 1 to October 11, last entry 6:30 pm, and 9:00 am to 5:00 pm from October 12, last entry 4:30 pm; the audio guide is €3.50. Buses 8 and 10 stop nearby, the address is via Giovanni Palatucci 5 and the entrance is from piazzale De Simone. See [the Risiera di San Sabba](/attractions/risiera-di-san-sabba).

## The Opicina tram, and its record

Line 2 climbs 5.175 km from the city to the Carso plateau, and 800 meters of that is pushed by a funicular on gradients reaching 26%, which is the only arrangement of its kind in Europe. It has also spent most of the last decade out of service.

The sequence: stopped by the accident of August 16, 2016, reactivated on February 1, 2025, stopped again on October 12, 2025 by a cable failure, back in service on July 27, 2026 with a temporary terminus in piazza Dalmazia. Loading is limited to 80% of capacity, standing is allowed only on the rear platform, and the tram is not accessible to wheelchair users. The historic terminus at piazza Oberdan is due for works from late 2026 to June 2027. Trieste urban tickets are valid, and you can pay contactless on board. Read [Trieste was not Italian](/stories/trieste-was-not-italian).

## One cave chamber, 98.5 meters high

The Grotta Gigante at Sgonico on the Carso holds a single chamber 98.5 meters high, 167.6 long and 76.3 wide, in the Guinness book since 1995 as the largest natural chamber open to tourists. The tourist route runs 850 meters and 101 meters down, at a constant 11°C, and it takes about an hour.

That means 500 steps down and 500 back up, with no lift, so it rules itself out for some visitors and is the best thing in the province for others. Tickets are €15 full, €12 reduced, €8 for ages 6 to 18, free for ages 0 to 5, €12 for groups of 15 and €6 for school parties; the FVG Card gives free entry with one child under 12. Booking is required. The chamber also holds the world's longest geodetic pendulums, run by the University of Trieste. See [the Grotta Gigante and the Carso](/attractions/grotta-gigante-e-carso) and [Friuli-Venezia Giulia](/regions/friuli-venezia-giulia).

## FAQ

### How much is Miramare castle and when is it open?

€17 full in 2026, including the temporary exhibitions, €7 reduced, free under 6 and on the first Sunday of each month. The castle museum opens every day 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, and the stables open 10:00 am to 6:00 pm with last entry at 5:30 pm.

### What time does the Miramare park close?

It depends on the month. Opening is 8:00 am all year, and closing runs 4:00 pm in January, November and December, 5:00 pm in February, 6:00 pm in March, 7:00 pm from April to September, then 6:00 pm to October 14 and 5:00 pm to the end of October.

### Does the Risiera di San Sabba charge admission?

No, entry is free. It is the only Nazi camp with a crematorium on Italian soil, a rice husking plant built between 1898 and 1913 and converted into a police detention camp. National monument since April 15, 1965, civic museum since 1975. An audio guide costs €3.50.

### Is the Opicina tram running?

It resumed on July 27, 2026, with a temporary terminus at piazza Dalmazia. Line 2 climbs 5.175 km to the Carso, including an 800 meter stretch pushed by a funicular on gradients up to 26%. It stopped in 2016, restarted February 1, 2025, and stopped again on October 12, 2025.

### How big is the Grotta Gigante?

The single chamber is 98.5 meters high, 167.6 long and 76.3 wide, listed in the Guinness records since 1995 as the largest natural chamber open to visitors. The route is 850 meters, 500 steps down and 500 back up at a constant 11°C. Entry is €15.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Il Museo storico del Castello di Miramare apre tutti i giorni dalle 9 alle 19 e nel 2026 il biglietto intero costa 17 euro, comprensivo delle mostre in corso, con ridotto a 7 euro, gratuito sotto i 6 anni e ogni prima domenica del mese | [Ministero della Cultura](https://cultura.gov.it/luogo/museo-storico-e-il-parco-del-castello-di-miramare) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Il parco del Castello di Miramare apre alle 8 tutti i giorni ma chiude a orari stagionali molto diversi: alle 16 a gennaio, novembre e dicembre, alle 17 a febbraio, alle 18 a marzo, alle 19 da aprile a settembre | [Ministero della Cultura](https://cultura.gov.it/luogo/museo-storico-e-il-parco-del-castello-di-miramare) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| La Risiera di San Sabba, unico lager nazista con forno crematorio sul suolo italiano, e' un ex pilatoio di riso costruito fra il 1898 e il 1913 e trasformato in Polizeihaftlager dopo l'occupazione tedesca: e' Monumento Nazionale dal 15 aprile 1965 e Civico Museo dal 1975, con ingresso gratuito | [Civico Museo della Risiera di San Sabba - Comune di Trieste](https://risierasansabba.it/la-storia/); [doc 2](https://www.risierasansabba.it/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Il tram di Opicina, linea 2, sale dal centro di Trieste al Carso su 5,175 chilometri e comprende un tratto di circa 800 metri spinto da una funicolare con pendenze fino al 26%, caso unico in Europa; fermo dall'incidente del 2016, e' stato riattivato il 1 febbraio 2025, si e' fermato di nuovo il 12 ottobre 2025 per un guasto alla fune e ha ripreso il servizio il 27 luglio 2026 con capolinea provvisorio in piazza Dalmazia | [TPL FVG](https://tplfvg.it/it/servizi/tramopicina/); [ANSA, 18 luglio 2026](https://www.ansa.it/friuliveneziagiulia/notizie/2026/07/18/riprende-il-servizio-dello-storico-tram-trieste-opicina_d2626a04-22a2-43d0-b8ae-fff87f7f3a73.html) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| La Grotta Gigante, sul Carso a Sgonico, contiene una sala unica alta 98,5 metri, lunga 167,6 e larga 76,3, dal 1995 nel Guinness dei primati come la piu' grande sala naturale al mondo aperta ai turisti: si percorrono cinquecento gradini in discesa e cinquecento in salita a 11 gradi costanti, biglietto intero 15 euro | [Grotta Gigante](https://www.grottagigante.it/en/price-list/); [doc 2](https://www.grottagigante.it/en/home/); [Wikipedia](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grotta_Gigante) | medium | 2027-06-30 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/city.trieste.1600.jpg
Author: Diego Delso. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ayuntamiento,_Trieste,_Italia,_2017-04-15,_DD_10.jpg

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