Where to Stay in Turin: Best Areas & Hotels

Dubbed the “cradle of Italian liberty,” the “Capital of the Alps,” and the “Magic City,” Turin lives up to its many nicknames. Nestled at the foot of the Alps in northwestern Italy, Torino, as is known in Italian, is a city with an extraordinary historical and artistic heritage; from Baroque royal residences to Art Nouveau and eclectic buildings and world-renowned museums, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is a city worth knowing. If you are looking for the best areas to stay in Turin, you have come to the right place.

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One of the great things about visiting Turin is that, while it is the fourth-most populous city in the country, the Piedmontese capital is still miles away from the visitor numbers found in other Italian travel destinations, making it feel more human and enjoyable. Torino’s unmissable tourist attractions are the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy, the Egyptian Museum, the Mole Antonelliana & Cinema Museum, Borgo Po, and the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist. From an accommodation perspective, Turin has everything, from numerous boutique and luxury hotels in its city center to small, often family-run budget properties.

Whether you’re visiting Turin for sightseeing, a business trip, or as part of a route through the north of Italy, keep reading this list of our top picks of the best areas to stay in Turin for tourists based on my visits to the city.

Accommodation Options in Turin

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What’s the Best Area to Stay in Turin, Italy?

The best area to stay in Turin is the Centro Storico, especially if it is your first time visiting the city. Torino’s Old Town is home to most of the UNESCO-listed Residences of the Royal House of Savoy, Baroque squares, Roman-era structures, and the city’s most impressive cultural attractions, including the Egyptian and Cinema museums. This ancient central district is also home to some of the best-rated hotels in Turin.

Find Available Accommodation in Centro Storico di Torino.

Best Hotels in Turin Old Town

• Best five-star hotel: Principi di Piemonte | UNA Esperienze
• Best four-star hotel: NH Collection Torino Piazza Carlina
• Best three-star hotel: Hotel Roma e Rocca Cavour
• Best budget hotel: Hotel Torino Porta Susa
• Best B&B: Il Gioiellino
• Best hostel: Attic Hostel Torino

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Where to Stay in Turin for Sightseeing

As mentioned above, Turin’s Centro Storico is the best location for tourists in the Piedmontese capital. That said, the city center is divided into many different quartieri, each with a different flavor and attractions. These are some of the most exciting areas:

• Occupying the northwestern corner of the city center, the area known as Quadrilatero Romano contains Turin’s Roman-era ruins, such as the Porta Palatina, as well as the Museum of Oriental Art and Via Garibaldi, the city’s main shopping street. This area is also known for its lively nightlife and wealth of accommodations. Some of the best-rated hotels in this area include the NH Torino Santo Stefano and Hotel Chelsea.
• The heart of Torino’s UNESCO-listed district is centred around Piazza Castello, home to the Royal Palace, Museums and Gardens, and Palazzo Madama. Some of the best accommodations in this area include Piazza Castello Suite and Corte Realdi Luxury Rooms Torino.
• Piazza San Carlo is near attractions, including the Egyptian Museum and Palazzo Carignano. Some of the best luxury hotels here are the Royal Palace Hotel and Grand Hotel Sitea.
• East of Piazza Castello lies the famous Mole Antonelliana, a 19th-century domed building home to a panoramic lookout and the Museum of Cinema. This area is home to several privately-owned apartments with views like La Mole Apartment and Luxury Flat Sotto La Mole.
• Finally, the area around Torino Porta Nuova Station, south of the city center, is home to Turin’s best-rated budget hotels, including 2-star Hotel Bologna and Hotel Elena.

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The Best Areas for Tourists in Turin: District by District

1. Centro Storico: Best Location in Turin for Sightseeing

Home to the city’s most visited tourist attractions, the Historic City Center is the the best area to stay in Turin for sightseeing.

