These 6 day trips from Turin showcase the best of northwest Italy

Turin is famously elegant, handsome and seductive. What’s more, the Piedmontese capital’s location makes in an ideal base from which to explore Italy’s northwest corner with ease.

When the joys of sightseeing and people-watching in the city start to wane (it may take a while), numerous and varied destinations to escape to for a day lie in wait. Vineyard, palace garden, mountain pasture or alpine peak: whatever bucolic change of scene you yearn for, Turin (and its easy transport connections) can oblige.

Here are six of the top day trips from Turin, with each destination no more than a couple of hours away by e-bike, bus, train or car.

1. Take in bird’s-eye views from the hilltop Sacra di San Michele

Travel time: 2 hours by train, then by hiking; 1 hour by train, then by bus
How to travel: by train, then by hiking or by bus

Crowning Monte Pirchiriano (962m/3156ft), the brooding hilltop abbey Sacra di San Michele, dating to 987 CE, offers sublime views of the Susa Valley far below. Just 40km (25 miles) from Turin, the complex was built as a Benedictine monastery and stood abandoned for a couple of centuries before being taken over in 1836 by the Savoys.

After your abbey visit, swing past Birrificio San Michele, a brewery at the bottom of the mountain, for a platter of tangy salumi paired with a flight of aromatic craft beers. On weekends, the artisanal brewery offers free tours of its production area.

How to get to Sacra di San Michele from Turin: Trains leave hourly from Torino Porta Nuova station to Avigliana (30 minutes, €7.60/US$8.68 round trip); it’s a 90-minute hike uphill after that. From April to October, a bus runs between from the train station and the abbey (30 minutes; combined train and bus ticket €13.80/US$15.77 round trip).

2. In Bra, feast on true Slow Food

Travel time: 1 hour and 5 minutes
How to travel: by train, then by bus

A small, unassuming town in provincial Piedmont, Bra makes for a thrilling pilgrimage no self-respecting gourmet should miss. This was where the global Slow Food movement – which embraces the delights of naturally produced, locally sourced gastronomy – took root in 1986. Wander around the historic center to uncover tiny, family-run shops bursting with organic sausages, handcrafted chocolates and seasonal zero-kilometer farm produce – testimony to Slow Food’s contagious go-slow vibe, green thinking and sustainable soul.

Post-stroll, take lunch – alfresco in the courtyard on warm days – at Osteria del Boccondivino, perhaps ground zero for Slow Food. A rustic temple to regional produce, this authentic osteria woos the culinary curious with local delicacies like salsiccia di Bra (the spicy local sausage), “Gobbi di Nizza Monferrato” cardoons (wild artichokes) and veal tripe. Don’t miss out.

Devote the afternoon (if you can still move) to tasting unusual vintages at the Banca del Vino, the wine cellar inside Slow Food’s University of Gastronomic Sciences in the neighboring village of Pollenzo.

How to get to Bra from Turin: Regular daily trains trundle between Torino Porta Susa station and Bra (45 minutes, €11.50/US$13.14 round trip). Buses connect Bra train station with Pollenzo (20 minutes).

3. Savor Savoy splendor at Reggia di Venaria Reale

Travel time: 40 minutes by bike, 30 minutes by bus
How to travel: by bike or by bus

Built as a 17th-century hunting lodge, UNESCO-listed Reggia di Venaria Reale served as the residence of the Savoy royal family. A half-day visit to this impressive estate, with 150 acres of manicured grounds and a gargantuan baroque palace, dazzles visitors with royal apartments, salons, hallways and countless other rooms dripping in frescoes, gild and stucco.

Its far-from-modest vegetable patch and kitchen garden is the largest in Italy, and lunch at Michelin-starred restaurant Dolce Stil Novo – with its dreamy terrace overlooking palatial pea-green lawns – will be a romantic date to remember. The palace’s Museum of Theater and Magnificence and seasonal water-fountain shows are spectacular highlights.

