Day Trips from Turin: 10 by Train and Bus

Home › Piedmont › Turin › Day trips from Turin

Turin is a practical base for day trips because three royal residences sit on the city transport network and regional trains run direct to Asti, Alba, Ivrea and the Susa valley. Plan one trip for every two or three nights in the city, and check the Aosta line before you count on it: buses replace the trains between Ivrea and Aosta until 13 December 2026.

At a glance

Half days on city transport: Venaria, Superga and Stupinigi.
Direct regional trains: Asti, Ivrea, Alba and the Susa valley stations for the Sacra di San Michele.
Longer days: Milan by high-speed train, Forte di Bard and Aosta by train plus replacement bus.
Closed on Mondays: Venaria, Stupinigi and Forte di Bard. The Superga rack tramway has a weekly closing day too.
Start with the Turin travel guide if you have not planned the city days yet.

Half-day trips on city transport

1. Reggia di Venaria

The Reggia is a former royal residence with large gardens in the town of Venaria Reale. It is one of the 14 Savoy residences that UNESCO listed in 1997.

Getting there: the palace names SFM lines 4, 6 and 7 as the trains from Turin. Get off at the station called Reggia di Venaria. The ticket office is about 500 m away along Via Andrea Mensa. The GTT Venaria Express shuttle (VE1) stops in piazza Vittorio Veneto, piazza Castello and at Porta Susa from Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays. As of November 2026 GTT lists the ordinary urban ticket (€1.70) for it from Tuesday to Friday and a €7 hop-on hop-off ticket at weekends and on holidays.

What to see: the state rooms and the gardens fill a half day.

When it is not worth it: on Mondays, when the palace, gardens and shuttle all stop. Details are in the Reggia di Venaria guide and the overview of the Savoy residences around Turin.

2. Basilica of Superga

Superga is the basilica on the hill east of the Po. People go up for the view over Turin to the Alps.

Getting there: the Sassi-Superga rack tramway starts from Sassi station in Piazzale Modena, at the foot of the hill. The line opened in 1884 and the ride takes about 18 minutes. GTT lists the full fare at €4 single and €6 return from Monday to Friday, and €6 single and €9 return on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Seats cannot be reserved. The Turin tourist board timetable shows the tramway closed on Wednesdays, when bus 79/ goes up instead.

When it is not worth it: in fog or low cloud, which is common on the plain in late autumn and winter. Look at the hill from the river first. If you cannot see the basilica, you will not see the city from it. Our Superga page covers the interior.

3. Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi

Stupinigi is the hunting lodge of the Savoy court, south-west of the city, now a museum of furnished royal apartments. It is usually quieter than Venaria.

Getting there: the foundation that runs it gives GTT bus 41 toward Orbassano from Lingotto station, about 20 minutes to the Stupinigi stop. From the center, take tram 4 to Piazzale Caio Mario and change to the 41. See the Turin public transport guide for tickets.

What to see: the lodge is open Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 17:30 and on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 10:00 to 18:30, with last admission 30 minutes earlier. The full ticket is €12 and the reduced one €8, as of November 2026.

When it is not worth it: on Mondays, when it is closed.

Direct by regional train

Regional tickets have a fixed price and do not sell out, so there is nothing to book ahead for these four. Read how regional trains in Italy work and how to validate a paper ticket. Check whether your train leaves from Porta Nuova or Porta Susa.

4. Asti

Asti is a medieval merchant town about 55 km east of Turin, and the main town of the Monferrato wine hills.

Getting there: it is on the Turin to Genoa railway. The SFM6 suburban line ends at Asti and faster trains on the Genoa route stop there too. The station is on Piazza Marconi, a few minutes on foot from the historic center.

What to see: follow Via Cavour from the station to the Collegiate Church of San Secondo, which has a Gothic interior and a terracotta front from the mid 15th century. The Torre Troyana, built in the second half of the 13th century, can be climbed by 199 steps. The walk ends at the Rotunda of the Holy Sepulchre, built before 1169.

When it is not worth it: if Alba is already on your list and you only want one wine-country town. More ideas are on the small towns of Piedmont page.

5. Ivrea

Ivrea is on UNESCO's list as an industrial city of the 20th century. Camillo Olivetti founded the typewriter company here in 1908, and most of the listed buildings went up between the 1930s and the 1960s under Adriano Olivetti.

Getting there: fast regional trains run from Torino Porta Nuova to Ivrea. The section between Chivasso and Ivrea was shut for works from February to April 2026, so check for notices on the line before you go.

What to see: start at the UNESCO Visitor Centre at Via Jervis 11, which is free. The tourist board lists it as open from Friday to Sunday and on other days by reservation. The site is a factory, offices and workers' housing that you see from the street, so this is a walk with a map. Our Ivrea guide covers the old town as well.

When it is not worth it: if modern architecture does not interest you. In Carnival week the town is given over to the Battle of the Oranges.

6. Alba and the Langhe

Alba is the main town of the Langhe wine hills and the center of the white truffle trade.

Getting there: the SFM4 suburban line runs from Turin to Alba without a change.

What to see: The Cathedral of San Lorenzo was built between 1486 and 1516 and remodelled in the 19th century. The Sineo Tower in front of it is about 35 m high and dates from the 12th century. In autumn the town hosts the international white truffle fair, first held in 1930. Dates change every year. Read the Alba white truffle guide and the truffle fair page first.

When it is not worth it: if what you want is Barolo, La Morra and the vineyard views. Those villages are not on the railway. Without a car, book a driver or one of the wine tours in Piedmont, or keep the day to Alba itself. The Langhe wine guide, the Barolo guide and the Turin and Langhe itinerary explain how to spread it over two days.