Why is this the best area to stay in Turin:
• Heart of the city
• Residences of the Royal House of Savoy UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Roman ruins
• Mole Antonelliana
• Egyptian Museum
• Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist and Shroud of Turin
• Boutique and luxury hotels
• Great nightlife and food scene

The Historic Centre of Turin is located on the western bank of the Po and is home to Turin’s main attractions. Unlike most medieval Italian cities, which usually include a tangle of narrow streets connecting the main piazzas, Turin’s city center features a fairly uniform grid layout.

The area is centered around Piazza Castello, one of the city’s main squares. Designed in 1584, it was used by the Savoy for public events. Considered the heart of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy UNESCO site, Castello is home to palaces and important buildings, including the Royal Palace complex, Galleria Sabauda, Museo Archeologico, Palazzo Chiablese, and the Cappella della Sindone, home to the Shroud of Turin.

A few steps west of Castello lies the Quadrilatero Romano, Turin’s oldest quarter, where Julia Augusta Taurinorum was founded. The area is still recognizable by its network of orthogonal streets and is home to several stretches of walls and a few gates that have survived to this day. Other than Roman ruins, the Quadrilatero area is known for being Turin’s main shopping and nightlife district, especially along Piazza Palazzo di Città and the pedestrianized Via Garibaldi.

Piazza San Carlo, located south of Piazza Castello and dedicated to San Carlo Borromeo since 1618, is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful squares in Turin. It is home to numerous sights, including the equestrian statue of Emanuele Filiberto, the baroque twin churches of Santa Cristina and San Carlo, and the famous Egyptian Museum of Turin. Opened in 1824, the Museo Egizio di Torino is the oldest Egyptian museum in the world and is considered the second-most important, only after one in Cairo.

Perhaps Turin’s most important tourist attraction, the Mole Antonelliana, located east of Piazza Castello, is a domed 168-metres tall 19th-century building offering breathtaking views of the city and the Alps. The National Museum of Cinema, located inside the Mole, offers an interesting collection of Italian and international cinema history.

Other unmissable attractions in Turin’s Historic City Centre include the Palazzo Carignano, home to the Museum of the Risorgimento, the Museum of Eastern Art, which displays Asian art and crafts, and the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist.

Torino Porta Nuova, located south of the city center, is Turin’s main railway station. This grand terminus offers commuter, regional, Intercity and high-speed connections to most places in Italy and a few international links. Additionally, Torino Porta Susa station is located nearby. Line 1 of Metro Torino borders the city center on the south and west, and the city’s tram network crosses the district north to south and east to west, with interchangers on Piazza Castello and along vias Cernala and Po.

When it comes to hotels in Turin’s center, this district offers the widest variety of accommodations in the city. Most of Torino’s best-rated luxury and boutique properties can be found around Piazzas San Carlo and Castello. At the same time, the eastern portion of the city center, near Mole Antonelliana, is packed with privately owned tourist apartments. Meanwhile, the station area has a broad offer of budget properties and several 3-star options.

All and all, Centro Storico is the best area to stay in Turin for sightseeing, as is within walking distance of most historical attractions, museums and transportation hubs.

Best Hotels in Turin City Centre

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2. San Salvario & Parco Valentino: Great Area for Nightlife & Food

Located southeast of Centro Storico and with Parco Valentino as its main feature, San Salvario is one of the best quarters for tourists in Turin.

Why is this the best area to stay in Turin:
• Very central location
• Great nightlife and food scene
• Parco and Castello del Valentino
• Great public transport connections
• Niche museums

San Salvario is a historic district on the western side of the Po, southeast of Turin’s Centro Storico. The eastern area of San Salvario is dominated by Parco del Valentino, the oldest and second-largest park in Turin, known for its natural and historical heritage and being one of the most visited tourist attractions in the city.

The origins of Parco del Valentino date back to the second half of the 17th century when the summer residence of the Savoy was erected there. The area went from a simple river park to an organized structure with refined gardens. But it was not until the 19th century that the real modification works began in the current picturesque city park, according to the romantic project of the French landscape architect Barrillet-Dechamps. Today, this park is also notable for the Medieval Town of Turin, a replica of a traditional Piedmontese villa created to pay tribute to Piedmont’s ancient historical and cultural traditions and neighboring regions.

