Where to stay in Turin: the areas compared

Turin is flat and compact on the west bank of the Po, and most first-time visitors do best with a room between Porta Nuova station and Piazza Castello. Pick another area only for a reason: bars at the door, a quieter street, an early train, or an event at Lingotto.

At a glance

• Best base for a first visit: the Centro, between Porta Nuova and Piazza Castello. The plan for the sights is in the Turin travel guide.
• Stations: Torino Porta Nuova and Torino Porta Susa. Both are on metro line 1, three stops apart.
• Airport: trains from Torino Airport reach Porta Susa in about 30 minutes for €3.70. The Arriva Italia bus to Porta Nuova and Porta Susa takes 45 to 50 minutes and costs €7.50 one way.
• Getting around: on foot in the center, plus one metro line with 23 stations, trams and buses. A City 100 ticket costs €1.90 in digital form or €2 on paper and is valid 100 minutes with one metro ride.
• Tourist tax: €1 to €5 per person depending on the category of the accommodation, for up to 7 consecutive nights.
• Driving: the central traffic-restricted zone (ZTL Centrale) is closed to unauthorised cars from 7:30 to 10:30 on weekdays, Saturdays excluded.

How to choose an area

Use metro line 1 as the reference. It runs from Fermi, in Collegno, to Piazza Bengasi in the south and stops at both main stations. The stops that matter to visitors come in this order: Principi d'Acaja, XVIII Dicembre, Porta Susa, Vinzaglio, Re Umberto, Porta Nuova, Marconi, Nizza, Dante, Carducci, Spezia, Lingotto and Italia 61.

Check the timetable before you book a room far down the line. On Mondays the last metro trains leave the terminals at 21:30 and a replacement bus, the M1S, runs from 22:00 to 00:30. On Sundays and holidays the first train leaves at 7:00. See the Turin metro guide and the public transport guide.

The areas below are in order of convenience for a first visit of two or three days.

The areas, one by one

Centro: Porta Nuova to Piazza Castello

This is the default choice. Via Roma runs straight from Piazza Carlo Felice, in front of Porta Nuova station, through Piazza San Carlo to Piazza Castello. It suits short stays and anyone who arrives by train with luggage.

On foot you have the Royal Museums, Palazzo Madama and the Egyptian Museum. The Porta Nuova metro stop and the Arriva airport bus stop in Piazza Carlo Felice are at the south end.

The drawback is access by car. The whole area is inside the ZTL Centrale, and some streets are pedestrian zones closed to traffic 24 hours a day, so ask the property how close a taxi can drop you.

Quadrilatero Romano

The Quadrilatero is the old district north-west of Piazza Castello, with narrow streets, small workshops and many aperitivo bars. Its hub is Piazza Emanuele Filiberto. It suits visitors who want to eat and drink close to the room. The guide to aperitivo in Turin explains the custom.

The Porta Palatina, the cathedral and the Porta Palazzo market are a few minutes away on foot. There is no metro stop inside the district. The nearest ones, XVIII Dicembre and Porta Susa, are on its western side.

The drawback is evening noise from the bars, and the traffic rule. The Area Romana is closed to cars and parking every night from 21:00 to 7:30, and Piazza Emanuele Filiberto from 19:30.

Via Po, Piazza Vittorio and Vanchiglia

Via Po is an arcaded street that runs from Piazza Castello to Piazza Vittorio Veneto, the large square on the river. The National Cinema Museum in the Mole Antonelliana is just off it. North of the square is Vanchiglia, bordered by Corso San Maurizio, Corso Regio Parco and the Po. Its old core, Borgo Vanchiglia, has many bars and restaurants.

The area suits people who go out in the evening and anyone who wants the river close. You walk to Piazza Castello under the arcades of Via Po, which helps on wet days.

The drawback is transport. Metro line 1 does not come this way, so you rely on trams, buses and your feet, and the walk to Porta Nuova with luggage is long. Streets with bars stay busy late. Ask for a room on a courtyard.

San Salvario

San Salvario starts beside Porta Nuova and lies between Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, Corso Bramante, the railway and the Po. It has a grid plan, a large open market in Piazza Madama Cristina and a concentration of low-cost bars and restaurants that makes it the main nightlife district. It suits groups of friends and anyone who wants many places to eat within two blocks.

The Marconi and Nizza metro stops are inside the district, one and two stops south of Porta Nuova. On the river side is Parco del Valentino, the most used park in the city, with the 17th-century Castello del Valentino. The park is closed to traffic around the clock.

The drawback is noise at night, mostly at weekends, on the streets with the bars.

Porta Susa and Cit Turin

Porta Susa is the station in Corso Bolzano, west of the center. Trains on the SFM lines to the airport stop here. Behind it is Cit Turin, the smallest district of the city, a triangle between Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, Corso Francia and Corso Inghilterra. It is a residential area with Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings and the courthouse.

This base suits business travelers and anyone with an early train or flight. For arrivals from Lombardy see how to get from Milan to Turin. The metro stops are Porta Susa, XVIII Dicembre and Principi d'Acaja. Porta Nuova is three stops away.

