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It all makes sense when you see a map! Red = high-speed line to Milan & Rome. Taken from the excellent Rail Map of Europe, I recommend buying a copy at europeanrailtimetable.eu. |
Which station in Turin?
Turin has two major stations, Porta Nuova & Porta Susa, often abbreviated to P.Nuova & P.Susa or Torino PN & Torino PS. Turin Porta Nuova is the city's main terminus. Turin Porta Susa is a through station with platforms underground.
High-speed trains to Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples start at Porta Nuova then call at Porta Susa 8-10 minutes later, so you can board at either station. Boarding at Porta Nuova 15-30 minutes before the train leaves is much more relaxed than boarding during a 2-minute stop at Porta Susa, and Porta Nuova is better located right in the heart of the city. Trains to Genoa & Pisa leave from Porta Nuova and don't serve Porta Susa.
However, the TGVs from Paris arrive at Porta Susa, so if you're travelling between London or Paris and Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, it's easiest to make a same-station change at Porta Susa. Personally, I'd stop off in Turin, one of Italy's most underrated cities, staying at the lovely Turin Palace Hotel at Porta Nuova, boarding my onward train there.
Visiting the city of Turin: Why you
should stop off!
Turin Porta Susa: Location map
There's been a Turin Porta Susa station since 1868, but between 2006 & 2013 a large part of the line around Turin through Porta Susa was quadrupled, lowered and covered with a roadway. A new 300m long 19m high glass-and-steel station was constructed, with 6 platforms hidden alongside it beneath the tree-lined boulevard Corso Inghilterra. Most high-speed trains to Venice, Florence, Rome & Naples call here 10 minutes after leaving Turin Porta Nuova. The TGVs to Paris go from here. The old Porta Susa station (1868 to 2009) still stands, immediately to the north of the new station on the Piazza XVIII Dicembre. For a plan of the station see www.gsretail.it/en/network/torino-porta-nuova.
The station in pictures
Turin Porta Susa station, southern end. The tracks & platforms are underground alongside this 300m long glass-and-steel building, directly below the roadway running alongside it on the left.
Inside Turin Porta Susa, looking northeast.
Turin Porta Susa concourse, looking southwest. The photo is taken from street level, looking at the main concourse below. In the background, a short bridge leads into one of the four passageways under the street and over the tracks from which escalators descend to the platforms. The Trenitalia ticket office is on the left.
There are 4 passageways like this leading from the concourse over the tracks (and under the adjacent boulevard), with escalators down to each platform.
Inside one of the 4 passageways over the tracks, with steps and lift down to each platform. The windows look over the tracks.
Turin Porta Susa platforms 1-6. Above the tracks, you can see 3 small windows in one of the four passageways which link the concourse to the platforms. Cars are driving along the Corso Inghilterra directly above these platforms.
Which platform for your train?
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Turin Porta Susa has just 6 platforms, underground beneath the adjacent boulevard. The station concourse is one level down from street level, and four pedestrian passageways run from this concourse under the street, over all the tracks with escalators & lifts down to each platform.
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The departure screens dotted around the station show the platform for each departure. There are train departure indicators showing the train destination and calling points on each platform.
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Check the departure platform on your phone
Stay one step ahead! If you go to www.viaggiatreno.it/infomobilita/index.jsp on your phone and select Torino P. Susa you'll see a list of departures with the planned platform number (Binario previsto) for Trenitalia trains (but not Italo trains) even before the actual platform (Binario reale) is announced on the station departure boards. Just remember that they can sometimes switch platforms on the day.
Alternatively, you can see actual departure platforms for all trains including Italo by selecting Torino P. Susa at www.rfi.it/en/stations/station-page/quality-services/Public-information/Live-departures-Arrivals-Monitor.html.
Changing trains at Porta Susa
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Changing trains at Porta Susa is straightforward, you can walk between any two platforms in a minute or two, with escalators or lifts so luggage is no problem. It only takes a few minutes to change trains, even if you were changing from platform 1 to platform 6.
