10 Great Things to Do in Turin

Turin is a vibrant city with lots of things to do and see. It is located in the Piedmont region of Italy, sitting at the foothills of the Alps. On a clear day, you can see snow-capped peaks surrounding the city to the north.

Because Italy has so many well known cities, I must admit, Turin had never been on a list of places I wanted to visit. This summer, however, we made northern Italy our destination and decided to spend 3 nights in Torino.

Turin has a rich political and cultural history as it served as Italy’s first capital city from 1861 to 1865. Prior to the nineteenth century, Turin was the main seat of the Savoy family, who gave Italy their first king, Vittorio Emanuele II. Turin also played an important role in the Italian Risorgimento with Vittorio Emanuele and Garibaldi fighting for the unification of Italy.

Things to do in Turin

Visit Turin’s piazzas

Although Turin has a multitude of smaller and larger piazzas, three are in the very heart of the city: Piazza San Carlo, Piazza Castello, and Piazza Real. The 3 squares are connected to each other giving the impression of one huge square. To the south, Piazza San Carlo houses two beautiful Baroque style churches – San Carlo and Santa Cristina. Both churches come from the early 18th century and were designed by a famous Italian architect Filippo Juvarra. Piazza Castello will impress you with a lovely Palazzo Madama, which now houses the Museum of Ancient Art. In the north end of Piazza Reale you will find the elegant Royal Palace with the Royal Museum, the Royal Armory, and the Archeological Museum.

The piazzas are a good representation of Turin ‘s historic past and are wonderful to stroll around.

Walk for miles under Turin’s beautiful arcades

The city of Turin supposedly has 11 miles of arcades. The most beautiful ones are along Via Roma. Hidden inside are luxurious stores, nice cafes, and many gelaterias. Via Po, although not as nice in my opinion, also boast a long stretch of arcades worth checking out.

Admire Turin from above

The Mole Antonelliana is actually the symbol of the city. It’s a 551 feet high tower that dominates the city’s skyline. Although the building houses the National Cinema Museum, visitors have the option of just visiting the observation deck. An elevator ride to the top of the tower costs

€8. Although we weren’t able to have clear views of the surrounding mountains, seeing the city from above was well worth it.

Sip a cappuccino looking at the amazing Palazzo Carignano

Drinking a cappuccino in Italy is a must and having a beautiful building to look at is even better. My favorite building in all of Turin was Palazzo Carignano. The brick concave and convex façade with the huge bronze plaque dedicated to Italy ‘s first king absolutely impressed me. Several significant figures were born here, among them Victor Emanuel II. The building also served as a seat of the first Italian parliament from 1861- 1865. What’s interesting, though, is that if you walk to the other side of the building, you will find a spectacular façade in a completely different style. The palazzo is home to the Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano – museum dedicated to the Italian reunification.

Visit the Duomo and see the Shroud of Turin

Turin’s cathedral, Cattedrale di San Giovanni Battista is the home to the Holy Shroud and is therefore frequently visited by both tourists and pilgrims. The Shroud of Turin is believed to be the piece of fabric in which Jesus was wrapped after his body was taken down from the cross. Whether the cloth is genuine has been a topic of research and debate for centuries. Yet, the shroud is treated with utmost reverence by the church and is not on public display. You can see the case where the shroud is stored but the relic itself is not visible.

Visit Porta Palatina

Porta Palatina is a Roman gate that was part of the ancient city. There aren’t many ruins to see in Turin, so if you want to see an example of the Roman architecture, Porta Palatina is worth a visit.

Nearby, there is a huge open air market (Piazza Republica). Not too impressive but if you want inexpensive fruit, this is the place to shop. The market closes at 2:00 pm

Stroll along the Po River

The Po River goes right through the city of Turin and if you have time, a short stroll along its banks might be a fun thing to do. I would recommend crossing the river across Ponte Vittorio Emanuele and checking out the beautiful church Gran Madre di Dio. The church is in Neoclassical style and was built in the 19th century. The nearby streets are also welcoming with many cafes and trattorias around.

Drink a Bicerin

I read about the bicerin before coming to Turin and wanted to have it at the oldest cafe in the city- Caffe Al Bicerin. Ironically, the Bicerin Cafe is exactly where the drink was invented. Famous people like Alexander Dumas, Umberto Eco or Friedrich Nietzsche frequented the cafe and enjoyed the drink. The bicerin is a hot drink made of espresso, chocolate and whole milk. It is served in a small wine glass and is not supposed to be stirred. I absolutely recommend having it here. It costs €6.50 but is well worth it. The Bicerin Cafe is located in a lovely piazza with a charming church – Santuario della Consolata. The cafe is closed on Wednesdays, so plan accordingly.

Have an aperitivo

Aperitivo is Turin’s idea of a happy hour. It is a drink, typically a glass of wine or a spritz, with some buffet style food options. Depending on where you go, it might be simple- olives, roasted eggplant, little sandwiches and tiny pizza pieces or it might be more elaborate with meats, cheeses, vegetables, salads and baked potatoes. It’s a cultural experience, so give it a try.

Eat Turin’s traditional pasta

Several pasta dishes are typical to Turin and the Piedmont region. We enjoyed agnolotti and had it several times. It’s basically big ravioli stuffed with roasted meat. It’s served with sage and butter sauce. We also had plin– a tiny agnolotti stuffed with veggies, meat, and cheese at a little cafe. It was served with sage and walnut sauce. It was delicious to have a bowl of stuffed home-made pasta made directly in front of you.

There are a lot of things to do in Turin. We spent 3 days in the city and enjoyed walking around, learning about its history and relaxing in one of the many cafes.