At the end of the twentieth century, a lively nightlife area developed between Vias Madama Cristina and Nizza. Popular among university students and young Turinese, this food and entertainment district features dozens of pubs, nightclubs, bistros, and ethnic restaurants and takeaways. The district also hosts two local markets, one in Piazza Madama Cristina and the other in Piazza Nizza.

A point of historical interest within the district is the synagogue on Piazzetta Primo Levi – an imposing structure inaugurated in 1884 and designed in a Moorish style by architects Enrico Petiti and Federico Collignon.

San Salvario is also home to the Cesare Lombroso Criminal Anthropology Museum, the Luigi Rolando Human Anatomy Museum, and the Fruit Museum, as well as the Teatro Nuovo, the Cineteatro Baretti, and the Teatro Colosseo.

Besides being the city’s greenest central district, San Salvario is one of the best areas to stay in Turin, thanks to its great public transport connections. In its northern area, you’ll find Porta Nuova railway station, and metro line M1 crosses the district, offering five stations along the way.

Best Hotels in San Salvario, Turin

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3. Cenisia, San Paolo & Cit Turin: Best Location for Business Travelers

Located directly west of Centro Storico, Cit Turin, Borgo San Paolo & Cenisia are centrally-located areas packed with attractions and a great location in Turin for tourists & business travelers.

Why is this the best area to stay in Turin:
• Very central location
• Connected by metro, train, and trams
• Art Nouveau and avant-garde architecture
• Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo
• Jail Museum Le Nuove
• Broad hotel offer

Located directly west of Centro Storico, Cit Turin is an elegant residential district developed at the end of the nineteenth century and the only Turinese district with a Piedmontese name. Meaning “little Turin,” Cit Turin is said to be built on the remains of an extramural village. Remains of a pre-Roman necropolis have been found in the district’s borders. Today, this area is known for its late 19th-century and early 20th-century Art-Nouveau architecture, locally known as “Liberty style,” its lovely market (piazza Benefica), and its prestigious shopping streets. Furthermore, the southernmost area is home to more recent structures such as the Palace of Justice, the Intesa Sanpaolo skyscraper, the Porta Susa railway station, and several new buildings on Corso Inghliterra.

South of Cit Turin lies Cenisia. Formerly farmland, most of this district and the neighbouring Borgo San Paolo were developed during the Industrial Revolution to host the city’s nascent factories. By the 1980s, however, Torino’s industrial vocation began to fail, and with it, the major factories in the neighborhood were abandoned. During the nineties and early 2000s, most abandoned factories underwent ambitious architectural recovery plans, and many were turned into institutional offices, residential buildings, cultural institutions, and modern art museums.

Perhaps the best examples of this renovation process can be found in places like the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, a contemporary art institution hosted in a former automobile factory, and the Fondazione Merz, which has an exhibition of art by Marisa and Mario Merz in a 1930s power station.

Cit Turin, Cenisia, and Borgo San Paolo are also very well-connected regarding public transport. Line 1 of the Metropolitana di Torino runs through the north and east edges of the district, while several trams and local bus lines connect most of the inner areas. Additionally, the modern Torino Porta Susa station on Corso Inghliterra offers commuter, regional, and long-distance train services, making it easy to get around Turin and northern Italy.

As for accommodation, these areas, particularly the more central Cit Turin, offer a wealth of hotels in all categories, from modern business-style chain hotels to modest family-run inns and B&Bs.

Best Hotels in Cit Turin, Cenisia & Borgo San Paolo

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4. Aurora & Vanchiglia: Best Location for Foodies

Located north of Torino Centro, Aurora & Vanchiglia are excellent areas to stay in Turin to enjoy great Italian food and a local atmosphere.

Why is this the best area to stay in Turin:
• Very centrally-located
• University area
• Local atmosphere
• Museo Lavazza
• Porta Palazzo Markets
• Budget restaurants and accommodation

The Aurora and Vanchiglia districts of Turin are very close to the historic center, directly north of the old walled city.

