For four winters, Christmas for us meant Turin. My sister’s family lives there, so we’d fly in from Barcelona, my parents would arrive in time for New Year’s Eve, and for a week three families and three small cousins shared one flat and a lot of panettone. Our boys were small: on our last trip, at New Year 2018/19, Damian was 5 and Marc was 2.
We weren’t tourists in the usual sense. Some days we did nothing but eat and talk. But my sister never let us stay in for long, and we came to know Turin in winter well: the cold, clear mornings, the lights over the streets, the mountains an hour and a half away by train. This is what Christmas and New Year in Turin are like with kids, and what’s changed since our last visit.
Quick answers
- Is Turin worth it at Christmas? Yes, if you like a city that’s lit up but not mobbed. It’s quieter than the German-style market towns, and the lights are works of art.
- The lights: the Luci d’Artista installations usually run from late October to early January (the 2025/26 edition ran from 24 October to 11 January).
- For kids: the Christmas village in Piazza Solferino, with an ice rink, a market and Santa’s house. Entry was free in 2025.
- Snow: sometimes in the city, and usually in the mountains. Bardonecchia is about 1.5 hours away by direct train.
- Book early: Christmas and New Year are high season for city-centre hotels.
Where to stay in Turin with kids: our top 3
Best Western Hotel Genio – next to Porta Nuova station, where the airport bus stops. Walkable to Piazza San Carlo and the Egyptian Museum.
NH Torino Lingotto Congress – inside the old Fiat factory at Lingotto, next to Eataly and the metro. More space for less than the centre.
Principi di Piemonte | UNA Esperienze – Turin’s grand hotel, a few minutes’ walk from Via Roma and Porta Nuova.
We stay with family in Turin, so we haven’t slept in these hotels. I picked them the way I picked hotels in 14 years of working in hotel distribution: location first.
What Christmas in Turin is like with kids
Luci d’Artista: the lights over the streets
Turin doesn’t do ordinary Christmas lights. Every winter, contemporary artists’ light installations go up over the streets and squares of the centre: the Luci d’Artista. Walking the centre after dark to see them was one of our evening rituals. It’s free, and it’s the easiest way to tire small kids out before bed.
The Christmas village and ice skating
We went ice skating on two of our Turin winters. On our 2017/18 trip, Damian went on the ice for the first time, aged 4, with my husband and his cousin, who takes skating lessons. At first he refused to step on the ice at all. An hour later he didn’t want to get off. The year after, we skated at a winter rink in the centre where, in 2018, the first 30 minutes were free if you brought your own skates, and renting them wasn’t expensive.
In recent years the city’s main Christmas village has been in Piazza Solferino: an ice rink, a Christmas market, Santa’s house and an elves’ village. In 2025 it ran from 5 December to 6 January, with free entry. Check this year’s dates in late November.
Christmas markets in Turin
Turin’s markets are smaller than the famous ones in Germany or Alsace, so don’t fly in just for them. We treated them the way locals do: a stop while walking the centre, something hot to drink, some street food, and on to the next square.
Panettone, and why everything takes longer
We ate tons of panettone, pizza and chocolate. Italian Christmas is built around long meals with family, and with three families in one flat that was most of our days. If you’re visiting family in Turin, as we were, plan the outings around the meals, not the other way round.
New Year’s Eve in Turin with kids
We spent every New Year’s Eve at my sister’s home, with my parents, and New Year’s Day as well: two days of talking, eating and drinking tea. With small children, that’s what I’d recommend. For New Year 2025/26, the city’s official concerts were ticketed events at the Inalpi Arena and the Teatro Regio rather than a free party in the square, so check the city’s programme each December if you want to go out.
On 1 January many places close or open late, so plan a quiet day: a walk in Parco del Valentino, or the view from Monte dei Cappuccini.