The drawback is that few sights are at the door. You will take the metro or walk east to reach Piazza Castello and the museums.

Crocetta

Crocetta is south of the center, on the far side of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. It is one of the most exclusive residential areas of Turin, with avenues of eclectic, neo-Gothic and Art Nouveau buildings put up between 1903 and 1937. The main building of the Politecnico is here, and so is the GAM, the gallery of modern and contemporary art.

It suits families, longer stays and travelers who put a quiet street before everything else. The Vinzaglio and Re Umberto metro stops are on its northern edge, between Porta Susa and Porta Nuova.

The drawback is the evening. The district is residential, so for a wide choice of restaurants you go to the center or to San Salvario.

Borgo Po and the hill

Borgo Po is on the east bank, across the bridge from Piazza Vittorio Veneto, at the foot of the hills. The church of Santa Maria del Monte stands above it on the Monte dei Cappuccini. Further north, a rack railway climbs from the Sassi suburb to the Basilica of Superga.

The area suits travelers who want green surroundings and a view, and those with a car, since it is outside the ZTL Centrale.

The drawback is everything above the first streets. Addresses on the hill mean steep roads, no metro and a taxi or car for most evenings.

Lingotto and Nizza Millefonti

Lingotto is the district of the former Fiat factory, in the south. It suits visitors who come for a trade fair or an event at the Lingotto complex, and drivers who want to stay outside the central traffic zone. The Fiat Lingotto guide covers the building and its rooftop track, and the National Automobile Museum guide covers the car museum nearby.

The metro stops are Spezia, Lingotto and Italia 61. Lingotto is six stops from Porta Nuova. Torino Lingotto railway station, in Via Pannunzio, is mainly for local trains, and SFM trains to the airport call there.

The drawback is that you cannot walk to the center, and the area is short on atmosphere in the evening.

For types of accommodation, see hotels in Turin compared.

Areas to think twice about

• North of Corso Regina Margherita (Aurora, Borgo Dora). The Porta Palazzo market and the Saturday Balon flea market are here. As a base it is weaker: metro line 1 does not serve it, the market sets up early, and a listing described as near the center can be a longer walk than it looks.
• The airport and Caselle. Useful only for a very early flight. On weekdays the first train from Porta Susa to the airport leaves at 5:01 and the last train from the airport to the city at 22:28. Other options are in the Turin airport guide.
• Venaria Reale. The town is about 15 minutes by train from the airport on the same SFM line and makes sense only if the palace is the reason for the trip. Otherwise visit it from the city with the Reggia di Venaria guide.

If you arrive by car

The ZTL Centrale covers the historic center inside a ring of avenues that includes Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, Corso Regina Margherita and the riverside roads at Piazza Vittorio Veneto. From 7:30 to 10:30 on weekdays, Saturdays excluded, only authorised vehicles can enter or park. Lanes reserved for public transport are closed to cars from 7:00 to 20:00 every day.

Hotels inside the zone can ask the city for an exemption for their guests after the entry, so give your plate number to the reception. If you use a public car park inside the zone, give the plate to the operator and fill in the transit form there by 11:00. The Roma, San Carlo, Vittorio, Re Umberto and Galileo Ferraris car parks have an entrance from outside the zone and need no registration. A car is of no use in the city. It helps for the Sacra di San Michele or the Langhe wine area.

Tourist tax

Turin charges an accommodation tax, the imposta di soggiorno, per person, on top of the room price. It is paid at the property and applies for a maximum of 7 consecutive nights. Children under 13 are exempt. The City of Turin page, updated on 3 March 2026, lists these rates:

• Hostels and campsites: €1.00
• Hotels and aparthotels with one or two stars: €3.00
• Three stars: €3.50
• Four stars: €4.50
• Five stars and five stars luxury: €5.00
• B&Bs, holiday apartments and residences, rented rooms, holiday homes and short-term tourist rentals: €3.80

Check the rate for your category on the city page listed in the sources before you go.

When rooms are hard to find

The Nitto ATP Finals run from 15 to 22 November 2026. Rooms are harder to find then. Other weeks to check are those of the Salone del Gusto, the Kappa FuturFestival, the Turin Film Festival, the Torino Jazz Festival and the Christmas markets. In those weeks book early or look along the metro line.

To decide how many nights to book, use Turin in one day, Turin in two days or Turin in three days, and the ranked list of Turin museums. The Torino card review shows whether a pass pays off. For transport alone, the Tour 48h ticket costs €9.50 and the Tour 72h €12.50.

Questions travelers ask

Keep planning: Best day trips from Turin · Best things to do in Turin.

Sources

• City of Turin: imposta di soggiorno (accommodation tax)
• City of Turin: table of accommodation tax rates
• City of Turin: ZTL Centrale and other restricted zones
• GTT: the automatic metro of Turin, hours of service
• GTT: metro line 1 timetable and list of stations
• GTT: urban and suburban transport fares
• Trenitalia: trains to Torino Caselle airport
• Torino Airport: reaching the city by bus
• Turismo Torino e Provincia: arriving by train
• Wikipedia: Turin, districts and geography