Turin city break: complete travel guide
During our 2020 road trip, we drove through southwestern France to Italy. This made Turin the perfect first stop, since it is in northwestern Italy. This city was not only high on the bucket list because it was on the itinerary, but is also known as the CHOCOLADE city of Italy. Yup….. you read that right CHO-CO-LA-DE! For that reason alone, Turin should not be missed. So our goal during our city trip Turin consisted mainly of eating.
Despite the chocolate stories, we were also a little apprehensive about the city. Indeed, Turin is also known as a drab industrial city, the place, by the way, where FIAT was born. So opinions about this city are divided, but we like a challenge. So we decided to take 3 days to see if Turin has more to offer than fiat and chocolate. Curious? Then read on quickly.
In this article
- To do
- Hotspots
- Travel time
- Budget
- Practical information
- The nicest accommodations
- How do I get there?
- Our opinion
What to do in Turin
As we actually do in every city, we decided to enjoy the atmosphere and delicious food in Turin above all else. As a result, our days consisted mostly of picnics, aperitivo’s and wine. By the way, we can always recommend this to everyone everywhere.
We see so many tourists running around a city trying to cross all the sights off the list. Sin! Take your time and taste the charm of a city. Do what the locals do. Stroll, eat, enjoy the sunshine and take it easy. If you have time and desire, visit a sight and not the other way around.
Stroll through the streets of Turin
Turin is a perfect city to stroll through. Biking, by the way, is also very good. Indeed, little remains of the drab industrial city of yesteryear. We found the streets cozy, charming and just very atmospheric. For a big city like Turin, quite extraordinary. In fact, Turin has more to 800k inhabitants and is one of the largest cities in Italy. Yet everything is within walking distance. Throughout the city you will find beautiful old historic buildings. Turin has clearly had a metamorphosis in recent years and one of which they should definitely be proud.
Go into the park
From the city center you can walk right into the park. On sunny days, therefore, the park is one of the busiest places in Turin. You can walk, picnic or admire the numerous rowers along the banks here. In addition, you have several eateries and bars and in the middle of the park you will find the old castle of Valentino.
We decided to score the most delicious Italian food at Eataly (also highly recommended) and have a picnic in the middle of the park. Super fun!
Eataly
Eataly is a slow-food supermarket chain. Nowadays you can find Eataly everywhere, but the first branch was opened in Turin. You’ll find Eataly in the former Carpano factory and is really huge. The supermarket sells only organic and sustainable products. From fresh pastas to the famous chocolate gianduiotti. You can do your shopping there, as well as sit down for a snack or a drink. If you are in Turin, don’t miss this place. It really is a chaos and jumble of the most delicious products. As a food addict, truly a Valhalla.
Monte Dei Cappuccini
If you want to admire the city from a completely different angle, climb the Monte dei Cappuccini. On top of the hill you will find a church and have a beautiful view of the city.
Basilica di Superga
A little train from the Sassi bus stop allows you to visit the Basilica di Superga. The basilica is at a height of 75 meters, giving you a great view of the city. Also fun to visit is the Mole Antonelliana or the Palazzo Madama.
Museums
In Turin, you will find numerous museums. Below is an overview of the most important ones:
- Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento Italiano
- Museo Egizio
- The Film Museum
- GAM – Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea
Hotspots & food in
Best time to travel to Turin
All year round, Turin is a good idea. In summer you can enjoy the sunshine on the terrace, but Turin is also beautiful in winter, as it is located against the Alps. As a result, you can perfectly combine a city break in Turin with a nice hike through the mountains or even a day of skiing.
Transportation in Turin
Downtown Turin is difficult to reach by car. We therefore recommend visiting the city by public transportation or by bicycle. You have an awful lot of bike paths in Turin, so we found this a really fun way to visit the city.
Which budget do i need in Turin?
In cities where everything is about food, we tend to rather lose sight of our budget. Sometimes you just have to enjoy a city, too. We try to spend an average of 60 euros per day. In cities, of course, this is almost impossible. In total, we spent 220 euros in 3 days. That’s a daily budget of 73 euros. Not bad after all!
We especially found the food in Turin spotty. On average, we spent 15 euros per restaurant. For dinner we paid between 25 – 30 euros.
- Dining out: 140 euros
- Camping: 58 euros (29 euros per night incl. dog and straw
- Groceries: 20 euros
Practical information about Turin
- Parking in Turin can be quite tricky and pricey. You can catch the bus or train to the city from several places. The connections are very good and affordable.
- If you take the dog with you, you are required to carry a muzzle. Dogs must wear this in public places. Yet we almost never saw dogs with a muzzle and never did it with our dog. Although we do have a stick old pug with epilepsy who was in backpack most of the time so expect most people were understanding of this. With a larger dog, this may be different anyway.
- For the nicest camping spot, we always use the app Park4night & camper contact
- The same obligations apply in the car as in the Netherlands. So bring safety jacket and warning triangle!
- In Italy, many stores, restaurants and supermarkets are often closed at noon. Something we forgot almost every day.
- There is currently (Oct. 2020) mouth guard duty in place due to Corona.
- Download foreign affairs app to keep up to date with latest developments
What are nice places to stay in Turin?
Turin is the perfect city to visit by motorhome. In fact, we found a nice city campground just outside the center at the park, namely Area sosta camper Grinto. The campground is still relatively new and we found a delightful place. For example, there is a nice restaurant where you can go all day and within 20 minutes cycling you are right in the city. The route to downtown goes along the water on right through the park. Before you know it, you’re in town.
Read more about this RV stop in Turin here.
If you don’t have your own Cloverfield Camper, take a quick look at our selection of accommodations for Turin.
How to get to Turin?
Although we drove from southwestern France to Italy by motorhome, there are, of course, tons of other ways to reach the city. From Amsterdam, for example, you can fly directly to Turin. There are also direct flights from Brussels. Through Ryanair, unfortunately, I have not been able to find any flights.
Turin airport is 16 km from the city center. So by car or public transportation, you’ll be in the city in no time. It is possible to rent a car, but we especially recommend taking the bus. A bus leaves for the city every 15 minutes. A ticket costs about 7 euros.
If you’re planning a road trip through Italy, we definitely recommend adding Turin to your itinerary. It is often not very out of the way and is a nice addition to your trip.
From the Netherlands, it is about a 12-hour drive.
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