Where to live

Turin's grand heart, laid out on the original Roman grid and anchored by Piazza Castello and the royal palaces. Arcaded boulevards, historic cafés, the best shops, and the Quadrilatero Romano's tight old streets full of aperitivo bars all sit here. It's handsome, central, and endlessly walkable. The trade is that it's the priciest place to live, and the stretch up toward Porta Palazzo is one to know before choosing a street.

Best for: those who want to live in the middle of the grandeur, the cafés, and the history

Just south of the centre, Crocetta is Turin's most refined residential address: leafy, calm, and handsome, with an elegant street market and the Politecnico nearby. It sits between the two main stations and rates as one of the safest parts of the city. The trade is cost: you pay for the quiet and the standing.

Best for: families and professionals who want calm, green, and central-adjacent

Wedged between Porta Nuova station and the Valentino park, San Salvario is Turin's most transformed quarter: a multicultural, bohemian tangle of indie bars, cheap eats, and live music that's become the city's nightlife heart. It's affordable and full of energy, popular with students and internationals. Nights are noisy, and the blocks right by the station are ones to know first.

Best for: students, internationals, and anyone who wants energy and value over quiet

A small historic quarter between the Po and the Dora, Vanchiglia has gone from quiet to buzzing: art galleries, startups, Piedmontese trattorias, and a young university crowd give it a creative, radical-chic feel with riverside green close by. Rising, but still reasonable. The trade is the same as San Salvario's: the nightlife can get loud.

Best for: young professionals and creatives who want a quarter on the way up

West of the centre, these semi-central quarters mix handsome Art Nouveau (Liberty-style) buildings with converted old factories. Steady, well-connected, popular with students near the Politecnico and locals wanting central-ish living without the centre's price. Less green, but easy and practical.

Best for: those wanting a solid, well-linked base a step out from the core

Across the Po and climbing into the green hills, Borgo Po is Turin's prestige address: once a fishermen's hamlet, now an exclusive, leafy retreat with villas and long views back over the city. Calm, safe, and beautiful. The trade is practical: the higher you go, the thinner the public transport, so it suits those happy with a car or a walk.

Best for: affluent families and anyone who wants green, quiet, and a view over the city