The epicenter of the first wave of industrialization in Piedmont, Aurora is located on both banks of the Dora River and is famous for hosting the Balon, the most popular flea market in Turin, and Porta Palazzo, the largest open market in Europe. Nearby, the historic Ciriè-Lanzo station is now the Piedmontese Railway Museum.

Located between the Monumental Cemetery of Turin and the Dora Riparia, Borgo Rossini is Torino’s alternative district. Its bohemian character and its proximity to the Campus Einaudi have turned it into a nightlife hub. Not far away, the newly created Museo Lavazza offers a journey through the history of the legendary Italian coffee brand.

On the other hand, Vanchiglia and the neighboring Vanchiglietta occupy a strip of land near the confluence of the Po River and the Dora River. Their central location and proximity to the University of Turin headquarters have turned them into residential, commercial, and artistic hubs.

These areas are connected to the city center by several tram lines (3, 4, and 15) and the Torino Dora railway station. Aurora and Vanchiglia are also rich in places to eat, particularly ethnic restaurants, bars, pizzerias, and nightlife venues. Accommodation in this area is varied and significantly cheaper than in Centro Storico, which makes the Aurora—Vanchiglia district one of the best areas to stay in Turin if you’re traveling on a tight budget.

Best Hotels in Aurora & Vanchiglia

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5. La Crocetta: Best Location for a Budget Trip to Turin

Situated southwest of Porta Nuova railway station, La Crocetta is a fun & fashionable district packed with accommodation and nightlife.

Why is this the best area to stay in Turin:
• Relatively central location
• Well-connected by public transport
• Civic Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art
• University area

La Crocetta is a district located south of Turin’s historic center. Historically one of the city’s most prestigious residential areas, it was an independent village on the outskirts of Turin that developed mainly around the Beata Vergine delle Grazie church.

In addition to hosting the headquarters of the Polytechnic University of Turin, the Crocetta area is home to the Civic Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art (GAM).

Other attractions in this area include the Liberty Pedestrian Area, with a large collection of Art Nouveau architecture, the Ospedale Mauriziano, the Spina Centrale, the igloo di Merz, and the Vittorio Emanuele II Monument.

While it is not as central as the areas described above, Crocetta is well-connected to the city center by tram, metro, and the nearby Porta Nuova station.

Best Hotels in La Crocetta

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6. Borgo Po: Most Romantic Location in Turin

Located on the east bank of River Po, Borgo Po is a quaint residential area filled with luxury villas and offering great views over the city.

Why is this the best area to stay in Turin:
• Quaint area
• Monte dei Cappuccini
• Art Nouveau villas and hotels

Borgo Po is a district located near the centre of the city, on the eastern bank of the Po. While most of Turin is built on a plain, Borgo Po is in a mountainous area with steep hills.

The historic centre of Borgo Po is located on the north side of the Church of the Great Mother of God, built in 1831 by Ferdinando Bonsignore in a neoclassical style. A little further south, you’ll find the famous Monte dei Cappuccini, on top of which is the convent of Santa Maria al Monte. The south wing of the complex is now the National Museum of the Mountain.

From the Monte dei Cappuccini, you can see spectacular views of the city of Turin and the surrounding mountains.

Borgo Po is a quiet neighbourhood, green and full of traditional houses and wooded areas, ideal for a quiet visit to Turin.

Best Hotels in Borgo Po

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7. Allianz Stadium: Best Area for a Juventus Match

Considered one of the most important football stadiums in Italy, the area around Allianz Stadium is the best location in Turin for a “Juve” match.

Why is this the best area to stay in Turin:
• Allianz Stadium
• Juventus-themed hotels

Juventus Stadium, currently known as Allianz Stadium, is the field for the popular Turin football team, Juve. It is located in the district of Vallette, north of the city and about 7 kilometers from the historic center.

This Italian football temple, with a capacity for 41,000 spectators, is considered the first eco-friendly stadium in the world and one of the four Italian stadiums of UEFA Category 4, the highest technical level.

