What to See at the Royal Museums of Turin: from the Royal Palace to the Chapel of the Holy Shroud

I Musei Reali di Torino are one of the largest and most diverse museum complexes in Europe and are equal, in terms of their size and the value of their collections, to the major European royal residences. They are located in the heart of the old city and offer a journey through history, art, and nature that unfolds along more than 3 km of museum walkways over 30,000 square meters of exhibition and storage spaces, 7 hectares of gardens, with exhibits dating from Prehistory to the modern age.

Their origin dates back to 1563, when Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia moved the capital of the duchy from Chambéry to Turin and began the great urban transformation and the enrichment of the dynastic collections. Between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the residence, centered on the majestic Palazzo Reale, expanded in the form of a city following the orthogonal plan of the first urban expansion towards the Po River. Inhabited by the Savoys until 1946, it is now the property of the Italian state.

The Musei Reali di Torino are located in the heart of the old city and offer a fascinating itinerary of history, art, and nature that unfolds across 55,000 square meters, with exhibits dating from Prehistory to the modern age, bringing together in a single large museum project:

• the Palazzo Reale
• the Biblioteca Reale
• the Armeria Reale
• the Galleria Sabauda
• the Museo Archeologico
• the Giardini Reali
• the Palazzo Chiablese
• the Cappella della Sindone.

1 Royal Palace of Turin

The Royal Palace, command center of the Savoy family, preserves rooms, furnishings, and works of art made between the 16th and 20th centuries. The facade, preceded by the gate designed by Pelagio Palagi, hides lavish interiors, designed and decorated by great artists such as Daniel Seyter, Claudio Beaumont, Francesco De Mura and by architects like Filippo Juvarra and Benedetto Alfieri. Through the Medagliere Hall, you access the Beaumont Gallery which hosts the Royal Armoury, opened to the public in 1837, which houses a very rich collection with weapons and armor ranging from the archaeological period to the nineteenth century.

2 Royal Armoury, Turin

The Royal Armoury of Turin currently holds more than 5,000 items ranging from Prehistory to the early twentieth century, among which one of the most important collections consists of 16th-century weapons and armor. The Royal Armoury also includes the Royal Coin Cabinet, intended to house, in precious Palagi furniture, the collection of coins and a selection of classical antiquities and precious objects of Charles Albert.

“To avoid any kind of problem, you can purchase your ticket online for the guided tour of the Royal Palace of Turin.”

3 Royal Library, Turin

The Alfieri staircase connects the Armoury to the Royal Library, founded in 1831 by Carlo Alberto, who expanded the court library with numerous volumes purchased from antiquarians across Europe. The collection of drawings is of great value, with specimens from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century, works by great masters including Michelangelo, Raphael, Rembrandt. Among these is also the famous nucleus of Leonardo da Vinci, with the Self-Portrait and the Codex on the flight of birds. For conservation reasons, the drawings are not always on public display.

4 Sabauda Gallery, Turin

The collecting taste of the Savoia family is documented in painting by the Sabauda Gallery, which preserves great masterpieces of the main European schools, from Van Eyck to Rubens and van Dyck; from Mantegna, to Paolo Veronese, to Orazio Gentileschi, to Guido Reni. Arranged chronologically, the Gallery is housed in the Manica Nuova and also hosts two important collections: that of the financier Riccardo Gualino, with major paintings ranging from Duccio, to Botticelli, to Francesco Guardi, and that of Flemish and Dutch painting coming from the collections of the Prince Eugene of Savoy-Soissons.

5 Archaeological Museum, Turin

The underground floor of the same building and the Orangeries house the Archaeological Museum, overlooking the area of the Roman theater. Founded in the sixteenth century as a dynastic collection of the Dukes of Savoy, the archaeological collection was enriched by the arrival of the Egyptian collection of Bernardino Drovetti and became the Museum of Antiquities and Egyptology in 1832. After separating from the Egyptian Museum, it houses archaeological finds from excavations conducted in the Piedmont territory, including the Treasure of Marengo.

“To avoid any kind of problem, you can buy the ticket online for the guided tour of the Royal Palace of Turin.”

