Things to do in Turin
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Turin
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best window in autumn: vineyard hills turning, white truffle and porcini, bagna cauda season and comfortable walking.
Best window in spring: blossom at Venaria, cafe tables back under the arcades and a run of festivals.
Winter: cold, foggy and cheap, with near empty museums, Christmas markets, bollito and bagna cauda at their peak and ski days in reach.
Spring: warming fast, wisteria and park season, jazz and film festivals and the Salone del Libro in May.
Summer: hot and humid, museums at midday and hills and river in the evening. Some independents close around 15 August.
What's on
- Terra Madre Salone del Gusto Late September in even years (next in 2028)
Slow Food's world gathering, biennial in even years in late September, the biggest food event in Italy.
- Alba International White Truffle Fair 10 October-6 December 2026
Weekend fair in Alba, market in the Cortile della Maddalena.
- World Truffle Auction 8 November
Invitation only auction held during the Alba white truffle fair.
- Kappa FuturFestival early July
Huge electronic festival in Parco Dora, among Europe's biggest.
- Club To Club November
Electronic and avant pop festival across city venues.
- Torino Film Festival late November
Italy's second film festival.
- Artissima November
Italy's leading contemporary art fair.
- Salone Internazionale del Libro May
Italy's biggest book fair at Lingotto, a city wide event.
- Torino Jazz Festival April
City jazz festival in spring.
- Lovers Film Festival April
Film festival held in April.
Best things to do in Turin
Museo Egizio
Oldest Egyptian museum outside Cairo roots, with intact tombs and vast galleries that justify a first morning slot.
Mole Antonelliana
Turin symbol housing the cinema museum, with a glass lift to an 85 metre terrace and Alps views on clear days.
Palazzo Reale di Torino
Savoy state apartments, armoury and Shroud chapel in one layered palace that shows Turin as a working capital.
Palazzo Madama
Medieval castle inside a Baroque palace, now the civic ancient art museum with a tower view over Piazza Castello.
Caffè Al Bicerin
Origin cafe for bicerin since 1763, serving the layered chocolate, espresso and milk drink in a small glass.
Baratti & Milano
Grand 1858 cafe in Galleria Subalpina for coffee or vermouth under the arcades on Piazza San Carlo.
Caffè San Carlo
Historic Piazza San Carlo cafe for a seated vermouth aperitivo, Turin's civilised ritual rather than a standing scrum.
Guido Gobino
Modern master chocolatier locals name first for gianduiotti, the hazelnut chocolate ingots invented in Turin.
Where to stay in Turin
Centro
first trip, all-round base
Savoy grid with the Egyptian Museum, Royal Palace and Mole walkable, both main stations in reach and calm at night.
Quadrilatero Romano
food, nightlife and character
Old Roman grid with Turin's densest small restaurants, wine bars and vintage shops, lively until late.
San Salvario
nightlife, younger travellers, residential stay
Multicultural, studenty aperitivo quarter between Porta Nuova and Valentino Park, with Largo Saluzzo as its living room.
Borgo Po / Gran Madre
quiet, pretty residential stay
Leafy bourgeois streets climbing the hill across the river, a bridge walk from Piazza Vittorio and the centre.
Crocetta
families, longer stays and quiet
Tree lined liberty style residential district with good local restaurants and almost no nightlife, which is the point.
Vanchiglia
students, creatives and value
University quarter with cheap eating and bars around Santa Giulia, a 15 minute walk to the Mole.
Think twice about
- Barriera di Milano and far north Aurora
Highest concentration of street drug dealing, petty crime and urban decay, sparse at night and poor Metro coverage. No visitor gain from basing here.
- Porta Palazzo square frontage
Superb market by day, but the square at night is the most cited spot for pickpocketing, touting and a rougher street scene. Do not sleep directly on it.
- Porta Nuova station side streets
Usual main station mix of homelessness, hustling and petty theft after midnight, especially Via Sacchi and Via Nizza side streets. Judge the exact street.
- Far suburbs sold as Turin
Outer ring and motorway hotels with no Metro or tram line mean commuting through traffic instead of walking the arcades. The saving is rarely worth it.
Best restaurants in Turin
Ristorante Consorzio
Slow Food Piedmontese table locals book first, with nose to tail cooking, hand made plin and a deep fair wine list.
Scannabue Caffè Restaurant
Great-value neighbourhood favourite in San Salvario for plin, carne cruda and jar cooked rabbit tuna style.
Ristorante Del Cambio
Starred 1757 dining room where Cavour ate, reworking Piedmontese classics with modern technique and a serious cellar.
Farmacia Del Cambio
Del Cambio's former pharmacy sibling for all day cafe, bakery and lunch cooking without the full splurge.
Le Vitel Étonné
Warm traditional trattoria for vitello tonnato, plin, tajarin and brasato without reinvention, with a cellar below.
Tre Galline
One of Turin's oldest restaurants in the Quadrilatero, serving a Piedmontese syllabus and an excellent Barolo list.
Magazzino 52
Wine shop you eat in, with shelves of bottles, tajarin and seasonal plates built to match what staff open by the glass.