The stadium and its sports facilities include the J-Museum or Juventus Museum, a bilingual historical sports museum dedicated to Juventus Football Club.

In addition, Juventus Football Club has its own hotel, the J Hotel, which offers a luxury stay for authentic football fans.

The area of the Juventus stadium is connected by buses and the railway station Torino Rigola – Stadio.

The Juventus Stadium area is the best area to stay in Turin for football lovers and those who plan to attend a Juve match in Torino.

Best Hotels near Allianz Juventus Stadium

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Where to Stay in Turin: A Personal Take

During my trip to Turin, I enjoyed spending almost a week exploring the city. It was part of my Northwestern Italy Itinerary, which started in Pisa and led me to this beautiful destination. The highlight of my stay was the Hotel Dei Pittori, where I had the most delightful experience. The hotel exudes elegance and charm, and the staff went above and beyond to ensure a comfortable stay. The rooms were tastefully decorated, and the amenities provided were top-notch. I particularly enjoyed the delicious breakfast spread, which gave me the perfect start to my days of exploration in Turin.

When exploring the city, I highly recommend staying near the city center or Borgo Po. This allows easy access to the main attractions and makes the visit much more enjoyable. Being close to the city center means you can stroll through the vibrant streets, dine at delicious restaurants, and immerse yourself in the local culture. Borgo Po, on the other hand, offers a more tranquil atmosphere with its picturesque views and charming architecture. Whether you prefer the hustle and bustle of the city or the serenity of Borgo Po, both areas provide a fantastic base for discovering all that Turin has to offer.

Staying in Turin: Useful Information for Your Visit

Turin, or Torino in Italian, is an important city in northern Italy. It is the capital of the Piedmont region and, with Milan, one of the cultural, industrial, and financial epicenters of continental Italy and one of the most visited destinations in the Italian Alpine region. Turin is located on the Po River plain, a short distance from the peaks of the Alps and the borders with France and Switzerland.

Turin is accessible by air, with the main airport just outside the city, and by train and bus from other parts of Italy and Europe. The city’s layout is manageable and large but not overwhelming, and many sights are concentrated in the center.

The city, especially the historical center, is walkable. For longer distances, you can rely on public transportation such as buses, trams, and an underground metro line. Porta Nuova and Porta Susa’s main stations are hubs for local transit and trains to other cities.

Regarding food in Turin, don’t miss out on local specialties like chocolate and ‘gianduiotti’. Also, try out ‘bagna cauda,’ a warm dip with garlic and anchovies, and the rich ‘agnolotti’ pasta stuffed with meat.

The climate in Turin sees cold winters with temperatures that can drop below freezing. Summers are warm with highs around 25°C but can occasionally reach up to 35°C. Spring and fall have mild weather ideal for walking around the city; rain is more common in these seasons.

The Mole Antonelliana is a must-see; it’s an iconic city symbol. Other attractions include the Egyptian Museum, one of the most important of its kind outside Egypt; the Royal Palace of Turin; and the Parco del Valentino, with its beautiful gardens along the Po River.

Turin is also an important center of pilgrimage for Christians around the world. In its cathedral, the “Shroud of Turin” or “Holy Shroud,” some think is the piece of cloth used to wrap the body of Christ after his crucifixion, is displayed.

Another type of pilgrim, in this case, sports, also flock to Turin to attend matches of its well-known football team, Juventus. Juve is one of the Italian football teams with the most followers worldwide.

The city center near Piazza Castello is the best area to stay in for easy access to major sights. For quieter options, consider staying across the river in Vanchiglia or further down the river near Lingotto for a more modern part of town.

Hostels offer a cheap way to stay for those traveling on a budget. Apartments or bed-and-breakfast accommodations are often more affordable than hotels.

When looking for a place to stay, check reviews online for recent feedback on cleanliness and services like Wi-Fi or breakfast, which might be included in your stay. Consider proximity to public transport to save money and time when moving around Turin.

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