Planning a weekend in Turin with the kids? Great choice!
Turin is a beautiful city, full of museums, royal palaces, wonderful buildings and activities for adults and children alike.
But among the many activities, which are the ones you absolutely must do?
Here are 7 things to do in Turin with children that are so interesting that they involve the whole family!

Valentino Park, like a medieval village

Turin is a city rich in parks, some of which are very close to the city centre. Behind the Palazzo Reale are the palace gardens that are perfect for a picnic stop while visiting the city.
But of all the parks, the one that will make children fall in love is the splendid Valentino Park, within which there is a small ‘medieval‘ village, all waiting to be discovered.
The park, located along the banks of the Po, is equipped with playgrounds, cycle paths, vast areas in which to play or simply lie in the sun, during the warmer season, and refreshment points. Inside, the Botanical Garden can be visited.
In the Valentino park, children with a passion for fantasy, castles and knights should visit the Medieval Village: the village is a faithful reproduction, erected in the late 19th century, of an ancient feudal castle.
After crossing a real elevated bridge, you can wander through the characteristic narrow streets of the medieval village and browse in the shops selling reproductions of shields and swords, knights and toy soldiers, fantasy characters from books including ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Harry Potter’. It will be hard to leave there without buying something!

Seeing Turin “from above”: the Mole Antonelliana

The symbol of the city, the Mole Antonelliana is a very special monument, built by the architect Antonelli, who loved unusual and somewhat bizarre constructions. Not far from the mole, there is another work by Antonelli, called  “fetta di polenta”, because it is yellow and triangular, just like a slice of polenta!
Inside the Mole, in addition to the wonderful Museum of Cinema, a real “must see” for lovers of the big screen, there is the panoramic lift, with transparent crystal walls, which runs in a single open-air span without intermediate floors from the start, at a height of 10 metres, up to the 85 metres of the “little temple”.
From up there you can admire the splendid panorama of the city and the Alps. On a clear day, it is as if you are touching the top of the mountains!

Tickets for the panoramic lift cost € 8 for adults, € 6 for Torino+Piemonte Card holders and children under 26 (free for children 0-5 years old).
The ticket must be purchased in advance, booking the time slot, on the official website.

See Turin “from below”: City Sightseeing and the Historic Tram number 7

For those who do not like heights, there are many other possibilities to see Turin “from below”:
The City Sightseeing, seated on a double-decker bus, with its three different itineraries, takes tourists to discover all the beauties of Turin.
Audio-guides are provided for children.
On weekends and holidays, families can board the historic Tram number 7 to travel in the city center and learn its history!
On spring days, when the Po shows all its majestic beauty, it is advisable to take a boat ride along the river

The hill of Turin and the Basilica of Superga

On the hill of Turin, one of the highest in the city, is the Basilica of Superga which offers a truly spectacular view of the city and a beautiful natural park.
To get on the hill it is possible to take the historical and suggestive Dentiera train that arrives in Superga in 15 minutes from Borgo Rosa-Sassi.
A tramway with ancient wooden carriages that crosses the green woods of the Turin hills. The natural show is really beautiful, you have the feeling of being back in time!

For all football fans, you can not walk around the church and visit the memorial at the Grande Torino, on the site of the plane crash in which the whole team lost their lives.

Venaria Reale and the giostra Fantacasino

Venaria Reale was the holiday home of the Savoy. The Reggia, one of the main Savoy residences in Piedmont and today a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is considered as the Versailles of Turin for its grandeur.
To better organize the tour around Venaria, interactive maps are delivered.
For the children there are paths, sensory visits, simplified explanations and games.
You can visit Venaria by gondola, carriage, train or simply on foot: the park gives its best in spring and summer, when the lawns show off colorful and fragrant flowers. The complete tour lasts 4 hours abundant.

The Reggia can also be reached via the GTT Venaria Express shuttle, which connects the center of Turin and the Porta Susa station with the Reggia di Venaria and the La Mandria Park. The cost is € 1.70 for travel on weekdays and € 7 for the whole day on Saturday and Sunday. For more information on how to reach the palace, consult the site.

Do not miss “The Fantacasino“, the attraction of the Grove of games designed for families and an audience of all ages.
A very special place where it seems to make a trip into the past, between rides that move without electricity, wooden construction games, games never seen or forgotten over time. The fantacasino is a magical place where the big kids come back!

Racconigi and the other Savoy residences

To the south is the Royal Castle of Racconigi, summer residence of the Savoy, with a beautiful large park to enjoy with children.
The interiors of the palace can be visited, the children will be fascinated by discovering how and where the kings live: they can visit the rooms full of ancient frescoes and portraits, walk through the greenhouses and farms and see the storks that nest in the park surrounding the palace.

The Zoom biopark

Just outside the city, in Cumiana, is the ZOOM Biopark.
ZOOM is the first immersive biopark in Italy: a huge green area entirely pedestrian, in which there live about 300 animals, including lemurs, giraffes, hippos, gibbons, porcupines and tigers.

Animals live without nets, cages or barriers.
Zoom Bioparco is a short walk from Turin and is a must-see destination! Animals live without cages and aim to educate children about love and respect for animals.