Rôsso Rubino
Wine first room with 15 plus wines by the glass, egg dough focaccia and tajarin with sausage and leeks.
Best coffee in Turin
Caffe Mulassano
A tiny Liberty cafe on Piazza Castello, documented birthplace of the tramezzino sandwich.
Outdoor things to do in Turin
Langhe
UNESCO vineyard hills around Alba, Barolo and Barbaresco for walking, e-bikes and booked cellar tastings.
Basilica di Superga
Rack railway to Juvarra's hilltop basilica, royal crypt and Grande Torino memorial, then walk down through the hill park.
Sacra di San Michele
Thousand year abbey on a rocky pinnacle at the Val di Susa mouth, best reached on the steep mule path from Sant'Ambrogio.
Reggia di Venaria Reale
Vast palace gardens plus La Mandria park cycling and picnics, the outdoor way to do Venaria beyond the palace rooms.
Circolo Golf Torino
Historic 36 hole parkland club at La Mandria, John Morrison Blue course that hosted Italian Opens and the Molinaris' home.
Royal Park I Roveri
36 holes by Robert Trent Jones Sr and Michael Hurdzan in the same royal hunting woods beside Circolo Golf Torino.
Parco del Valentino
Flat Po and Dora riverside path through Valentino Park for cycling, running, rowing, kayak and SUP in season.
Truffle Hunting in the Langhe
Out in Alba and Monferrato woods with a licensed trifulau and his dog, then truffle shaved over eggs, pasta or cheese.
Best hotels in Turin
Turin Palace Hotel
1872 grande dame opposite Porta Nuova rebuilt into the city's most praised luxury stay, in a non station facing room.
Grand Hotel Sitea
1925 classic on quiet Via Carlo Alberto, refined and home to starred Ristorante Carignano in Centro.
NH Collection Torino Piazza Carlina
17th century palace on Piazza Carlo Emanuele II, contemporary inside with rooftop terraces in Centro.
Principi di Piemonte | UNA Esperienze
Historic luxury name on Via Gobetti off Via Roma, with a spa included in the Centro base.
NH Torino Santo Stefano
Quadrilatero edge hotel with rooftop views to the Mole, well placed for food and nightlife lanes.
Hotel Victoria Torino
Old fashioned Centro hotel with a garden and small spa and a loyal repeat clientele.
Residenza dell'Opera
Well reviewed apartment style stay in Centro at budget prices Turin's low tourism inflation still allows.
Tomato Urban Retreat
Eco hostel hotel hybrid in San Salvario with private rooms and dorms, the budget pick locals name.
Is Turin expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €70 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €145 a person |
| Splurge | €320 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Museo Egizio: weeks ahead
- Mole Antonelliana: weeks ahead
- Palazzo Reale di Torino: a few days ahead
- Allianz Stadium: weeks ahead
- Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino: weeks ahead
- Langhe: weeks ahead
- Sacra di San Michele: a few days ahead
- Reggia di Venaria Reale: weeks ahead
- Museo Egizio timed tickets as soon as dates are fixed, especially weekends and school holidays.
- Mole and Cinema Museum panoramic lift combined ticket online. The lift is capacity limited and does not run in high wind.
- Venaria Reale, Juventus Stadium tours and match tickets, and Superga rack railway on sunny Sundays need booking or an early start.
- Consorzio, Scannabue, Del Cambio, Magazzino 52 and all starred tables need days to weeks ahead for dinner.
- Langhe wineries, truffle hunts, restaurants and Alba rooms book out weeks ahead in October and November truffle season.
Is Turin safe?
- Petty theft is the main issue: Porta Palazzo on Saturdays, crowded trams and Metro at Porta Nuova, and stations after dark.
- Street drug dealing is visible in Barriera di Milano and outer Aurora. No visitor needs to walk there at night.
- Winter Po valley fog and pollution are real. Asthma sufferers should check January and February forecasts.
- Emergency number 112. On derby days keep neutral colours discreet.
Turin travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Anyone selling a Shroud viewing outside an announced ostension is selling a replica and a chapel.
- Full Piedmontese tourist menus at tout fronted restaurants on Via Roma, Via Po and Piazza Castello. Walk into the Quadrilatero or San Salvario instead.
- Staged truffle hunts in a fenced wood at full hunt prices. A real trifulau's dog works unpredictably and talks soil, trees and seasons.
Getting around Turin: public transport and more
- Walk the flat centre under the arcades. Egyptian Museum, Royal Palace, Mole and Piazza Vittorio are 10 to 20 minute walks apart.
- Metro line 1 is one simple driverless line through Porta Nuova and Porta Susa. Trams 4 and 15 cover cross town hops.
- Turin Caselle airport is about 16 km north. Bus to Porta Nuova or Porta Susa takes about 50 minutes, or use the airport rail link to Porta Susa.
- Do not drive in the centre. The ZTL Centrale camera zone operates weekday mornings and fines arrive months later.
- Use TOBike share for the flat city. The Po path through Valentino Park is the best first ride.
Who Turin suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Turin your trip
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