Camping Village Mare Pineta

Camping Village Mare Pineta – A fantastic location, good campsites, but with a few drawbacks

We stayed at the Mare Pineta campground in Sistiana in August 2026 with our larger trailer combination and had one of the higher-elevation premium campsites overlooking the Gulf of Trieste.

The campsite itself was truly top-notch. Very … functional, with its own water hookup and a great location. We have absolutely no complaints here. The Rilke Trail (Sentiero Rilke), which runs directly above the campsite, is particularly beautiful; it follows the cliffs all the way to Duino Castle and offers stunning views of the bay and the sea at every turn. It’s worth the walk for that alone.

Getting to the upper campsites, however, is a bit of a challenge. Anyone arriving with a larger trailer or RV—especially with a combined length of over twelve meters—should bring plenty of time, patience, and attention to the road. Some of the paths and access roads are really narrow. It’s all doable, but you have to be very careful to ensure your vehicle reaches its parking spot without a scratch. Given today’s vehicle sizes, the layout here could certainly be a bit more spacious.

The restrooms are clean but clearly showing their age. It feels as though the facilities have been stuck in the year 2005. There are some minor defects, and the entire setup could use an upgrade. One positive aspect, however, is the hygiene. Thorough cleaning begins as early as around six in the morning. There’s absolutely nothing to complain about here. The individual restroom stalls mainly consist of a toilet, shower, and small sink. There’s also a slightly more spacious family shower. Functionally, everything works just fine, but visually and technically, it’s no longer up to date.

The amenities are good. The small supermarket on the campground is well-stocked and perfectly adequate for daily needs. There are also supermarkets and smaller stores in the immediate vicinity where you can shop easily. We mostly cooked for ourselves and therefore didn’t try the campground’s dining options. Consequently, we can’t provide a review of them.

The location offers many possibilities. Along the Rilke Trail, the surrounding area is wonderful to explore on foot. The beaches below the campground are also accessible. There’s a small tourist train for the trip down to the bay and back. Given the campground’s hillside location, this is a really good service, even if we think it could run a bit more frequently. We didn’t use the beach section belonging to the campground ourselves, since we liked another part of the bay much better.

Swim caps are required at the pool. It’s important to know this before your visit and to bring a swim cap with you.

Our conclusion: Mare Pineta stands out above all for its truly beautiful location above Sistiana Bay, its excellent premium campsites, and the opportunities to explore the surrounding area. The restroom facilities are clean but in need of modernization, and the narrow access roads aren’t ideal, especially for larger RVs.

Overall, we felt comfortable here and can definitely recommend the campground. With modernized restroom facilities and a bit more space for larger vehicles, this place could be even better. Read more Show less

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Not recommended for a beach vacation, as the beach can only be reached via a very steep path. The same goes for the return trip—you’ll arrive drenched in sweat. However, there is a slow train that runs back and forth.
The restrooms are old but clean
The restaurant is recommended
The sites in the front area are gravel and offer partial shade
The ACSI sites are in the back and are very shady

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A large campsite with plenty of free pitches when we visited in September. There are quite a few permanent caravans, which can make some areas look a little untidy, although most of them were empty during our stay.

The restaurant at the top of the campsite is excellent, with beautiful views and a lovely setting.

The main downside is … access to the beach. The path down is quite steep and not very well maintained, so it may be difficult for some people. However, the coastal path is absolutely beautiful and definitely worth exploring. Read more Show less

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