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Things to Do in Turin, Italy
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Plan language: EnglishMost popular attractions in Turin, Italy
Things to do in Turin, Italy include visiting the Mole Antonelliana, which towers at 167 meters and offers panoramic city views. Explore the Museo Egizio, the second largest Egyptian museum globally, showcasing extensive ancient artifacts. Don’t miss the Museo Nazionale del Cinema, located inside the Mole Antonelliana, for a cinematic journey through history.
1. Mole Antonelliana
Iconic spired landmark offering sweeping views over Turin. Ride the glass elevator to the rooftop observatory and tour the engaging National Cinema museum.
Quick facts: Skyline-piercing spire reaches about 167.5 meters, ranking among the tallest masonry buildings in Europe. Inside a dramatic vertical space, a museum dedicated to cinema stacks exhibits along a spiral ramp, and a glass lift floats visitors up through the central void.
Highlights: Step into the glass panoramic lift and feel the city yawning away beneath you, the view reaching to the snow-capped Alps on clear days from roughly 167.5 meters up. Alessandro Antonelli kept raising the spire far beyond the original plan, sparking local legend that he refused full payment until the tower surpassed expectations, a stubbornness visible in the building’s awkwardly elegant silhouette.
2. Museo Egizio
One of the largest Egyptian collections outside Cairo, set inside a stately palace. Explore mummies, colossal statues and hands-on displays that bring ancient Egypt to life.
Quick facts: More than 30,000 Egyptian objects fill the collection, with thousands displayed in galleries that guide you from household tools to royal tomb goods. An intact burial of Kha and Merit arrived with clothing, jewelry and wooden boxes, offering an unusually intimate peek into the belongings of skilled artisans.
Highlights: A fragile king-list papyrus lists more than 300 pharaohs in narrow hieratic columns, the faded black ink forming bands that look like a tiny handwritten skyline under magnification. Look closely at the label from the 1906 expedition crediting archaeologist Ernesto Schiaparelli, the tiny notes and pinholes telling a quieter story of how those objects crossed deserts and seas to end up under low, warm gallery lights.
3. Museo Nazionale del Cinema
Explore cinema history inside Turin's Mole Antonelliana, with striking architecture and immersive exhibits. Walk among projectors, costumes and interactive displays, then ride the panoramic glass lift.
Quick facts: More than 2,000 objects, from vintage cameras to original film posters, are arranged on stacked platforms so exhibits feel like pages in a cinematic scrapbook. Visitors can wander up a spiral ramp and peer across a central atrium where projectors, costumes, and posters frame dramatic sightlines and photo opportunities.
Highlights: Sunlight pours down a towering central shaft at certain times of day, making brass projectors glint and paper posters warm to the eye, while the air carries the faint, dust-sweet smell of old film. A working 35mm projector is sometimes run during weekend screenings, its warm lamp glow and the steady clack of sprockets turning the whole hall into a living movie set.
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4. Turin Cathedral
A medieval cathedral crowned by a dramatic Baroque dome and the Chapel of the Holy Shroud. Explore the nave, chapel, crypt and nearby views.
Quick facts: The Turin Cathedral serves as the seat of the Archbishop and is home to the Shroud of Turin, a linen relic that is displayed only rarely and draws international attention. The interior blends late Gothic bones with Renaissance additions, and an adjacent chapel was specifically created to house the cloth.
Highlights: A tight-knit team of conservators and clergy carefully moves the Shroud during exhibitions, and the last major public display in 2015 drew nearly two million visitors according to official estimates. Dim, filtered light in the dedicated chapel makes the faint, almost photographic image on the fabric appear startlingly detailed to those who stand within a few meters.
5. Basilica di Superga
Hilltop Baroque basilica with royal Savoy tombs and sweeping Alpine views. Climb the terrace, visit the crypt, and ride the historic Sassi-Superga tram.
Quick facts: Perched on a limestone ridge, the hilltop church rewards a short funicular ride with sweeping views over the Po plain and the snow-capped Alps. Under the nave, a royal crypt holds generations of the House of Savoy, where marble sarcophagi and frescoed chapels create a hushed, cinematic atmosphere.
Highlights: Climb the short funicular and step onto the terrace, where the copper-green dome, cool marble underfoot, and a panorama that frames jagged Alpine peaks feel like walking into a painted stage set. Fans still make a quiet pilgrimage each May to leave scarves and wreaths in memory of the Grande Torino after the 1949 air disaster, a tradition that turns the site into an unexpectedly emotional shrine.
6. Parco del Valentino
Riverside park with broad lawns, gardens and a reconstructed medieval village. Stroll the Po riverbank, photograph the Borgo Medievale and relax under plane trees.
Quick facts: A long riverside green curves along the water, featuring a charming medieval-style village and a small castle that locals use as a backdrop for evening passeggiata. Cyclists, families, and student groups share wide promenades shaded by plane trees, while weekend markets and open-air concerts keep the scene animated.
Highlights: A meticulous medieval village was assembled for the 1884 Italian General Exposition, with craftsmen reproducing stonework, timber frames, and frescoed interiors that reward close-up exploration. Students from the nearby architecture faculty often spread sketchbooks on the castle steps, the scratch of pencils and the scent of old stone giving the place a surprisingly lived-in, creative energy.
7. Borgo Medievale
A faithful medieval village and castle reconstruction that brings history to life. Wander cobbled lanes, climb ramparts, and enjoy ornate carvings with Po River views.
