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Turin

Elegant arcades, aperitivo hour & Alpine horizons

Browse Turin

Turin is the elegant, underrated one among Italian cities: royal piazzas, kilometres of arcaded streets, historic cafes and an aperitivo culture that rivals Milan at half the price. Our first local pick is Piola da Celso, a classic piola serving honest Piedmontese home cooking. More hand-picked recommendations are on the way – filter by category and budget below.

Turin at a glance

  • Ideal stay: 2 to 3 days
  • Best time to visit: spring and autumn
  • Highlights: Piazza Castello and the Mole Antonelliana
  • Where to stay: Centro or the Quadrilatero Romano
  • Local picks: a growing set of hand-chosen tips
  • Getting around: walkable centre plus easy trams

Where to stay in Turin

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Borgo San Paolo

Binaria – Centro Commensale

Why it matters: Binaria is the ‘centro commensale’ of Gruppo Abele, the social organization founded in 1965 by anti-mafia priest don Luigi Ciotti, and it runs as a non-profit social enterprise that reinvests in community work. The former factory now holds a bookshop, a bottega stocking Libera Terra goods grown on land confiscated from the mafia, and a Berbere pizzeria under one roof. Come for a wood-fired pizza and a browse, then take home a jar of Libera Terra pasta or passata. Tip: it is open Monday to Saturday until 10pm, closed Sundays, out in Borgo San Paolo west of the center.
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San Salvario

CASO Bistrot Sociale

Why it matters: CASO is a social bistro inside the Lombroso 16 cultural hub in San Salvario, created to give real jobs to people who struggle to find work, with the kitchen’s proceeds funding that social mission. Beyond lunch and dinner it hosts stand-up, live music, book launches and neighborhood events, making it one of the most genuinely local corners of multicultural San Salvario. Come for the terrace aperitivo or a traditional-with-a-twist dinner, and check their calendar for an evening event. Tip: it’s on Via Cesare Lombroso 16, in the heart of the district’s nightlife.
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Centro

Pausa Cafe at the Museo Egizio

Why it matters: the cafe inside the Museo Egizio is run by Pausa Cafe, a Turin social cooperative that since 2004 has trained and employed prison inmates and ex-inmates, roasting its fair-trade Guatemalan Huehuetenango coffee (a Slow Food Presidium) in a facility inside the city’s Lorusso e Cutugno prison. So the espresso you drink between galleries directly funds work-reintegration programs shown to lower reoffending. Stop in on the first floor – entrance by the Tomb of Kha – for a coffee and a pastry while touring the world’s oldest museum of Egyptian antiquities. Tip: the cafe is open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm.
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Piola da Celso

It’s a special place with special people inside: well known among the locals, easy to reach by bus or tramway…and the meal is a real piedmontese experience. Selection of wines, fresh ingredients…
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Aurora / Borgo Dora

Porta Palazzo Market & the Balon

Europe’s largest open-air market fills Piazza della Repubblica with a thousand stalls of produce, cheese and street food every day but Sunday. On Saturdays, walk two minutes into Borgo Dora for the Balon – Turin’s historic flea market since 1857 – and on the second Sunday of each month the Gran Balon brings out the serious antique dealers.
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Turin travel FAQ

How many days do you need in Turin?

Two to three days covers the royal centre, a great museum or two and plenty of cafe and aperitivo time.

Where is the best area to stay in Turin?

Centro puts the arcades and piazzas at your door; the Quadrilatero Romano is the liveliest for food and bars.

What are the best things to do in Turin?

Browse the local picks above, starting with a proper Piedmontese meal at a traditional piola.

What is the best time to visit Turin?

Spring and autumn bring the best weather and clear views of the Alps from the city.

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