6 Royal Gardens, Turin

The Royal Gardens are a unique urban green area for monumental and environmental value, developed in the portion still enclosed by the Bastions, over a total area of about 7 hectares. A pivotal point of the entire complex, they were created by Duparc, expanded during the seventeenth century by André le Nôtre, and completed in the following century with the statuary group of the Tritons, a work by Simone Martinez.

7 Chiablese Palace, Turin

Also part of the Royal Museums is the ground floor of the Chiablese Palace, dedicated to important temporary exhibitions. The exhibitions are often dedicated to great international artists and allow the visitor to take a journey through history and art, from the Roman era up to the twentieth century. Originally from the seventeenth century, the Palace was redesigned in 1753 by the architect Benedetto Alfieri on the King’s orders to serve as the residence of Benedetto Maria Maurizio, Duke of Chiablese, from whom it takes its name. From this period dates the majestic staircase leading to the noble floor, where sumptuous decorations, stuccoes, furnishings, painted overdoors, and wood paneling are found.

8 Chapel of the Shroud, Turin

The Chapel of the Shroud, an architectural masterpiece, was designed by Guarino Guarini between 1667 and 1690. On the night between April 11 and 12, 1997, the Chapel of the Holy Shroud was affected by a large fire that severely damaged the building, making a long and challenging architectural and structural restoration necessary to restore its load-bearing capacity and its image. On September 27, 2018, the Chapel of the Shroud was reopened to the public. Access is included in the usual ticket for the Royal Museums.

“To avoid any kind of problem, you can buy the ticket online for the guided tour of the Royal Palace of Turin.”

Royal Museums Schedule Turin

From Tuesday to Sunday: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Ticket Office: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Last entry at 6:00 PM

The Royal Museums entrance ticket includes the following routes: Dynastic apartment on the first floor of the Royal Palace with Armoury and Chapel of the Holy Shroud, Sabauda Gallery (First Floor) and Museum of Antiquities (Archaeology in Turin and Treasury of Marengo). Phone from Monday to Sunday (9-13): 011 19560449.

Tickets for Royal Museums Turin

The Royal Museums of Turin can be visited with a single ticket.

• Full price 15.00 €
• Reduced: 2.00 €
• Youth aged 18 to 25 years
• Free: Under 18 years old
• People with disabilities and one accompanying person
• Teachers with school groups – Tourist guides with groups
• Ministry staff – Holders of Museums Pass, Torino+Piemonte Card, ICOM card

“To avoid any kind of problem, you can purchase the ticket online for the guided tour of the Royal Palace of Turin.”

How to get to the Royal Museums of Turin

Tram and bus

Stop 472 Castello in Piazza Castello, Stop 423 Duomo – Polo Reale in Via XX Settembre, Stop 204 XI Febbraio in Corso XI Febbraio.

Train

• Porta Nuova Station (15 minutes on foot) From the station cross corso Vittorio Emanuele II and continue on via Roma until Piazza Castello
• Porta Susa Station (20 minutes on foot) After leaving the station walk along Via Cernaia and continue along Via Pietro Micca until Piazza Castello

Car

From the highway exit or ring road follow the signs for the city center. The Royal Museums are located in a central ZTL area with particular traffic restrictions for cars. Car passage is prohibited in Via XX Settembre and Via Pietro Micca, reserved for public transport. In Via Po, Piazza Castello, and Viale dei Partigiani access is prohibited from 7:30 am to 10:30 am. Corso Regina Margherita and Corso San Maurizio have free access all day.

Where to park for the Royal Museums of Turin

PARKING
San Carlo, Piazza Castello, 113 – Santo Stefano Parking, Via Porta Palatina, 15

BICYCLE PARKING
Bicycles must be parked outside the Royal Museums. Outside the Museum, it is possible to park bicycles in Piazza San Giovanni, near the entrance to the Royal Palace Complex

BIKE SHARING
ToBike Station, Via Conte Verde

CITYSIGHTSEEING
Ticket Point, Piazza Castello, 165

Map of the Royal Museums of Turin