7. Sacra di San Michele

The Sacra is an abbey on top of Mount Pirchiriano, on the south side of the Susa valley, in the municipality of Sant'Ambrogio di Torino.

Getting there: take the Susa valley train (SFM3) from Porta Nuova to Avigliana. On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 4 April to 1 November 2026 a bus met the trains there. It left Avigliana station at 9:00, 10:00, 14:00, 16:00 and 18:00, took about 30 minutes and cost €3.60 one way on board. A combined train and bus ticket cost €6.30 one way and gave 25% off the abbey entrance.

On other days you walk. Trail 502 climbs from Sant'Ambrogio station in about an hour and a half, with 600 m of ascent.

What to see: the winter timetable (2 November to 28 February) is 9:30 to 16:30 from Monday to Saturday and 10:45 to 16:30 on Sundays. From March the abbey stays open an hour longer. See the Sacra di San Michele guide.

When it is not worth it: on a winter weekday without a car, unless you want the hike. The abbey is closed from 11 to 31 January 2027.

Longer days

8. Milan

Trenitalia and Italo both run high-speed trains between Turin and Milan. Our page on traveling between Milan and Turin compares them, and Trenitalia versus Italo explains the two companies.

What to see: a day covers the Duomo and its roof, the Galleria and one museum. Reserve the Last Supper before you buy the train ticket, because it is the part that sells out.

When it is not worth it: if Milan is already a stop on your route. The two cities are also very different in mood, and the Turin versus Milan comparison may persuade you to spend the day in Turin's own museums.

9. Forte di Bard

Bard is a 19th-century Savoy fortress on a rock at the entrance to the Aosta Valley. It reopened in 2006 as a museum complex. Inside are the Museum of the Alps, the old prisons and temporary exhibitions.

Getting there: Hône-Bard station is 500 m from the fortress, but it sits on the Ivrea to Aosta section, where buses replace the trains during the electrification works. The regional tourist board gives 13 December 2026 as the end of the replacement service. Until then, take the train to Ivrea and continue by replacement bus.

What to see: in 2026 the fort is open Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:00 and on Saturdays and Sundays until 19:00. The full ticket is €15, the All Forte ticket for every museum and exhibition is €24, and visitors up to 18 enter free. Read the Forte di Bard page.

When it is not worth it: on Mondays, when it is closed except in August and from 26 December to 6 January.

10. Aosta

Aosta is the capital of the Aosta Valley, 110 km north-north-west of Turin, with Roman remains spread through a walkable center.

Getting there: this is the hardest trip on the page in 2026. The railway between Ivrea and Aosta is replaced by buses until 13 December 2026. The regional tourist board publishes the timetable of the replacement buses between Aosta and Turin.

What to see: the Roman theater, the cryptoporticus under the forum, the regional archaeological museum and the early Christian church of San Lorenzo are the main sites to enter. The Arch of Augustus and the Roman gate are in the street. Start with the Aosta guide and the Roman Aosta page.

When it is not worth it: as a rushed day trip while the buses are running. If you want mountains as well as ruins, stay a night or follow the three-day Aosta Valley itinerary. The Aosta Valley travel guide covers bases.

How to choose

One spare half day: Venaria if you like palaces, Superga if the sky is clear.
A Monday: Asti, Alba or Milan. The palaces and the fort are closed.
Food and wine: Alba, and add a driver for the villages. See the Langhe and Barolo overview.
Architecture: Stupinigi for the 18th century, Ivrea for the 20th.

Do not give up city days for these. The two-day Turin itinerary has no room for them. With three days you can fit Venaria. The five-day Piedmont itinerary shows how to turn Alba and the Langhe into overnight stops. For several royal sites, check the Torino+Piemonte Card: GTT lists a reduced €4 return on both the Venaria shuttle and the Superga tramway for card holders.

Questions travelers ask

What is the easiest day trip from Turin?

The Reggia di Venaria. Suburban trains stop at Reggia di Venaria station, about 500 m from the ticket office, and the GTT Venaria Express shuttle runs from the center from Tuesday to Sunday. The palace is closed on Mondays.

Can you reach the Sacra di San Michele without a car?

Yes. In 2026 a bus ran from Avigliana station to the abbey on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 4 April to 1 November, with a combined train and bus ticket at €6.30 one way. On other days the option is trail 502 from Sant'Ambrogio station, about an hour and a half uphill with 600 m of ascent.

Are trains running from Turin to Aosta?

Not the whole way. Buses replace the trains between Ivrea and Aosta until 13 December 2026 because of electrification works, according to the Aosta Valley tourist board. Replacement buses also run between Aosta and Turin.

Can you visit the Langhe from Turin without a car?

You can visit Alba, which has a direct suburban train from Turin on line SFM4. The Barolo villages are not on the railway, so they need a driver, a tour or a rental car.

Which day trips from Turin are closed on Mondays?

The Reggia di Venaria, the Stupinigi hunting lodge and Forte di Bard are closed on Mondays. Bard makes an exception in August and from 26 December to 6 January. The Superga rack tramway is listed as closed on Wednesdays.

Keep planning: Best things to do in Turin · Where to stay in Turin.

Sources

More Turin guides

Author: the TourLeaderPro.com editorial team, a network of tour leaders and registered tourist guides in Italy.

Plan your Italian trip, free

Build my itinerary →

Day trips from Turin: 10 places by train and bus, ordered by ease