Things to do in Turin, Italy: museums, arcades and nights out

The museums worth the time

• Museo Egizio — a major collection of Egyptian antiquities, and the single reason a lot of people come to Turin at all. Allow half a day.
• Museo Nazionale del Cinema, inside the Mole Antonelliana — the domed tower that is the city's landmark, with the museum spiralling up through its hollow interior.
• Musei Reali — the Savoy royal palace complex on Piazza Castello, taking in the state apartments, the armoury, the gardens and the picture gallery.
• Palazzo Madama, in the middle of the same square — a building that layers a Roman gate, a medieval castle and a baroque façade, now the civic art museum.
• Pinacoteca Agnelli at Lingotto — a compact gallery on the roof of the former car factory, beside the old rooftop test track.
• GAM — the civic gallery of modern and contemporary art, west of the centre.
• Several of these close one day a week, and the day varies from museum to museum. Check the individual museum before building a day around it.

The city itself

Turin is best walked under its own arcades. Via Roma runs from Porta Nuova station up through Piazza San Carlo to Piazza Castello, entirely covered, past the historic cafés that made the city's coffee reputation. Piazza Vittorio Veneto opens east onto the river Po, with the hills rising green on the far bank and the basilica of Superga on the ridge above them.

The Parco del Valentino runs along the river south of the centre.

The Alps are visible from the middle of the city on a clear day, and they are close enough that skiing is a day trip in winter.

Eating and drinking

Turin's contribution to the Italian table is disproportionate to its size. Gianduiotto, the hazelnut chocolate, comes from here. Bicerin — espresso, drinking chocolate and cream, served layered in a small glass — is the drink to have in one of the arcade cafés. The city has a long vermouth tradition, and its aperitivo culture is closer to a full spread of food than Milan's.

Piedmontese cooking is richer and more northern than most of what travellers expect from Italy: agnolotti del plin, vitello tonnato, bagna cauda in winter, and a lot of butter. Autumn adds white truffle, which is the reason the region's food calendar peaks in October and November.

The Langhe, Roero and Monferrato wine country — Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera — starts about an hour south by car, with Alba as the usual base.

Day trips

• Reggia di Venaria — the Savoy royal palace and its formal gardens, just outside the city to the north-west, reachable by bus or train. A full half-day.
• Sacra di San Michele — the abbey built onto a rock outcrop in the Susa valley west of the city, one of the more dramatic buildings in the region.
• Alba and the Langhe — hill towns, vineyards and the autumn food-fair season, about an hour south.
• The Alpine valleys west and north for skiing in winter and walking in summer, within a couple of hours by car.

The event season

Turin runs one of the deepest theatre programmes in Italy and it shows in the listings: a dense run of drama, comedy and musical theatre from September through to spring, spread across a large number of mid-sized houses rather than concentrated in one or two. Live music sits alongside it, from club-scale rooms up to the indoor arena and the Lingotto auditorium.

August is effectively empty — the season has not started and the city, like every other Italian city, is on holiday. If the trip is in August, treat Turin as a museums-and-eating destination and expect the evening programme to be thin.

• Turin city guide
• What's on in Italy, month by month

Getting there and around

• Two main stations: Porta Nuova, at the foot of Via Roma in the centre, and Porta Susa for most high-speed services.
• Milan is about an hour away by high-speed train, which makes Turin a straightforward add-on to a Milan trip or a quieter base for one.
• The city has its own airport north of the centre, connected by bus and rail.
• Getting around means one automated metro line plus a dense tram and bus network — the centre itself is comfortably walkable, and most of it is under cover.

FAQ

Is Turin worth visiting?

Yes, particularly if you have already done Rome, Florence and Venice. It offers a major Egyptian museum, the Savoy palaces, kilometres of arcaded streets, one of Italy's best food and aperitivo scenes and a full theatre season — with a fraction of the crowds those three cities carry.

How many days do you need in Turin?

Two days covers the Egyptian museum, the Mole and cinema museum, the royal complex on Piazza Castello and a walk along the Po. A third day adds either the Reggia di Venaria or a trip south into the Langhe.

What is Turin famous for?

Its Egyptian collection, the Mole Antonelliana and the cinema museum inside it, the Savoy royal palaces, chocolate and vermouth, and the arcaded streets built so the court could cross the city under cover. It was also the first capital of unified Italy.

How far is Turin from Milan?

About an hour by high-speed train between the two city centres, with frequent departures. That makes a day trip in either direction realistic, and Turin a viable quieter base for a trip that also takes in Milan.

When is the best time to visit Turin?

September to November, or March to May. Autumn brings the truffle and wine season in the surrounding hills along with the opening of the theatre programme; spring is milder with the season still running. August is the one month to avoid — the city is on holiday and the event calendar is empty.