Why is Turin a good weekend city?
Because it is compact and orderly. The centre is a grid of arcaded streets, 18 kilometres of porticoes, linking monumental squares laid out by the Savoys over two centuries, and the main museums sit ten minutes apart on foot. There is none of the crush of Rome or Venice, prices are lower, and Piedmontese cooking (agnolotti, vitello tonnato, bagna cauda, gianduja) is among the best in Italy.
Day 1: the Savoy centre
Morning, the Egyptian Museum. The oldest Egyptian museum in the world (1824) and second only to Cairo in importance. The temple of Ellesija, the intact tomb of Kha and Merit, the Gallery of the Kings. Tickets are sold online only, with a timed slot: without one you do not get in. Allow two and a half hours. Open Tuesday to Friday and Sunday 9am–6.30pm, Saturday 9am–8pm, Monday 9am–2pm.
Lunch, the Quadrilatero Romano. The streets between Via Garibaldi and Porta Palazzo, full of informal osterie. A plate of agnolotti del plin, or a sandwich at the Mercato Centrale.
Afternoon, Piazza Castello and the Royal Museums. The Royal Palace, the Armoury, the Galleria Sabauda and Guarini's Chapel of the Holy Shroud, reopened in 2018 after the restoration that followed the 1997 fire: a whole afternoon in one complex. Then Piazza San Carlo, the twin churches and the historic cafés.
Late afternoon, the Mole Antonelliana. 167.5 metres, the symbol of the city and home of the National Cinema Museum. The panoramic lift rises through the void of the dome in a minute to the little temple at 85 metres; the museum, laid out as a spiral, deserves an hour and a half of its own.
Evening, Piazza Vittorio Veneto. The largest arcaded square in Europe, sloping down to the Po and the Gran Madre. Aperitivo with a view, dinner, and back up the hill in ten minutes.
Day 2: hill, river and markets
Morning, the Basilica of Superga. A few minutes from the B&B along the ridge road. The dome, the Royal Tombs, the Grande Torino memorial, and the view that explains why the Savoys chose this hill.
Late morning, Porta Palazzo. The biggest open-air market in Europe: fruit, vegetables, fish, spices, and on Saturdays the Balon flea market in Borgo Dora. A bicerin at Caffè Al Bicerin, opposite the Consolata sanctuary, closes the morning properly.
Afternoon, the Po and the Valentino. A walk along the Murazzi, the Valentino park with its castle and the Borgo Medievale (a nineteenth-century reconstruction of a Piedmontese village), or the Automobile Museum if you travel with children or with engines in your heart.
Alternative, the Palace of Venaria. Half an hour away, the UNESCO Savoy residence with the Great Gallery and its gardens: a full half day.
Where to stay for a weekend in Turin?
If you arrive by car, the hill is the rational choice. Paradise – Nature & Wellness in Pino Torinese has two accommodations with breakfast and free parking: Mansarda Paradise (two bedrooms, hot tub, sleeps eight) and The Green Space (ninety square metres with a kitchen, pet friendly, sleeps six). In the evening, so you do not have to drive again, a partner restaurant five minutes away delivers to your door. Book on WhatsApp: +39 338 993 03 39.
Book directly on WhatsApp, breakfast and parking included.
