Turin itinerary in 4 days
Hotel
♥♥♥♥♥
This is a wonderful hotel in Turin. It is in an old building which has been beautifully renovated. Our room was spacious with a large washroom. It has a lovely rooftop patio which serves drinks and snacks in the late afternoon/evening. The breakfast is plentiful and served in a beautiful room. The hotel is located across from the train station and is a short walk to the centre of town.
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Turin is one of Italy's hidden gems. For some reason many tourists skip Turin while heading for the bigger and more popular cities. It is truly a shame because Turin is a wonderful and elegant city with so much to offer. As the first capital of Italy and the original home of the Savoy family, it is filled with grand palaces, museums, art and lots of history.
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We spent four days in Turin and did not run out of things to do. It is a quiet city and not filled with tourists which makes it very pleasant in the summer.
Day 1
Noteworthy Restaurants
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Osteria degli Ottoni. Located just off of Piazza Bodoni, this small restaurant serves homemade food. It's menu is small and the food is very traditional Piedmont recipes. It was delicious.
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DAF Élite Pastry Shop. This well-known patisserie serves elegant desserts in a beautiful café. We always enjoy a good dessert at tea time when travelling and this did not disappoint.
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Sfashion Cafè. This casual restaurant serves delicious fresh salads and pizzas. It was a great spot to stop for lunch. They have a large patio and is located in a square close to the Royal Palace.
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Gelateria Pepino. This gelataria has been serving ice cream in Turin since 1884. They are known for their refreshing gelatos on a stick, known as penguins, which are perfect on a hot day. They also serve light savoury foods and coffee. You can take out or sit on the patio.
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Piola da Cianci. Located in Giardino Bottero, which is a lively garden filled with tables and umbrellas, surrounded by restaurants, this is the perfect location for a glass of wine and snack before dinner. Aperitivo time is usually between 5:30 - 7:30 pm.
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Pautasso. This restaurant located in a lively neighbourhood has some unique and delicious Piedmont cuisine. They are known for their anchovy dips for appetizers and their steaks are served on a sizzling stone which keeps them very hot.
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Restaurant Monferrato. Located on the other side of the Po River, this restaurant is situated on a lovely pedestrian street. It has been around since 1820 and serves delicious pastas, meats and fish.
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MANi Pizza Cocktail. This small and casual bar located on the other side of the river is perfect for aperitivo hour. They serve small pizzas and finger food with an order of drinks.
Favourite Museums
There are many museums in Turin for various interests. We didn't go to all of them but if you like museums I highly recommend purchasing the Torino Card which gives free entry or reduced prices at museums and attractions.
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Cinema Museum and Mole Antonelliana There are so many classic Italian movies and many famous directors from Italy, no wonder there is a museum dedicated to cinema. This museum is housed in the Mole Antonelliana tower. The exhibits are displayed on five levels within the building.
The building, known as the Mole Antonelliana, is a major landmark in the city. It was first designed as a synagogue in 1863 but was soon taken over by the city to build a tall tower. You can take an elevator (which requires a separate ticket) to the top for gorgeous views of the city.
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Royal Palace of Turin - This royal palace is the historical home of the House of Savoy. It was built in the 16th century and includes lots of Baroque influences. The furnishings and art are worth a visit. There are also nice gardens in the back.
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GAM Modern Art Museum. This is the museum of modern and contemporary art in Turin. It has a nice permanent exhibit as well as interesting temporary exhibits.
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Pinacoteca Agnelli. The Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli is an art gallery which opened in 2002 on the top floor of the former Fiat car factory. It houses the private collection of the Agnelli family. The works include works from the 18th to mid-twentieth centuries. They also have temporary exhibits. When we were there there was a very interesting Picasso exhibit.
While it is not in the centre of the city, it worth going over there to see the roof of the building. The track on the roof is where they used to test the fiat cars. It is now a lovely garden and you can walk along the track.
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Afternoon
We arrived in Turin in the late morning/early afternoon and checked into our hotel, The Turin Palace Hotel, located near the train station and just a short walk to the city centre. The old building has been renovated beautifully with modern rooms and washrooms. It has a beautiful roof-top terrace for drinks and snacks.
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After checking in we went for a quick, light lunch and then found a lovely cafè called DAF Élite Pastry Shop. This well-known patisserie serves elegant desserts in a beautiful café. We always enjoy a good dessert at tea time when travelling and this did not disappoint.
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After enjoying our caffeine and sugar rush we headed to the Cinema Museum and Mole Antonelliana. There are so many classic Italian movies and many famous directors from Italy, no wonder there is a museum dedicated to cinema. The exhibits are displayed on five levels within the building. The building, known as the Mole Antonelliana, is a major landmark in the city. It was first designed as a synagogue in 1863 but was soon taken over by the city to build a tall tower. You can take an elevator (which requires a separate ticket) to the top for gorgeous views of the city.
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After the museum we wandered around the old town and headed back to the hotel for a short nap.
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Evening
Restaurants in Turin do not open until 7:30 pm for dinner. The tradition in this region is to go out for aperativo before dinner at around 6 pm which is a tradition we were very happy to adopt! There are many bars and cafès open and when you order a glass of wine or beer they serve it with some snacks which could range from olives to a full on charcuterie board!
