Palazzo Reale & Musei Reali (Royal Palace)

The Palazzo Reale anchors the Musei Reali, a sprawling complex in the heart of Turin that was the principal seat of the House of Savoy and forms part of the UNESCO-listed Residences of the Royal House of Savoy. Behind a sober facade on Piazzetta Reale lies a sequence of richly decorated state apartments where gilded stucco, frescoed ceilings, Chinese cabinets, the Throne Room and the magnificent Scala delle Forbici staircase by Filippo Juvarra unfold one after another. The single ticket covers far more than the palace itself: the route continues into the Royal Armoury, one of the finest collections of arms and armour in Europe, the Galleria Sabauda picture gallery hung with works by Van Dyck, Rembrandt and Beato Angelico, the Archaeological Museum, and the Royal Library, which preserves Leonardo da Vinci's celebrated red-chalk self-portrait, shown only on rare occasions. Outside, the formal Royal Gardens designed in part by André Le Nôtre offer a green pause in the city centre. A full circuit comfortably fills two to three hours, and visitors short on time should prioritise the state apartments and the Armoury. The complex is busiest at midday and on weekends, especially on the first Sunday of the month when state museums offer free admission and queues lengthen considerably. Booking online via the official museireali.beniculturali.it portal smooths entry, and weekday mornings are the calmest. Photography without flash is generally allowed in the apartments. Set directly on Piazza Castello, the palace is at the very centre of Turin's grand Baroque core, within easy walking distance of Palazzo Madama, the cathedral and the main shopping streets, making it a natural starting point for exploring the Savoy capital of Piedmont.