Turin with Kids: 15 Things We Did on 4 Family Trips

My sister’s family lives in Turin, so for a few years our Christmas holidays had a fixed address: her flat, a direct flight from Barcelona, and a week of panettone and cold, bright mornings. We made four winter trips in total, the last one at New Year 2018/19, when Damian was 5 and Marc was 2. Every time, my sister made sure we didn’t spend it on the sofa.

This is everything we did in Turin with kids across those four trips: what the boys loved, what bored them after an hour, and what I’d skip. I re-checked every price and opening time in October 2026, because a lot has changed since our last visit. The hot-air balloon we rode no longer exists, for a start.

Quick answers

• Is Turin good for kids? Yes. It’s flat, compact and full of arcades for rainy days, and three of its big museums (cars, cinema and ancient Egypt) work for children.
• Best for little kids: the Cinema Museum in the Mole Antonelliana, Parco del Valentino and the historic tram.
• The cheapest big museum for families: the Egyptian Museum. Children aged 6–14 pay €1 (October 2026).
• How many days? Two for the city, three or four with a day trip to the mountains (Bardonecchia) or Lake Maggiore.
• Getting there from Barcelona: direct flights take about 1.5 hours, and the airport bus reaches the centre in about 45–50 minutes.

Things to do in Turin with kids: our 15

1. Museo Nazionale dell’Automobile (MAUTO)

On our very first trip to Turin, this was the only museum we had time for, and it was worth it. Nearly 200 cars from about 80 brands, from steam-powered vehicles to the latest models, in a city that grew up around car factories. We came out far more impressed than we’d expected, and children who love cars can spend hours here.

2026: €18 adults, €8 ages 6–17, free under 5. Open Monday 10:00–14:00 and Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–19:00, last entry an hour before closing. It’s south of the centre, near Lingotto, so combine it with item 15.

2. The Cinema Museum inside the Mole Antonelliana

If your kids only do one museum in Turin, make it this one. The National Cinema Museum fills the Mole Antonelliana, the tower on every postcard of Turin, and it’s built to be played with: old cameras, optical toys, film sets, and a huge hall where you sit back in cinema seats and watch films on screens high above you. In winter the queue outside is long and cold, so book a time slot.

2026: museum €18 (€16 under 26), panoramic lift €9, museum + lift €23. Free up to 5 years. Open 9:00–19:00, closed on Tuesdays.

3. Museo Egizio (the Egyptian Museum)

The oldest Egyptian museum in the world, and one of the biggest collections outside Cairo: statues, sarcophagi and real mummies. I loved it. The boys, at 5 and 2, were done after about an hour, not because it’s dull but because it’s huge. With small children, pick two or three rooms (the mummies and the statue gallery) and leave while everyone’s still happy.

2026: €18 adults, €1 for ages 6–14, €3 for ages 15–18, free under 6. Tickets are sold online only. Open Monday 9:00–14:00, Tuesday–Friday and Sunday 9:00–18:30, Saturday 9:00–20:00. See skip-the-line and guided tours.

4. Piazza San Carlo and Piazza Castello

Piazza San Carlo is my favourite square in Turin, especially in winter: twin churches, arcades all around, and no cars, so the kids can run while you have a coffee under the porticoes. Five minutes away, Piazza Castello is the big square in front of the Palazzo Reale, the Savoy royal palace. Both are free, and both are where you’ll end up anyway.

5. Parco del Valentino

Turin’s riverside park along the Po, and where Turin families go at the weekend. We went for a walk and the boys spent most of it chasing squirrels, which in a city park in December was the highlight of their day. It’s free, it has playgrounds, and it’s a good break between museums.

6. Borgo Medievale (check before you go)

Inside Parco del Valentino is a “medieval village” built for the 1884 Italian exhibition: a drawbridge, workshops, a chapel and the Rocca, a castle you could visit with a guide, room by room. We loved it. We paid €6 each in 2018, and children under 5 went free.

⚠️ 2026: the Borgo has been under restoration since March 2024. The city plans to reopen it in stages, so check the official site before you go. More in our Borgo Medievale post.

7. Monte dei Cappuccini, by day and by night

The classic photo of Turin with the Alps behind it is taken from here, a small hill just across the Po from the centre, by the Gran Madre church. We went by day on our second trip and by night on our fourth, on the advice of my sister’s friends. Go at night. The whole city is lit up below you, and it’s the first view that made Damian, at 5, say without being asked that it was “so so pretty”. It’s free.

8. Basilica di Superga

The other big viewpoint: a baroque basilica on a hill outside the city, with Turin and the Alps on one side. We drove up. Without a car, the Sassi–Superga rack railway climbs the hill, which kids will enjoy more than the view. The basilica is free. The royal tombs and the dome walk cost extra (check on the day). Football fans will want to know that the memorial to the 1949 Torino FC air crash is here. In one day, choose Superga or Monte dei Cappuccini, not both.

9. Villa della Regina

A Savoy queen’s villa with terraced gardens on the hill above the Po. My parents went in summer and walked the gardens. We went in the snow and the gardens were closed, so we only saw the villa and the view. Go between spring and autumn if the gardens are the reason.