Quick facts: Winding cobblestone streets, timber-framed houses and a small fortified courtyard give the feeling of walking through a lived-in medieval neighborhood. A faithful recreation from the 1884 exhibition uses hand-carved stone, leaded glass and visible timber joinery so you can spot techniques that vanished from urban centers centuries ago.
Highlights: Step onto the battlements and you can smell damp moss and hear wind whisper through arrow slits, a sensory snapshot that feels cinematic rather than museumlike. A little-noticed treasure is a tiny painted rooster above the main gate, added during the 1884 project, so if you squint up you get a playful surprise most visitors miss.
8. Mercato di Porta Palazzo
One of Europe's largest open-air markets, overflowing with fresh produce, cheeses and street food. Wander lively stalls, sample local specialties and watch traders haggle.
Quick facts: More than 1,000 stalls squeeze into a grid of cobbled alleys and open squares, offering everything from trumpet-shaped porcini to secondhand vinyl records. A mash of citrus, earthy mushroom and roasted coffee aromas hangs over the stalls, while vendors call bargains in Italian, Arabic and Romanian.
Highlights: A dedicated cheese row overflows with more than 600 varieties on Saturdays, including alpine Raschera and tiny tomettes, as small producers fly in crates by dawn to keep shelves stacked. Near the fish stalls a vendor nicknamed 'Nonno Marco' shouts orders by name and sells smoked mackerel for 4 euros a kilo, customers praising the briny, smoky bite.
9. Pinacoteca Agnelli
World-class modern art set on a riverside terrace near Lingotto. Expect curated masterpieces and striking modern architecture with panoramic city views.
Quick facts: A compact collection assembled by Giovanni and Marella Agnelli brings together around 25 masterpieces, ranging from Venetian vedute to works by Matisse and Picasso. Visitors often praise the airy single-gallery atmosphere, where careful spacing and soft natural light make brushstrokes and frame details feel astonishingly immediate.
Highlights: Renzo Piano's low, glass-sided pavilion perches on a rooftop, so paintings can be enjoyed with a panoramic backdrop that subtly reflects in the gallery glass. A deliberately curated 25-picture hang encourages a slow circuit, many people finishing the full walk-through in under 30 minutes yet lingering long enough to notice varnish texture and small pentimenti up close.
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Traditional Sweet Dishes
Gianduiotto
Gianduiotto is a small, individually wrapped chocolate made from a blend of cocoa and local hazelnuts, created in 19th century Turin when hazelnuts were used to stretch scarce cacao, and it became an emblem of Turin's chocolate heritage.
Bonet
Bonet is a rustic Piedmontese pudding of cocoa, amaretti crumbs and sometimes rum or coffee, traditionally served upside down and popular in Turin's home cooking and trattorie.
Baci di Dama
Baci di Dama are two small hazelnut cookies joined by a chocolate 'kiss', invented in Piedmont to showcase the region's celebrated hazelnuts, and commonly enjoyed with coffee in Turin.
Traditional Savory Dishes
Agnolotti del Plin
Agnolotti del Plin are tiny, hand-pinched stuffed pasta parcels filled with roasted meat or vegetables, they are a signature of Piedmontese cuisine and a staple around Turin during festive meals.
Bagna Cauda
Bagna Cauda is a warm dip of anchovies, garlic and olive oil served with raw and cooked vegetables, it is a communal winter dish that highlights Piedmont's tradition of convivial, rustic dining.
Brasato al Barolo
Brasato al Barolo is beef slow-braised in Barolo wine until meltingly tender, it highlights Piedmont's famed wines and is a showpiece of Turin's rich, meat-forward cuisine.
Traditional Beverages
Bicerin
Bicerin is a layered drink of espresso, drinking chocolate and whipped cream invented in Turin, it has been a beloved local specialty since at least the 18th century and inspired a city cafe tradition.
Vermouth di Torino
Vermouth di Torino is the fortified, aromatized wine that was industrialized and perfected in 19th century Turin, the city remains central to vermouth production and aperitivo culture.
Barolo Chinato
Barolo Chinato is Barolo wine infused with cinchona bark and spices to make a sweet, aromatic digestif, it reflects Piedmont's historic practice of aromatizing wines for medicinal and after-dinner enjoyment.
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Most popular day trips
Milan
Italy's fashion and design capital, museums and shopping
Alba and the Langhe (Barolo)
Renowned wine region, truffle markets, rolling vineyards
Lake Orta (Orta San Giulio)
Peaceful lakeside village, island chapel, scenic walks
Aosta Valley (Aosta)
Alpine scenery, Roman ruins, mountain activities
Sacra di San Michele
Dramatic clifftop abbey, panoramic views of the valley
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Getting there
Airports
Train stations
High-speed Frecciarossa, Frecciabianca, regional lines to Milan and Rome
Long-distance and regional services, connections to Venice, Genoa, Milan
From TRN take the SADEM shuttle bus to Porta Susa or Porta Nuova, 20-30 minutes; trains run often.
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Comments (5)
Avoid restaurants around Piazza Castello, walk 2 blocks side streets for cheaper pasta. Also book Egyptian Museum slots online, lines are long.
Winter visit was chilly and grey but the markets and bicerin coffee made it worth two full days exploring.
Pretty architecture but quieter than I expected, many cafes close midafternoon. Good for slow travel, not nightlife.
Loved Turin, relaxed vibe and great chocolate shops. Easy to walk, museums are classy, 3 days felt perfect but bring a light jacket.
Buy a 24 or 48 hour GTT ticket at the kiosk, it covers trams and buses. Single rides add up fast, validate at machines not on board.