Turin Itinerary Help Needed

Look into the Egyptian Museum and La Venaria Reale which is just outside the city.

Yes planning on it the day we arrive - before the 2 full days....Museo Egizio.

How much time do you typically spend in a museum? I spent nine hours in the Museo Egizio. We couldn’t finish the Palazzo Reale in one day and had to go back on a second day; it’s huge, although you do list some sections of it as separate attractions. Superga is a bit outside town, so I didn’t even make it in five days in the city. Is the Borgo Medievale reopened from its renovation?

I would find your itinerary unrealistic in just two days, but if you move at a faster pace you might be able to do it.

To be honest, we would spend 2 hours max in the museum - just to see a few sections. We dont have a goal to see everything.
Though I appreciate the people who do.

So, because I cant add more days... in the 2 days, what would you eliminate?

Philippe Daverio, a famous French Italian art historian and art critic, who passed away a few years ago, famously used to say that people should treat museums the same way they treat restaurants. When people go to restaurants they don’t order all items on the menu, rather they order a few of their favorite entrees. Daverio said the same should be true for museums. People should enter the museums not with the intention to see everything, but rather see only the few masterpieces that are interested to see. Therefore spending no more than 2 hours in a museum is the right approach. The Egyptian museum in Turin is one of the most important Egyptian museums in the world, and certainly the top one in Italy, so if you have the time, and the interest, see if you order something from that menu.

Hi Michael,

I’ve stayed in Torino twice, and I would be happy to go back again! When I was there the first time, we went through the royal palace, out to the Superga, the Mole Antonelliana, the Shroud of Turin church, and enjoyed walking around the city seeing the architecture & enjoying the piazzas. Last May, i went through the Palazzo Madama, did a city bike tour, enjoyed roaming the city areas and participated in this activity:

I know that your time in Torino is short, but I will go ahead and mention this in case you would like to enjoy this method of learning about some of Torino’s history while being given some fantastic food! I would suggest skipping the fake medieval castle and agree that you’re short on time to see the Basilica Superga.

The I Eat Food Tours’ “StreetFood D’luxe Experience” was a fantastic choice! Michelin chef & Cecilia whose husband is a chef have paired up to provide an extraordinary food tour. This is one I highly recommend, especially if you’re a foodie! Cecilia started the food tour in a gelato laboratory (hey, I love it already! LOL!), and this was much more than tasting some samples. She was serious about sharing details about their hazelnuts in the Piedmont region, the ingredients of their gelato & processes, etc. plus she had an engaging, fun personality.

We went to several places during the food tour, and it was obvious that the quality was top level. Roberto Messineo, “the coffee magician”, was in his tiny shop when we walked by. Cecelia told us it’s not on their food tour itinerary now because he’s often closed but of course, we stopped in. Roberto is the founder of Caffè San Domenico, an eclectic man and master coffee expert. We stopped in for a warm greeting as old friends. He wanted to make us a cup of coffee - sadly we were so caffeinated by then, that she had to turn him down. Cecelia told him we had just finished enjoying his coffee in an affogato at the gelato center. Roberto showed us some photos on the wall of royalty who knew him & his handwritten thank you message from Pope Benedict - a rarity to receive an entire message handwritten, especially this large one that was proudly framed. This was a moment I was sad that I don’t know much Italian. He seemed ready to share many stories as an older person where current time is irrelevant. The finale of the tour was a delicious Bicerin - yes, more caffeine! A funny comment from Cecelia during the tour. She told us she’s not a coffee drinker which surprised us. Later she was telling us about coffee and the typical Italian behavior and said she drinks a cappuccino, not espresso. …so she’s not a coffee drinker!

Thats great help. Thank you! We will definitely look into the spots that you mentioned. I dont think we have enough time to take the tour, however, your highlights I think we will stop in.

Can you give me the address of the 2 coffee places. I cant seem to find the right one for Roberto Messineo

If you visit museums briefly, I'd propose this itinerary-

On your partial arrival day, see as much of the Museo Egizio as you care to.

On day two, start at the Royal Palace, which includes the Galleria Sabauda and the Armory, for as long as you like. Organize the other sites on a priority list by interest and geographic logic. See as much as you can.

On day three, start at the Mole Antonelliana. When you are finished there, continue your priority list. You might save something of high interest for today if it makes more geographic sense.

I wouldn't try to see the Venaria Reale or the Basilica of Superga because of travel time to those locations, but perhaps a taxi up to the Basilica late on day three would work. It looks like the Borgo Medievale is closed until June 2026, so you'll have to eliminate that.

Have a great visit.

We were just in Turin before and after we hiking in the Aosta Valley this last September. As someone else mention. the
The I Eat Food Tours https://ieatfoodtours.co.uk/ was high on our list of things to do.

We took a bike tour the very first day, and that helped to orient us to the city. Our hotel was just a block from the main train station, so we were just a short walk to everything in the old center.

My husband is not much for museums, but I did talk him into the Egyptian Museum and we enjoyed a couple of hours in there, after the 3rd floor, we'd had enough.

The central food market was a highlight as well. Best pastry we've ever had at one of the stands.

When we travel, we just play it by ear, plan the next day in the evening. We feel less rushed and enjoy our down time, just "being a local".

Loved the city and would go back !