Torino Piemonte Card 2-Day City Pass Turin

The Egyptian Museum of Turin

The Egyptian Museum is the jewel of the card and the reason many travellers come to Turin. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest museum in the world devoted entirely to ancient Egypt and holds one of the richest collections outside Cairo: monumental statues of gods and pharaohs in a dramatically lit gallery, painted coffins and mummies, papyri, jewellery and objects of daily life.

Do not miss the intact tomb of an architect and his wife, found with its furniture, clothes and food still in place, or the small rock-cut temple rebuilt inside the museum. Allow at least two and a half to three hours. Egyptian Museum tickets are included with the card, but you should reserve an entry time in advance, especially at weekends, when it is the busiest attraction in the city.

The Royal Museums and Palazzo Madama

In Piazza Castello the card opens the Royal Museums of Turin, the former palace of the House of Savoy with its gilded state rooms, the Royal Armoury full of suits of armour, the Sabauda picture gallery and the Chapel of the Holy Shroud, crowned by a breathtaking spiralling dome. Plan around two to three hours to see the whole complex, which also includes the archaeological museum and the royal gardens.

Across the square stands Palazzo Madama, built over a Roman gate and a medieval castle and finished with a grand baroque facade. Inside, the city's museum of ancient art displays medieval sculpture, glass, ceramics and illuminated books, and the monumental staircase is one of the finest in Italy. Both sites are central, so they fit easily into the first day of your Turin museum pass.

La Venaria Reale and the Stupinigi hunting lodge

La Venaria Reale, just north-west of the city, is one of the largest royal residences in Europe, built in the 17th century as a Savoy hunting palace and listed by UNESCO. Its highlight is the Great Gallery, a long hall of white stucco flooded with light, followed by the chapel, the stables and vast formal gardens with fountains and modern sculptures. Give it at least half a day.

To the south-west lies the Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi, an 18th-century hunting lodge laid out like a star around a central hall and topped by a bronze stag. Its frescoed rooms and period furniture make it one of the most elegant baroque buildings in Piedmont. How to get to La Venaria Reale? Regular local buses run from the centre of Turin, and the trip takes about 40 minutes.

Castello di Rivoli and the National Automobile Museum

West of Turin, on a hill above the town of Rivoli, the card takes you into Castello di Rivoli, an unfinished Savoy castle that now houses one of Italy's most important museums of contemporary art. The contrast between the baroque shell, bare brick and bold modern works is striking, and the terrace has wide views over the plain towards Turin and the Alps.

Back in the city, on the banks of the Po south of the centre, the National Automobile Museum tells the story of the car, from the first steam vehicles to racing cars and design prototypes, in bright, modern galleries that children love. The card also covers many smaller collections, including the museums of oriental art, modern art and Italian unification, so you can shape two days around your own interests.

The Mole Antonelliana lift and the Superga rack railway

With the card you get reduced tickets for two of the best views in Turin. The glass panoramic lift of the Mole Antonelliana, the brick tower that symbolises the city, rises through the middle of the building to a terrace at about 85 metres, with the rooftops at your feet and the Alps on the horizon on clear days.

The Sassi–Superga rack railway, a historic tramway, climbs the green hill east of the Po to the Basilica of Superga, an 18th-century church whose royal apartments and the tombs of the Savoy kings are also included free with the card. The best time to visit Superga is late afternoon on a clear day, when the whole city and the mountain chain glow in the evening light.