Egyptian Museum (Museo Egizio)
The oldest museum in the world dedicated entirely to ancient Egypt, with statues of pharaohs, painted coffins, papyri and the intact tomb goods of the architect Kha.
Italy
Turin
Turin is the elegant northern Italian city that most travellers still overlook, and that is exactly its charm.
The first capital of united Italy and for centuries the seat of the House of Savoy, it is a city of arcaded avenues, baroque squares and royal palaces set against a wall of Alpine peaks. Its Egyptian Museum is the oldest in the world devoted entirely to ancient Egypt, its Mole Antonelliana spire rises above the rooftops with a cinema museum inside and a glass lift to the top, and the Savoy residences, from the Royal Palace on Piazza Castello to the vast Reggia di Venaria, form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Turin is also a city of coffee houses, bicerin and gianduiotto chocolate, of the Fiat and the Italian car, and of long aperitivo hours under the porticoes. This guide covers what is open in November 2026, what to book, how to see the headline sights in two or three days and where to stay, with honest notes on closing days and seasonal hours.
Don't miss
Egyptian Museum (Museo Egizio)
The oldest museum in the world dedicated entirely to ancient Egypt, with statues of pharaohs, painted coffins, papyri and the intact tomb goods of the architect Kha.
Mole Antonelliana and National Cinema Museum
Turin’s soaring symbol, a nineteenth-century spire that houses the National Cinema Museum and a glass lift that rises through the dome to a panoramic terrace over the city and the Alps.
Royal Palace of Turin and Musei Reali
The seat of the House of Savoy on Piazza Castello, with gilded state rooms, the Royal Armoury, the Galleria Sabauda paintings and the Guarini chapel built for the Shroud.
Palazzo Madama
A Roman gate, a medieval castle and a baroque palace in one building on Piazza Castello, now the city museum of ancient art with a grand Juvarra staircase.
Things to do in Turin
Mole Antonelliana and National Cinema Museum
Turin’s soaring symbol, a nineteenth-century spire that houses the National Cinema Museum and a glass lift that rises through the dome to a panoramic terrace over the city and the Alps.
Royal Palace of Turin and Musei Reali
The seat of the House of Savoy on Piazza Castello, with gilded state rooms, the Royal Armoury, the Galleria Sabauda paintings and the Guarini chapel built for the Shroud.
Palazzo Madama
A Roman gate, a medieval castle and a baroque palace in one building on Piazza Castello, now the city museum of ancient art with a grand Juvarra staircase.
Reggia di Venaria Reale
The colossal Savoy hunting palace just outside Turin, with the dazzling white Great Gallery by Juvarra, a baroque chapel and vast formal gardens.
Choco-Story Torino Chocolate Museum
A chocolate museum near Porta Nuova that tells the story of cocoa from the Maya to the birth of Turin’s gianduia, with an audio guide and a tasting at the end.
Torino Sotterranea Underground Tour
A guided afternoon below the streets of Turin, through the eighteenth-century siege tunnels of the Pietro Micca Museum, church crypts and wartime shelters.
Basilica di Superga
Juvarra’s hilltop basilica above Turin, reached by a historic rack tramway, with the Savoy royal tombs, a dome climb and a sweeping view of the city and the Alps.
Half a dayDetails →
Turin Cathedral and the Holy Shroud
Turin’s Renaissance cathedral, a few steps from the Royal Palace, home of the Holy Shroud, which is kept in a protective case and shown only at rare public expositions.
30 to 45 minutesDetails →
MAUTO National Automobile Museum
Italy’s national car museum in Turin, the home of Fiat, with around two centuries of cars, design icons and racing machines in a striking riverside building near Lingotto.
Where to stay
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
Grand Hotel Sitea
Via Carlo Alberto, Historic Centre
Turin’s classic grand hotel since the 1920s, a few steps from Via Roma and Piazza San Carlo, with the Michelin-starred Carignano restaurant, an American Bar and individually styled rooms.
Rates on Expedia →NH Collection Torino Piazza Carlina
Piazza Carlina, Historic Centre
A stylish four-star in a historic building on one of Turin’s prettiest squares, with rooftop terraces, a top-floor gym and views to the Mole Antonelliana.
Rates on Expedia →Hotel Victoria Torino
Via Nino Costa, Historic Centre
A characterful four-star on a quiet pedestrian street near Via Roma, with Victorian-inspired rooms, a generous breakfast and the Iside Spa with an indoor pool.
Rates on Expedia →Hotel Indigo Turin
Via XX Settembre, Historic Centre
A fifty-room boutique hotel in a late nineteenth-century building on Via XX Settembre, close to Piazza Castello, with contemporary rooms, a lobby bar and a free mini gym and sauna.
Rates on Expedia →Combo Torino
Porta Palazzo
A lively hostel and social hub in a converted historic fire station by the Porta Palazzo market, with private rooms and dorms, a kitchen bar, events and a short walk to the cathedral.
Rates on Expedia →Turin guides
First Time in Turin: What to Book, How to Get Around & How Many Days
A practical primer for a first visit to Turin: what to book ahead, closing days to plan around, getting in and around, how many days you need and where the headline sights fit.
Where to Stay in Turin: The Best Areas and Hotels
Where to stay in Turin: the best neighbourhoods for a first visit, from Via Roma and Piazza Castello to Piazza Carlina, Via Po and Porta Palazzo, with a hotel for every budget.
