Where to stay in Turin

Arcaded streets, grand cafés and the Alps at the end of them. Elegant, under-visited and noticeably cheaper than the cities people fly into — a good choice for a second trip.

Turin is a grid and its centre is one walk: Porta Nuova station up Via Roma to Piazza Castello, then Via Po down to the river. The Quadrilatero Romano, north-west of Piazza Castello, holds the aperitivo bars and the Porta Palazzo market and is the best address for evenings on foot. San Salvario, by the Valentino park, is louder after dark; Borgo Po, across the river, is quiet.

It suits museum-goers and walkers. The Egyptian museum and the cinema museum inside the Mole fill on wet weekends; book the first online. It suits anyone after postcard Italy less well: this is a Savoy capital, and the mountains show only on clear days, mostly in winter. Leave the hire car; the central ZTL is camera-enforced on weekday mornings.

Two nights, three with a day out. Milan is about an hour by Frecciarossa or Italo, and Turin works better after it than before it. Regional trains reach Alba in an hour and a half, but the Langhe beyond needs a car. The Sassi to Superga rack tramway gives the view of the city against the Alps, on a clear morning.

1,250 places to stay in Turin · Things to do in Turin

What to see in Turin

Stay somewhere else