On our first evening we decided to head up to the rooftop bar in our hotel. This turned out to be one of our favourite spots. The views were spectacular, the seating was comfortable and the atmosphere was lovely. Their wine list was extensive and they served a nice light snack.
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For dinner we headed to a small restaurant called Osteria Degli Ottoni where we enjoyed some appetizers and a delicious pasta and meat dinner.
Day 2
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Morning
This morning we met our guide, Carlotta Muti, who took us on a walking tour discovering the city centre including all the main squares and landmarks. We also visited a couple of churches and discussed the historical, artistic and social context of the city.
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After this first part of the tour, Carlotta suggested a nice restaurant for lunch called Sfashion Cafè. This casual restaurant serves delicious fresh salads and pizzas. It was a great spot to stop for lunch. They have a large patio and is located in a square close to the Royal Palace.
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Afternoon
After lunch we met Carlotta again and she took us on a private tour inside the Royal Palace of Turin. This royal palace is the historical home of the House of Savoy. It was built in the 16th century and includes lots of Baroque influences. The furnishings and art are worth a visit. There are also nice gardens in the back. Carlotta gave us a wonderful tour and explained the history of the House of Savoy.
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After our tour we went to Gelateria Pepino. This gelataria has been serving ice cream in Turin since 1884. They are known for their refreshing gelatos on a stick, affectionately called penguins, which are perfect on a hot day. We then headed back to the hotel for a short rest.
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Evening
We started our evening off with an aperativo in the lovely Giardino Bottero, which is a lively garden filled with tables and umbrellas, surrounded by restaurants. This is the perfect location for a glass of wine and snack before dinner. We chose to have our wine at Piola da Cianci which is one of the restaurants serviced in the garden.
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We then headed to Pautasso. This restaurant located in a lively neighbourhood has some unique and delicious Piedmont cuisine. They are known for their traditional anchovy dips, pasta and steaks which are served on a sizzling stone which keeps them very hot.
Day 3
Guides and Tours
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Turin City Tour. We did a very enjoyable private tour with tour guide Carlotta Muti through Tours By Locals. Carlotta was very knowledgable about the history of Turin and the Piedmont region. We spent the morning walking through the old town and the afternoon she led us through the Royal Palace. I highly recommend Carlotta.
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I Eat Food Tours. We did a fun and delicious street food tour of Turin led by Abram. He was very animated while he led us through various delicious restaurants and food establishments. We got to try typical Turinese food both savoury and sweet.
Itinerary Add-ons
This itinerary can be combined with:
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Barbaresco and Barolo Wine Region in 4 Days
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Bologna itinerary in 4 Days
Morning
After breakfast today we wandered around town and then headed to meet our group for our food tour at 11:30 am. Abram from I Eat Food Tours led a fun and delicious street food tour. He was very animated while he led us through various delicious restaurants and food establishments. We got to try typical Turinese food - both savoury and sweet including unique coffee, pizzas, pastas, gelato and other tasty foods.
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Afternoon
After the food tour we had to walk off some of our calories and headed to the GAM Modern Art Museum. This is the museum of modern and contemporary art in Turin. It has a nice permanent exhibit as well as interesting temporary exhibits.
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This was not far from our hotel and we headed back for a rest after spending time in the museum.
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Evening
This evening we had a reservation at a restaurant on the other side of the Po River. We decided to walk out that way and find a place for an Aperativo. We arrived at the Po river at the most beautiful time to take some photos. It was a very peaceful evening. We walked along the river and then crossed on one of the bridges. We found a nice little bar called MANi Pizza Cocktail for our Aperativo - a glass of wine and a mini house-made pizza that went so well with our drinks.
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From there we walked over to the restaurant that we had reserved for dinner. Restaurant Monferrato, which is situated on a lovely pedestrian street. It has been around since 1820 and serves delicious pastas, meats and fish.
Day 4
Morning
This morning we were excited to meet up with some cousins. We walked around with them in the city centre and then headed to the other side of the Po River to climb the hill up to Chiesa di Santa Maria del Monte dei Cappuccini. This iconic 16th century church sits on a hill and has beautiful views of the adjacent river and city. Although a bit of a tough climb it was worth it.
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Afterward we walked back down into the town centre, continued to walk through the piazzas, going in and out of shops and then stopped for lunch in one of the piazzas for some nice pizzas and salads.
Afternoon
After parting from our cousins, we headed to the Pinacoteca Agnelli Art Museum located in the old Fiat factory. It takes about 45 minute to walk from the train station area or you can take a metro. This art gallery was open in 2002 as a suspended structure on the Lingotto building's roof. It houses 25 extraordinary masterpieces collected by Giovanni Agnelli and Marella Caracciolo and donated to the Pinacoteca. While we were there, there was also a wonderful temporary Picasso exhibit.
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You can also visit the roof of the building where the track that Fiat used to test-drive their cars still sits. They have turned the roof into a beautiful garden and it's a very cool feeling to walk around the track.
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Evening
On our final evening in lovely Turin we had a nice drink on the rooftop of our hotel and then grabbed a casual dinner at a small restaurant in the Quadilatero area.
Day 5
Morning
This morning we departed this beautiful city and boarded a train south to Asti in the Barolo wine region of Piedmont where we spent the next four days visiting wineries and walking from town to town. See my Barolo and Barbaresco itinerary (coming soon).