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However, I'd allow at least 45 minutes when interchanging between a Paris-Turin TGV and a Trenitalia or Italo high-speed train, ideally a bit longer, as you will have separate train-specific tickets from two different operators - although if the first train is delayed and you miss your connection, the operator of the onward train may still help you out and let you take a later onward train under the inter-operator Agreement for Journey Continuation (AJC) explained here. SNCF & Trenitalia are both signatories to the AJC, but Italo is not so beware of using a TGV to connect with Italo or vice versa, it may be better to stick with TGV+Trenitalia. You can always enjoy a coffee, beer or meal between trains!
Ticket offices
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The Trenitalia ticket office and Italo ticket office are on the main concourse.
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The TGVs to Paris are run by SNCF with no Trenitalia involvement, so you cannot buy tickets at the Trenitalia ticket office. TGV tickets must be bought online, at www.sncf-connect.com or www.raileurope.com or www.thetrainline.com.
Trenitalia ticket office & customer service centre at Turin Porta Susa. The Italo ticket office is a bit further along.
Left luggage
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There is no left luggage at Porta Susa. You can find places near Porta Susa station that will store your bags using radicalstorage.com, or use the left luggage office at Turin Porta Nuova.
WiFi, ATMs, safety & security
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Turin Porta Susa has free WiFi. Select the WiFiStation, network and on https://portale.wifistation.it either sign in with a Facebook or Twitter account or enter your mobile number to have a verification text sent to you (this works with international numbers including UK +44 mobiles).
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There are ATMs in various locations around the station.
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There is nothing particularly unsafe about any Italian station, but in any busy place, be aware of the possibility of pickpockets.
Places to eat & drink
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Porta Susa a busy transport hub with various retail & food outlets including small bar and a cafe in the main building, but nowhere stands out. There's a MacDonalds next to the Piazza XVIII exit.
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You'll find nicer places for a meal, coffee or beer between trains outside the station, let me know if you find somewhere good.
One seat 61 correspondent recommends the Trattoria Forchetta e Scarpetta (www.forchettaescarpetta.it) at Corso Inghilterra 23B, for Piedmont specialities at reasonable prices with great service. It's directly across the road from the station, see walking map - however, from the main concourse (one floor down from street level), you can walk through any of the four passageways under the boulevard and over all the platforms to reach the other side without battling the traffic.
Another recommends the Restaurant Cernaia 31 for unpretentious decently-priced pizza and pasta. It's 3 minutes walk away, leave the station at its north end, turn right at the old 1868 Porta Susa station building into the via Cernaia, the restaurant is on the right hand side opposite the Hotel Diplomatic, see walking map.
As well as the Trattoria Forchetta e Scarpetta there's also a Japanese restaurant, Irish pub & ice cream parlour on the far side of the Corso Inghilterra, the boulevard which runs along the west side of the station. Use any of the four passageways under the boulevard to reach the other side of the road.
Local transport
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Walking
Turin Porta Nuova station is a 1.8 km 26-minute walk away, see walking map.
Piazza San Carlo is a 1.6 km 23-minute walk away, see walking map.
The Antonelliana tower is a 2.4 km 33-minute walk away, see walking map.
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Metro, buses, trams
Porta Susa is on Turin's metro line, metro is the best way to Porta Nuova and the rest of the city. For information on Turin's GTT urban transit system see www.gtt.to.it.
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Taxis
For a taxi fare calculator see www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=Turin-Italy&lang=en.
How to transfer to Porta Nuova
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The quickest & easiest way to transfer between Turin stations is by metro.
Direct metro trains on line 1 link Porta Susa with Porta Nuova every few minutes, 3 stops, journey time 6 minutes, cost around €2.
You don't even need to buy a ticket if you have a contactless bank card, just touch in with your contactless card (look for the gates with the contactless reader/symbol) and walk out of any ticket gate at the other end. The Turin metro is clean and efficient.
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Alternatively, it's a 25-minute 1.8 km walk from Porta Susa to Porta Nuova, see walking map.
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You can also use Trenitalia regional trains, these link Porta Susa & Porta Nuova 2 or 3 times per hour taking 8 or 9 minutes. Fare around €2 at the urban tariff, if you have an Interrail or Eurail pass this is free. Look for a train with destination Torino Porta Nuova, it's one stop.
