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 comparable, 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 extends over more than 3 km of museum walkways across 30,000 sqm of exhibition and storage spaces, 7 hectares of gardens, with evidence dating from Prehistory to the modern age.

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

The Musei Reali di Torino are located in the heart of the old city and propose a fascinating itinerary of history, art, and nature that unfolds over 55,000 sqm, with evidence dating from Prehistory to the modern age, bringing together in one great 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 Turin Royal Palace

The Royal Palace, the command center of the Savoia family, preserves rooms, furnishings, and works of art created 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 architects like Filippo Juvarra and Benedetto Alfieri. Through the Medagliere Hall, you access the Beaumont Gallery which houses the Royal Armory, opened to the public in 1837, containing a very rich collection of weapons and armor from the archaeological period to the nineteenth century.

2 Royal Armoury, Turin

The Royal Armoury of Turin currently holds more than 5,000 objects ranging from Prehistory to the early twentieth century, among which one of the most important collections consists of weapons and armor from the sixteenth century. The Armoury also houses the Royal Medal Collection, intended to gather, in the precious Palagi cabinets, the coin collection and a selection of classical antiquities and precious objects of Charles Albert.

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

3 Royal Library, Turin

The Alfierian staircase connects the Armory to the Royal Library, founded in 1831 by Carlo Alberto, who expanded the court library with numerous volumes purchased from antiquarians across Europe. Of great value is the collection of drawings, featuring specimens from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century, works by great masters including Michelangelo, Raphael, Rembrandt. Among these is also the famous group 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 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 located in the Manica Nuova and also houses two important collections: that of the financier Riccardo Gualino, with large paintings ranging from Duccio to Botticelli to Francesco Guardi, and that of Flemish and Dutch painting originating from the collections of 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. Born in the sixteenth century as the dynastic collection of the Dukes of Savoy, the archaeological collection was enriched by the arrival of the Egyptian collection of Bernardino Drovetti and became in 1832 the Museum of Antiquities and Egyptology. After the separation from the Egyptian Museum, it houses archaeological finds from excavations conducted in the Piedmontese territory, including the Treasure of Marengo.

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

6 Royal Gardens, Turin

The Royal Gardens are a unique urban green area for their monumental and environmental value, developed in the portion still enclosed by the Bastions, covering a total area of about 7 hectares. A hub 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 statue group of the Tritons, a work by Simone Martinez.

7 Chiablese Palace, Turin

The Royal Museums also include the ground floor of the Chiablese Palace, intended for important temporary exhibitions. The exhibitions are often dedicated to great international artists and allow visitors to embark on a journey through history and art, from the Roman era to the twentieth century. Originally built in the seventeenth century, the Palace was redesigned in 1753 by the architect Benedetto Alfieri on behalf of the King to serve as the residence of Benedetto Maria Maurizio, Duke of Chiablese, from whom it takes its name. This period is marked by the majestic staircase leading to the noble floor, where sumptuous decorations, stuccoes, furnishings, painted overdoors, and boiseries can be found.

8 Chapel of the Holy Shroud, Turin

The Chapel of the Holy Shroud, an architectural masterpiece, was created 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 demanding architectural and structural restoration intervention necessary, aimed at restoring its load-bearing capacity and its image. On September 27, 2018, the Chapel of the Holy 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 purchase the ticket online for the guided tour of the Royal Palace of Turin.”

Royal Museums of Turin Opening Hours

From Tuesday to Sunday: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Ticket office: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Last admission at 6:00 PM

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

Royal Museums Tickets 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
• People with disabilities and one companion
• Teachers with school groups – Tourist guides with groups
• Ministry staff – Holders of Museums Subscription, Torino+Piemonte Card, ICOM card

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

How to get to the Royal Museums 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 up to Piazza Castello
• Porta Susa Station (20 minutes on foot) After leaving the station take Via Cernaia and continue along Via Pietro Micca up to Piazza Castello

Car

From the motorway exit or the ring road follow the signs for the city center. The Royal Museums are located in a central ZTL area with particular restrictions on car traffic. Car passage is prohibited on Via XX Settembre and Via Pietro Micca, reserved for public transport. Access is prohibited from 7.30 to 10.30 on Via Po, Piazza Castello and Viale dei Partigiani. 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

CITYSIGHTSEEN
Ticket Point, Piazza Castello, 165

Map of the Royal Museums of Turin