Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Domestic and international flights
land at the Caselle International
Airport ( % 011-5676361; www.
turin-airport.com), 16km (10 miles)
north of Turin. SADEM Buses
( % 011-3000611; www.sadem.it) run
between the airport and the Porto
Nuova train station every half-hour to
45 minutes; the trip takes 40 minutes
and costs 5 ( 5.50 if bought on
the bus).
Turin's refined air becomes appar-
ent as soon as you step off the train
into the mannerly 19th-century
Stazione Porta Nuova. The stately
arcaded Via Roma, lined with shops
and cafes, proceeds from the front of
the station through a series of piazze
toward the Piazza Castello and the center of the city, about a 15-minute walk.
The circular Piazza Carlo Felice, directly in front of the station, is built around
a garden and surrounded by outdoor cafes that invite even business-minded
Torinese to linger. A few steps farther, Via Roma opens into the Piazza San Carlo,
which is flanked by the twin churches of San Carlo and Santa Christina. The
Palazzo Madama, at the end of Via Roma, dominates the main Piazza Castello.
Flanking the north side of the piazza is the Palazzo Reale, residence of the Savoys
from 1646 to 1865, whose gardens provide a pleasant respite from traffic.
From here, a walk east toward the Po River along Via Po takes you through
Turin's university district to one of Italy's largest squares, the much-elongated
Piazza Vittorio Veneto. At the end of this elegant expanse sits the Po.
The main tourist office is a pavilion called “Atrium” in the middle of Piazza
Solferino ( % 011-535181; www.turismotorino.org or www.comune.torino.it; daily
9:30am-7pm). There's also an office in the airport, and another at the Porta
Nuova train station. You'll find more information on the surrounding region at
www.regione.piemonte.it .
ACCOMMODATIONS, BOTH STANDARD & NOT
The tourist office ( % 011-535181; www.turismotorino.org) will book hotel
rooms for free, but only 48 hours in advance of your arrival (for B&Bs, a week in
This is a remarkably agreeable
place. A beautiful town, prosperous,
thriving, growing prodigiously, as
Genoa is; crowded with busy inhabi-
tants; full of noble streets and
squares. The Alps, now covered deep
with snow, are close upon it, and
here and there seem almost ready to
tumble into the houses. The contrast
this part of Italy presents to the rest
of Italy is amazing.
—Charles Dickens, in a letter from
1853
City Bus & Tram Tickets
It's easy to get around central Turin on foot, but there's also a vast network
of GTT ( Gruppi Torinese Trasporti; % 800-019152; www.comune.torino.it/gtt)
trams and buses. Tickets are sold at newsstands: .90 for a single, 70-minute
ride; 3 for 24 hours. The Torino Card (later in this chapter) gets you free travel
for 48 hours.
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