Our winter days out in and around Turin
Bardonecchia in the snow
We went up to Bardonecchia by train on two different winter trips. In 2017/18 we went on the spur of the moment, without even checking the weather, and it was snowing hard: we built a snowman, went sledging, and were half afraid we wouldn’t get back down. In 2018/19 the snow was artificial, but we found a big playground near the slopes, which saved the middle of the day with the kids.
We paid €7 for adults and €3.50 for children from age 5 (younger kids travelled free) in 2018. Today regional trains from Turin Porta Nuova take about 1.5 hours, with fares from around €8–9. We always did it as a day trip, because many places there asked for a 3–4 night minimum. Full guide: Bardonecchia with kids.
Stupinigi, the royal hunting lodge
The first outing of our 2018/19 trip. The rooms are spectacular, and the kids weren’t allowed to run in them, so the gardens outside did the job. Our Stupinigi visit.
Borgo Medievale
On the second day of that trip, while we waited for my parents to arrive, we discovered the medieval village in Parco del Valentino. The guided visit of the castle went room by room, and was the cheapest museum we did in Turin: €6 each, with under-5s free. It’s been under restoration since 2024, with a reopening in stages planned, so check before you go. More on Borgo Medievale.
Monte dei Cappuccini at night
On one of our last evenings we went up the hill after dark, on the advice of my sister’s friends, and saw the whole city lit up below. It was the first time Damian, at 5, told me without being asked that a view was “so so pretty”.
An indoor playground, and a day off for the parents
On the 2017/18 trip, my sister took all three kids to an indoor play centre full of ball pits while my husband and I went to Milan for the day, our first day trip without the kids. They didn’t miss us at all. If you’re travelling with family, take the offer. Our day in Milan. A year later, my sister and her husband took us to Lake Maggiore for the day, while the grandparents had all three kids.
What’s closed in Turin in winter
- Villa della Regina’s gardens were closed after snow on our 2017/18 trip, so we only saw the villa.
- Isola Bella’s palace and gardens on Lake Maggiore close for the winter (the 2026 season runs from 12 March to 8 November).
- The Turin Eye balloon, which we finally rode on our fourth trip after three failed attempts, was grounded in 2019 and dismantled.
- Christmas Day and New Year’s Day: museums often close or change their hours, so check each one’s site.
Turin in December: what to pack
It’s cold. Turin sits at the foot of the Alps, mornings are often around freezing, and we’ve seen snow in the city. Bring proper winter coats, hats and gloves for the kids, waterproof boots if you’re heading to the mountains, and your own skates if you have them (in 2018 that got you 30 free minutes at the rink).
Where to stay in Turin at Christmas
We stay with my sister. If you’re booking, stay central, between Porta Nuova and Piazza Castello, so the lights are a walk from your door and tired kids are never far from bed. Christmas and New Year are among the busiest weeks for city hotels, so book with free cancellation as soon as your dates are fixed. Our three picks are in the box at the top.
Doing Christmas closer to home? See Christmas in Barcelona with kids, or for snow, skiing near Barcelona with kids. And for the rest of the year: 15 things to do in Turin with kids.
Turin at Christmas: FAQ
Is Turin worth visiting at Christmas?
Yes. The centre is lit by the Luci d’Artista light installations, there’s a Christmas village with an ice rink, and it’s calmer than the big Christmas-market cities. We spent four Christmas and New Year holidays there with our kids.
When are the Christmas lights in Turin?
The Luci d’Artista usually run from late October to early January. The 2025/26 edition ran from 24 October 2025 to 11 January 2026.
Is there ice skating in Turin at Christmas?
Yes. In recent years the Christmas village in Piazza Solferino has had an ice rink. In 2025 it was open from 5 December to 6 January.
Does it snow in Turin in December?
Sometimes. We had snow in the city on our 2017/18 trip, and the mountains around Bardonecchia, about 1.5 hours by train, usually have snow or artificial snow for skiing.
What can you do on New Year’s Day in Turin with kids?
Plan a quiet day, because many places close or open late. A walk in Parco del Valentino or the view from Monte dei Cappuccini both work well.
Will like enjoying to !!!