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A taxi will take 8 minutes and cost around €10. See taxi fare calculator.
Metro station: The arrow shows the metro, with row of ticket gates & escalators down to the metro platforms, at the southeastern end of the station building.
Metro platform at Porta Susa.
Hotels near Turin Porta Susa
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If you're stopping overnight between trains, a hotel near Porta Susa station is the obvious choice.
Try the Hotel Torino Porta Susa, Hotel Diplomatic, Best Quality Hotel Dock Milano (across the road from the now-defunct original Porta Susa station building, north of the new one), or the small but highly-recommended Al Porta Susa B&B.
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However, if you're in transit from London to Paris to another Italian city, consider hopping on the fast & efficient metro 3 stops to Porta Nuova station and crossing the road outside the station's via Sacchi side exit to the lovely Turin Palace Hotel. Next morning, you can stroll into Turin Porta Nuova and board your onward train to Venice, Florence or Rome where it starts, a more relaxed affair than joining it during a 2-minute stop at Porta Susa. If you can afford some time to have a look around Turin, even for a morning, do so!
The original abandoned Turin Porta Susa station, on a roundabout just north of the new Porta Susa station.
Turin Porta Nuova: Location map
In complete contrast to Porta Susa, Turin Porta Nuova is a terminus with 20 platforms and a historic station building which opened in 1864. It's right in the heart of the city. The high-speed trains to Venice-Florence, Rome & Naples start from here, most calling at Porta Susa 10 minutes later. However, the TGVs to/from Paris do not serve Porta Nuova. Unfortunately, one thing you're unlikely to see at Porta Nuova is the Gonin Hall, the beautiful royal waiting room for the Savoy family - it only opens to the public on special occasions.
Turin Porta Nuova, built 1861-1868
Turin Porta Nuova, facade.
Turin Porta Nuova's vast and beautiful entrance hall. There are escalators down the metro here.
Beyond the entrance hall is the central hall with a food court above, including McDonald's & Starbucks.
Beyond the central hall is the main concourse with main departure boards. The ticket offices are here, behind the camera.
Beyond the main concourse are the platforms. At the time of writing, there are no ticket checks or gates at Turin, just free movement between concourse & platforms.
Which platform for your train?
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Turin Porta Nuova is a terminus with 20 platforms. Walk into the main entrance, through the vast entrance hall and central hall, around the various retail units onto the concourse, then onto the circulating area behind the buffer stops. Or walk into the side hall from the via Sacchi and Palace Hotel, turn right onto the concourse. You'll find the platforms lined up in front of you, numbered 1 to 20 from left to right.
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Porta Nuova is a terminus so there is easy level access from street to concourse to platforms, wheeled luggage no problem. The station departure screens show which platform each train leaves from and there are train departure indicators on every platform.
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For a plan of the station see www.gsretail.it/en/network/torino-porta-nuova.
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Check the departure platform on your phone
Stay one step ahead! If you go to www.viaggiatreno.it/infomobilita/index.jsp on your phone and select Torino P. Nuova you'll see a list of departures with the planned platform number (Binario previsto) for Trenitalia trains (but not Italo trains) even before the actual platform (Binario reale) is announced on the station departure boards. Just remember that they can sometimes switch platforms on the day.
Alternatively, you can see actual departure platforms for all trains including Italo by selecting Torino P. Nuova at www.rfi.it/en/stations/station-page/quality-services/Public-information/Live-departures-Arrivals-Monitor.html.
Ticket offices
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The Trenitalia ticket office is on the main concourse, level with platforms 16 & 17.
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Italo has its own ticket office on the main concourse, next to the Trenitalia one.
Italo and (to the left) Trenitalia ticket offices, on the main concourse. The trains & platforms are behind the camera.
Left luggage
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There is a staffed left luggage facility at Porta Nuova in the corner near platform 1, run by KiPoint/KiBag (www.kipoint.it/deposito-bagagli), see the photo below. For prices & opening times see the left luggage page.
