Best Day Trips from Turin: Langhe, Venaria, Lakes and the Alps

Day trip destinations from Turin and real travel times

Turin is a convenient base because almost all of Piedmont sits within two hours, so the real question is not where to go but how much of the day you lose on the road. These are the most popular destinations, with one-way travel time from central Turin.

• Langhe, Barolo and Alba — 1 h 30. Vineyard hills, wineries, white truffle from October to early December. The first choice for wine.
• Reggia di Venaria — 30 min by Venaria Express bus. Often paired with the Sacra di San Michele, the abbey on a rocky spur that inspired The Name of the Rose, an hour away.
• Lake Maggiore and Stresa — 1 h 30–2 h. Boats to Isola Bella and Isola dei Pescatori; island gardens usually open late March to October.
• Lake Orta — 1 h 30. Small and quiet; awkward by public transport.
• Aosta Valley and Mont Blanc — 1 h 30–2 h. Roman Aosta, Forte di Bard, Courmayeur and the Skyway up to 3,466 m.
• Milan — 1 h by Frecciarossa. Duomo, The Last Supper, Navigli.
• Ligurian coast — 2 h. Genoa by train, or Torre del Mare with the beach transfers from Turin.
• Canavese and Monferrato — 45 min–1 h. Savoy castles, infernot cellars and cheaper wine than the Langhe.

Half a day is enough for the Basilica of Superga (check whether the Sassi–Superga rack tramway is running, otherwise bus 79) and for the Stupinigi hunting lodge.

Organised tour or DIY by train: the comparison destination by destination

The rule is simple: a station a short walk from the centre, DIY wins; hills, wineries or shorelines with no transport, the tour wins. Indicative public transport costs per person, return.

• Langhe — Train to Alba with a change at Bra or Asti, 1 h 30–2 h, €12–16*; the wineries are then still kilometres away. Tour from €90*: almost always worth it, and nobody drives after tastings. See the wine tours from Turin.
• Reggia di Venaria — Venaria Express or SFM1 train, a few euros*, 30 minutes. DIY recommended; the tour makes sense paired with the Sacra di San Michele, which otherwise means a train to Sant'Ambrogio and an hour's climb on foot. See Reggia di Venaria.
• Lake Maggiore — Train to Stresa with a change in Milan or Novara, 2 h–2 h 30, €25–40*, then boats. Doable but long; the private tour from €120* removes the waiting. See Lake Maggiore and Orta.
• Aosta Valley — Regional train to Aosta about 2 h with a change at Ivrea, €20–25*. DIY for Aosta town, tour for Mont Blanc and the Skyway.
• Milan — Frecciarossa from Porta Susa, 55–65 minutes, €20–60*. DIY without question; the reverse trip is in Turin from Milan.
• Canavese and Monferrato — Train to Ivrea or Asti, 45 min–1 h, €10–14*; for scattered castles and cellars you need the food and wine tour.

Coach, small group or private tour: day trip prices

Organised day trips from Turin come in three formats, and the price depends more on the format than the destination. Large-group coach trips start at €50–70* and cover Venaria, the Sacra di San Michele or the lakes with a multilingual guide: rigid timings, lowest cost. Small-group minivan tours, the norm for the Langhe, cost €90–130* for about 7 hours with two wineries, tastings and a lunch or snack: the inclusions make the difference, not the kilometres.

Private tours run from €120* to €350* per person: the private Barolo trip with lunch lasts 8 hours (4.3★ on a handful of reviews), the private Lake Maggiore tour starts at €120*; they pay off for three or four people. Watch the extras: boats and the Isola Bella gardens on Lake Maggiore, Reggia entry (about €20*) unless stated, the Skyway at €50–60* return. With the Torino+Piemonte Card the Reggia, Rivoli Castle and usually the Sacra are free or reduced, so the tour is paying only for transport and guide.

Booking a day trip from Turin: departures, languages, cancellation, children

Almost all trips leave between 8 and 9 am from Piazza Castello, Porta Susa or Porta Nuova; some operators collect from hotels. Langhe tours return around 5–6 pm, lakes and the Aosta Valley later. English is always available, Italian and French almost always, Spanish and German less often: check the guide's language on the product page.

Most tours on GetYourGuide and Tiqets can be cancelled free up to 24 hours ahead; private tours with lunch and truffle experiences often require 48–72 hours. In autumn book Langhe tours two or three weeks ahead. Venaria and lake trips have child rates; wine tours accept minors but without tastings. Minivans have no wheelchair lift and the Sacra has steep stairs: for specific needs a private tour is the only reliable route.

When to go: truffle season, harvest, snow and the lakes

The season decides the destination more than anything else. From October to early December the Langhe are at their peak: harvest just over, fog in the vineyards, the White Truffle Fair in Alba on weekends; tours with truffle hunting sell out first. In spring and summer the lakes take over: the Borromean Islands usually open in late March and close in October. In winter Aosta and the Forte di Bard stay open, the Skyway runs in snow but closes in strong wind, and on clear days Mont Blanc is visible even from Superga. In July and August the Langhe are hot and the smaller wineries close for holidays: for wine, September is better.

How we pick tours from Turin and what to combine

We list GetYourGuide first because it has the most tours departing from Turin and the clearest cancellation terms; Tiqets covers the Torino+Piemonte Card and guided tickets to the Reggia di Venaria; Headout is the fallback when dates are sold out. Prices are those observed on partner catalogues, checked regularly: the checkout price prevails. We are not an operator and not the official site of any destination.

With one free day and a taste for wine, go to the Langhe; with two, add Venaria and the Sacra; with three, the lakes or the Aosta Valley. If you are coming for the day from Milan, the reverse plan is in Turin from Milan. With fewer than two full days in the city, though, the Egyptian Museum, the Mole and the Royal Palace deserve more than any destination two hours away.