How to get to Reggia di Venaria Reale from Turin: Pick up a shared bike on Piazza Castello or Piazza San Carlo in Turin and pedal 10km (6¼ miles) to Venaria Reale. You’ll follow the Corona Verde Stura cycling trail, which links several royal residences in Piedmont. A bus trip (€3.70/US$4.23) takes 30 minutes on line 11 from the city center. Or hop aboard the Venaria Express bus shuttle (€3.70/US$4.23 round trip on weekdays; €7/US$8 on weekends) from Piazza Castello or Piazza Vittorio Veneto.

4. Discover the world-famous Piedmontese wine country in the Langhe

Travel time: 2 hours
How to travel: by train, then by bus

South of Turin, the Langhe wine region is renowned for its reds, in particular Barolo – made from 100% nebbiolo grapes, aged for at least two years in oak barrels and produced in a very limited zone around the namesake town. The next village over is La Morra, which has a beautifully maintained historic core perched proudly atop sloping vineyards. Meander through them to reach the vivid Cappella delle Brunate, a unique (and truly Insta-worthy) “chapel” painted by American artist Sol LeWitt. Then, sit down at Osteria More e Macine for a plate of supple tajarin – the delicate Piedmontese iteration of tagliatelle – and a glass of local, robust red wine.

How to get to the Langhe from Turin: Trains leave every hour from Torino Porta Susa to Alba (90 minutes, €14.50/US$16.16 round trip), from where buses on line 66 continue to La Morra (30 minutes).

5. Head up to Via Lattea for alpine thrills and spills

Travel time: 2 hours by train and bus; 1 hour and 40 minutes by car
How to travel: By train then by bus, or by car

It is hard to resist the call of the Alps in Turin: you can spot their enticing, snow-capped peaks, tantalizingly on the horizon, from any number of shopping thoroughfares and viewpoints in the city. On winter weekends torinesi head out of town to fly down slopes and warm the cockles with mugs of vin brûlé (mulled wine) at the resorts of the huge Via Lattea ski area. Come summer, hikers, nature lovers and fun-loving families flock to the same alpine pastures, now sprinkled with wildflowers and whistling marmots, to escape the city’s intense heat and embrace nature through a range of outdoor activities.

Whether you opt to explore the region by car or on foot, set out early in the morning for Pian del Colle (1445m/4740ft), a tiny hamlet close to the border with France. From here, head uphill toward Les Granges de la Vallée Étroite along a forest trail hugging the main road. At an altitude of 1768m (5800ft), you can sit down to a hearty lunch of cheesy, silky polenta topped with sausage ragù alongside a generous beer at Rifugio I Re Magi.

How to get to Via Lattea from Turin: Trains leave every hour from Torino Porta Nuova station to Bardonecchia (90 minutes, €17.45/US$20 round trip), from where free buses (Linea 3, 9 minutes) shuttle walkers to Melezet; Pian del Colle is a 25-minute walk from here. By car, Les Granges de la Vallée Étroite is an hour and 40 minutes’ drive from Turin.

6. Take in fashion, design and Leonardo’s Last Supper in Milan

Travel time: as fast as 1 hour
How to travel: by train

Most city lovers who find themselves as far north as Turin can’t resist the urge to drop in on northern Italy’s other great city. Fast, fashionable and with an enviably design-centric soul, glamorous Milan is the country’s edgiest metropolis and a brilliant contrast to its more traditional sister city. Milan’s sublime pink-marble cathedral, the UNESCO-listed church safeguarding Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, and your pick of the best city museums make for an enthralling (and packed) day out. Lingering another day opens up the chance to see and do dozens more things, such as watching the curtain rise at La Scala and savoring an expertly mixed Negroni along the Navigli.

How to get to Milan from Turin: Regular trains link Torino Porta Nuova station and Torino Porta Susa train stations with Milano Centrale every 15 minutes or so. The two-hour slow train costs €13 (US$14.85) one way; the one-hour fast train starts at around €30 (US$34) one way.