10. Reggia di Venaria Reale

One of the largest royal palaces in Europe, just outside Turin. We drove (there’s also public transport), and the route through the palace alone is close to 2 km, so bring a buggy for toddlers and snacks for everyone. It’s very grand, and it’s long. For under-6s, I’d pick Stupinigi instead.

2026: palace + gardens €18, €8 under 21, free under 6.

11. Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi

The Savoy hunting lodge, a UNESCO World Heritage site. My sister wanted to show it to me, and I’d assumed it would be Venaria again. It isn’t: it’s smaller, lighter, and the central hall is breathtaking. The boys weren’t allowed to run inside, so they did their running in the gardens afterwards. Full details in our Stupinigi post.

2026: €12 adults, €5 ages 6–18, free under 6. Tuesday–Friday 10:00–17:30, weekends 10:00–18:30, closed Mondays. GTT bus 41 from Lingotto takes about 20 minutes.

12. The historic tram, line 7

A vintage tram on a loop through the centre and along the big avenues, past Porta Nuova and back to Piazza Castello. It’s not easy to catch, because it only runs on Sundays and public holidays, about once an hour between 9:30 and 19:30. A normal city ticket covers it: we paid €1.50 in 2018, and it’s €1.90 today. Two small boys on a wooden tram that rattles and dings is about as good as Turin gets.

13. Christmas lights, the Christmas village and ice skating

All four of our trips were at Christmas, so this is the Turin we know best: the Luci d’Artista light installations over the streets, a Christmas village with an ice rink in the centre, and Damian’s first time on skates. Everything is in Turin at Christmas & New Year with kids.

14. A bicerin at Caffè Al Bicerin

Turin’s own hot drink is the bicerin: espresso, hot chocolate and cream in layers, in a small glass. It was invented at Al Bicerin, a tiny café from 1763 across from the Consolata church. It’s expensive for a coffee, and it’s worth it once. The kids get a hot chocolate. More places in where to eat in Turin.

15. Lunch at Lingotto: Osteria del Fiat and Eataly

Lingotto is the old Fiat factory, now a shopping centre, a hotel and Eataly. We had lunch at Osteria del Fiat, “Fate in fretta a tavola”: porcini pasta for me, carbonara for my husband, and the Torta Fiat 500 for dessert, which you shouldn’t skip. It’s also next to the Automobile Museum, which makes it a good half-day for car lovers.

Day trips from Turin with kids

• Bardonecchia: the mountains, about 1.5 hours by direct train. We built a snowman there one year and found only artificial snow the next.
• Lake Maggiore: Stresa and the Borromean Islands, 1.5 hours by car.
• Milan: about an hour by fast train. We went as a couple while my sister took the kids.

What we’d skip, or change

• The Turin Eye. It took us four attempts (weather, then licences) to ride the hot-air balloon in Borgo Dora. It was less than we’d expected, but the boys loved it and didn’t want to come down. It was grounded in 2019 and dismantled, so take the Mole lift instead.
• A full Egyptian Museum visit with a toddler. Do the highlights and go.
• Venaria and Stupinigi on the same day. That’s two palaces too many for anyone under 10.

Where to stay in Turin with kids

We stay with my sister, so I’ve never booked a Turin hotel for us. But I spent 14 years working with hotels, and this is how I’d choose. For a first visit with small kids, stay in the centre, between Porta Nuova and Piazza Castello: the airport bus stops at Porta Nuova, and the Egyptian Museum, Piazza San Carlo and the Mole are all walkable. For more space for less money, Lingotto is on the metro and right by the car museum and Eataly. Our three picks are in the box at the top.

Getting to and around Turin

• From Barcelona: we always flew. Ryanair, Vueling and Wizz Air run direct flights to Turin Airport (Caselle), about 1.5 hours.
• Airport to centre: the Arriva bus to Porta Susa and Porta Nuova takes about 45–50 minutes and costs €7.50, or €23 for a family ticket for 2 adults and 2 young people (October 2026).
• In the city: a GTT ticket is €1.90 (digital) and lasts 100 minutes, including one metro ride. A day ticket is €3.70.

Planning Turin with kids? Compare family rooms in central Turin →

Turin with kids: FAQ

Is Turin good for kids?

Yes. Turin is flat, compact and easy to walk, with arcades for rainy days, big parks along the Po, and museums that work for children, especially the Cinema Museum in the Mole Antonelliana and the Automobile Museum.

How many days do you need in Turin with kids?

Two days for the city, and three or four if you add a day trip to Bardonecchia in the mountains or to Lake Maggiore.

Is the Egyptian Museum in Turin good for children?

Yes, in small doses. Children aged 6–14 pay €1 (October 2026), but the museum is huge. Our boys, at 5 and 2, had had enough after about an hour, so pick the highlights.

What is the best museum in Turin for kids?

The National Cinema Museum inside the Mole Antonelliana. It’s hands-on, there’s a hall where you sit back in cinema seats to watch films, and a panoramic lift goes up the tower. It’s closed on Tuesdays.

Is the Turin Eye balloon still open?

No. The Turin Eye hot-air balloon in Borgo Dora was grounded in 2019 and dismantled. For a view from above, take the panoramic lift in the Mole Antonelliana, or go up to Monte dei Cappuccini or Superga.

Where should families stay in Turin?

In the centre, between Porta Nuova station and Piazza Castello, where the airport bus stops and the main sights are walkable. Lingotto is a good-value alternative on the metro.