Grignano between Miramare, Park and Sea

Miramare Castle and its architecture

Miramare Castle stands at the tip of the Karst peninsula of Grignano. Miramare Castle was built between 1856 and 1860 as the residence of Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg and his wife, Princess Charlotte of Belgium. It was built from Istrian stone in an eclectic style designed by the Austrian engineer Carl Junker. The castle’s rooms contain caskets, clocks, chinoiserie and archaeological artefacts. The stables at Miramare were also designed by Carl Junker and built between 1856 and 1860.

Park, parterre and greenhouses

Miramare Park covers 22 hectares. It combines elements of an English landscape garden with formal, geometrically structured areas in the parterre. The greenhouses were intended for experimental botanical activities.

Marine protected area and seawatching

The 90-hectare buffer zone of the Miramare marine protected area is 400 metres wide. All forms of fishing—except recreational fishing from the shore—as well as anchoring are prohibited there. For those interested in the underwater world, seawatching accompanied by WWF staff takes place every year from June to September in small groups. Unlike the year-round environmental interpretation at BioMa, seawatching is limited to the season.

BioMa: Environmental interpretation of the Gulf of Trieste

BioMa is located in the right wing of the former stables of Miramare Castle; it is a five-minute walk from the Habsburg residence. BioMa offers an immersive, year-round environmental interpretation of the Gulf of Trieste and the Miramare marine protected area—from the surface of the sea down to its depths. BioMa includes a special touch pool with benthic organisms, meaning organisms that live on the seafloor. Guided visits last one and a half hours and can be requested by schools, groups and associations by appointment. A guided BioMa visit lasting one and a half hours can be scheduled as a separate item in the day’s programme.

Getting there and finding your way around

The western entrance to Miramare Park is located at the port of Grignano. Some regional trains stop at Miramare station. From there, you can reach Miramare Park in two minutes on foot through the upper entrance and then reach BioMa in 15 to 20 minutes through the botanical garden. Public bus connections include line 6 from Trieste towards Grignano and line 51 from Trieste Airport or Monfalcone to Miramare. To get to Miramare, you can take bus lines 6 and 51 or walk from Miramare station.

For further destinations to include in your Italy travel plans, you can also read more about Sgonico, Repen, Villaggio del Pescatore, Trieste, Samatorza, Malchina, Duino-Aurisina and Muggia.

Back to the main travel overview: Trieste.