Turin Travel Guide: Baroque Capital, Chocolate & the Alps

Turin (Torino) is Italy’s most underrated major city. The former capital of the Savoy kingdom and the first capital of unified Italy (1861–1865) has a magnificently baroque city centre — arcaded piazzas, royal palaces, and wide boulevards planned by the Savoy court — that most foreign visitors don’t know exists. It also has the best chocolate in Italy, the Shroud of Turin, Italy’s finest film museum, and mountain scenery within an hour’s drive.

The city

Turin is built on a Roman grid. The arcades (portici) run for 18km — more than Bologna’s. Piazza Castello is the ceremonial heart, flanked by the Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace), the Palazzo Madama, and the Duomo that houses the Shroud. Piazza San Carlo is the living room of the city — twin baroque churches at the far end, and the most famous chocolate shop, Caffè San Carlo, at the corner.

Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace) — The main Savoy residence, with lavishly decorated state rooms, the Royal Armoury (one of the finest collections of armour and weapons in Europe), and the Chapel of the Holy Shroud (Guarini’s extraordinary baroque dome, restored after the 1997 fire). Entry approximately €15 for the combined ticket as of 2026. Open Tuesday–Sunday 9am–7pm.

Palazzo Madama (Piazza Castello) — A building that spans Roman gate, medieval castle, and baroque palace in a single structure. The Museo Civico d’Arte Antica inside has medieval and Renaissance art. Entry approximately €10. Closed Monday.

The Shroud of Turin

The Holy Shroud (Sindone) is kept in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist. The linen cloth, believed by some to be the burial shroud of Jesus Christ, is only publicly displayed on special occasions (the last was 2015; the next has not been announced). At other times a reproduction is exhibited. The Museo della Sindone (Via San Domenico 28) has the most comprehensive permanent exhibition on the Shroud’s history, science, and controversy. Entry approximately €8.

Museums

Museo Egizio (Via Accademia delle Scienze 6) — The most important Egyptian museum outside Cairo. The Savoy royal family collected Egyptian antiquities from the 17th century; the collection includes the intact tomb of Kha and Merit, the Book of the Dead, and over 26,000 objects. Extensively renovated and expanded in 2015. Entry approximately €18 as of 2026. Open Tuesday–Sunday 9am–6:30pm. Allow 2–3 hours.

Museo Nazionale del Cinema (Mole Antonelliana, Via Montebello 20) — Inside Turin’s iconic spired tower (167m tall, the tallest brick building in Europe when completed in 1889), this film museum is one of the finest of its kind in the world. The panoramic glass lift to the summit gives the best view of the Alps from Turin. Museum entry approximately €12; lift approximately €9; combined ticket approximately €18. Closed Monday.

Museo dell’Automobile (Corso Unità d’Italia 40) — Turin is the home of Fiat (now Stellantis), and this museum traces Italian and international automotive history through 200+ vehicles. Entry approximately €15. South of the centre; tram 1 from Porta Nuova.

Chocolate

Turin invented gianduia (hazelnut-chocolate paste, the ancestor of Nutella) and bicerin (a layered drink of espresso, chocolate, and cream, served in a small glass). The historic pasticcerie on Via Po and Via Roma are the right places to try both. Caffè Al Bicerin (Piazza della Consolata 5) has served the drink since 1763 — approximately €7 for a bicerin. Guido Gobino (Via Cagliari 15b) makes some of the finest gianduiotti in the city. Cioccolatò, Turin’s annual chocolate festival (usually November), fills Piazza San Carlo with chocolate producers from across Italy.

Where to eat

Piedmontese cuisine is Italy’s richest: tajarin (thin egg pasta with butter and truffle), vitello tonnato (cold veal with tuna sauce), bagna cauda (warm anchovy and garlic dip for raw vegetables), and agnolotti del plin (small stuffed pasta). The city’s trattorias and osterias serve excellent food at prices well below Milan or Rome.

Named restaurants: Trattoria Valenza (Via Borgo Dora 39 — traditional Piedmontese, mains approximately €12–16), Porto di Savona (Piazza Vittorio Veneto 2 — the oldest restaurant in Turin, mains approximately €14–20), Consorzio (Via Monte di Pietà 23 — modern Piedmontese, mains approximately €14–18).

Where to stay

Turin is significantly cheaper than Milan, Rome, or Florence. Budget hotels near Porta Nuova station from approximately €50–80/night. Mid-range in the centro storico approximately €90–150/night. The NH Collection Piazza Carlina (Piazza Carlo Emanuele II) offers doubles from approximately €120/night in a central position. The Principi di Piemonte (Via Gobetti 15) is the city’s grand five-star, from approximately €200/night.

Day trips

Turin is well placed for the Langhe wine country — Barolo and the surrounding Langhe hills are 60 km south, with world-class Nebbiolo tastings and October truffle markets in Alba. Asti (1 hour east by train, approximately €6) pairs its medieval towers with excellent Barbera and Moscato d’Asti sparkling wine. The Sacra di San Michele (35 km west, 45 minutes by train to Sant’Ambrogio then a 45-minute uphill walk) is a Gothic-Romanesque cliff abbey with extraordinary views over the Val di Susa. Lake Maggiore (90 km northeast, approximately 1.5 hours) has the Borromean Islands and the Isola Bella palazzo gardens. For a full guide: Day Trips from Turin.

Getting there

Turin Porta Nuova is the main station. Frecciarossa to Milan approximately 45 minutes (from approximately €15), to Rome approximately 4.5 hours (from approximately €40). Turin Caselle Airport (TRN) has direct European flights; the Sadem bus connects to Porta Nuova in approximately 40 minutes (approximately €8).

For where to stay: Turin hotels. For the Egyptian Museum, Shroud of Turin, and car museums in detail: things to do in Turin. Book a guided Turin tour to visit the Museo Egizio, the Palazzo Reale, and the chocolate culture with a local expert. For the food — gianduiotto chocolate, bagna cauda, tajarin pasta: Turin food guide. Turin is the western gateway to the northern Italy circuit — Milan is 45 minutes by Frecciarossa, and Genoa is 90 minutes south-west for the Ligurian coast.