WiFi, ATMs & security
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Turin Porta Nuova has free WiFi. Select the WiFiStation, network and on https://portale.wifistation.it either sign in with a Facebook or Twitter account or enter your mobile number to have a verification text sent to you (this works with international numbers including UK +44 mobiles).
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There are ATMs in various locations around the station.
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There is nothing particularly unsafe about any Italian station, but as in any busy place, be aware of the possibility of pickpockets.
Places to eat & drink
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There are various retail & food outlets including several cafes. There's a MacDonald's & Starbucks in the food hall on the upper level of the central hall. If you fancy a Wild West American dining experience, try the Old Wild West bar & restaurant, also upstairs in the central hall.
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For stocking up for a journey, there's a large Esselunga supermarket in the via Sacchi exit hall. Open 07:30-21:00 Monday-Saturday, 08:00-20:00 Sundays.
Local transport
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Walking
It's easy to walk around the city from Porta Nuova.
Piazza San Carlo is a 700m 9-minute walk away, see walking map.
The Antonelliana tower is a 1.7 km 23-minute walk away, see walking map.
Turin Porta Susa station is a 1.8 km 26-minute walk away, see walking map.
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Buses, trams, metro
Porta Nuova is on Turin's metro line, the escalators to the metro are in the vast entrance hall. For urban transport see www.gtt.to.it.
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Taxis
The main taxi rank is on the northwest side, immediately outside the Via Paolo Sacchi exit. For a taxi fare calculator see www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=Turin-Italy&lang=en.
How to transfer to Porta Susa
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The quickest & easiest way to transfer between Turin stations is by metro.
Direct metro trains on line 1 link Porta Nuova with Porta Susa every few minutes, 3 stops, journey 6 minutes, cost around €2.
The escalators down to the metro are in the centre of the vast entrance hall, marked with M signs.
If you have a contactless bank card you don't even need to buy a ticket, just touch in with your contactless card (look for the gates with the contactless reader/symbol) and walk out at the other end. The metro is clean and efficient.
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Alternatively, it's a 26-minute 1.8 km walk from Porta Nuova to Porta Susa, see walking map.
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A taxi will take 8 minutes and cost around €10. See taxi fare calculator.
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You can also use Trenitalia regional trains which link Porta Susa & Porta Nuova 2 or 3 times each hour, taking 8 or 9 minutes. Fare around €2 at the urban tariff, if you have an Interrail or Eurail pass this is free. Look carefully for a regional train with next stop Porta Susa.
Metro platform at Porta Nuova.
Hotels near Porta Nuova
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Don't argue about this, go ahead and splurge on the wonderful Turin Palace Hotel with friendly staff, lovely rooms, a roof terrace and a perfect location in the heart of the city, opposite the via Sacchi side exit from Turin Porta Nuova. You won't regret it.
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If the Turin Palace Hotel is full, an excellent alternative is the Starhotels Majestic Hotel, 200m from Porta Nuova station.
The lovely Turin Palace Hotel, directly opposite the via Paolo Sacchi side exit from Turin Porta Nuova.
View of the via Sacchi and Turin Porta Nuova from the Palace Hotel.
Visiting the city of Turin
Don't just pass through! I consider Turin & Trieste the two most underrated cities in Italy. Capital of the Duchy of Savoy from 1563, and the first capital of the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 to 1865, Turin is well worth a stop, whether for a few hours or a day - even if you're not a fan of the 1969 Michael Caine film 'The Italian Job" which is set here (and I am). It's a supremely elegant city, easy to wander round.
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The Antonelliana tower is the symbol of Turin, take the lift to the Templetto for views over the city. It also houses the Museum of Cinema.
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See the Piazza San Carlo and Piazza Castello.
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The old FIAT factory at Turin Lingotto is just out of the city centre. It closed in 1982 and is now a shopping centre, but you can still visit the test track on the roof, featured in the famous Mini car chase scenes in the 1969 film The Italian Job.
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Take a ride on the Sassi-Superga Tramway up to the Basilica of Superga on top of its hill overlooking the city.
For tourist information see www.turismotorino.org. Although the women in the Tourist Information kiosk in Turin were completely unaware of any Italian Job filming locations in spite of my very best Michael Caine impressions.
