You can leave Turin by train for Asti’s historic streets, Susa’s Roman remains or Alba’s food-centred old town without committing the whole day. Bardonecchia offers a longer mountain outing, and Genoa rewards a full day among old lanes and the port. Choose by the time you want at your destination as well as the train journey out: the distance from its station to what you want to see still matters.
Which rail day trip fits your time?
| Criterion | Asti | Susa | Alba | Bardonecchia | Genoa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outward rail journey from Porta Nuova | about 35 minutes | just over an hour | about an hour and a half | about 2 hours | about an hour and a half |
| Outward rail distance | about 56 km | about 53 km | about 66 km | about 84 km | about 159 km |
| Allow for visit | Half-day | Half-day | Half-day or full day with lunch | Full day | Full day |
| What to see or do | Historic streets and cathedral quarter | Roman arch and valley town | Old town and lunch | Old town or mountain walking | Old lanes and Old Port |
Asti is the shortest outward station journey. Choose Susa for Roman remains, or Alba if lunch is the point of the trip. Bardonecchia makes more sense when you can devote a day to outdoor time, while Genoa gives you the biggest city visit. The rail figures run from Turin Porta Nuova to each destination station, not from your accommodation to the sights, and the particular train you take may follow a different itinerary.
If you have only one free day in the area, weigh these outings against the things to do in Turin on a first visit before leaving the city.
Asti: a compact historic town
Asti is an easy choice for a short outing built around its old streets rather than a long list of indoor visits. Follow Corso Alfieri through the centre towards Piazza San Secondo, where the church and civic square give the walk a focal point. Continue towards the cathedral quarter to see another side of the town’s medieval fabric. You can make the visit as leisurely as your return train allows.
Olena Ilinska · Pexels License · Edited
The SFM6 connects Turin and Asti directly, with one train an hour on weekdays. This makes an unhurried half-day possible without a change of train, although you still need to allow time to walk between Asti station and the historic centre. If you stay for dinner, leave enough time to retrace that walk rather than treating the departure time as the time to leave your table.
Susa: Roman remains in an Alpine valley
Susa gives you Roman remains in an Alpine valley without needing to organise a mountain hike. Start with the Arch of Augustus, then spend time among the other Roman traces around the town and the cathedral surroundings. The outdoor monuments are the reason to come, so a half-day leaves room to explore without depending on admission to an indoor attraction.
Zairon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited
The SFM3 has a direct Turin–Susa service. On weekdays, Susa departures are hourly. The half-hourly cadence at Torino Porta Nuova and Bussoleno does not mean a train to or from Susa every half-hour. Leave enough time to return to the station after the cathedral quarter, particularly if you have stopped for lunch.
Unlike Bardonecchia, Susa works when you want a valley-town walk rather than a full day devoted to the mountains. Comfortable shoes are useful for wandering between the arch and the old centre, but treat any longer excursion into the valley as a separate trip, not part of the short town visit.
Alba: food and the Langhe gateway
Alba’s old centre is the rewarding part of a rail visit, whether you come for a short walk or stay for lunch. Piazza Risorgimento puts the cathedral at the heart of the outing, and Via Cavour takes you past another stretch of historic streets. Allow a full day if the meal is part of the plan, rather than trying to squeeze a leisurely lunch into the same window as a brief wander.
The SFM4 runs directly between the Turin node, including Porta Susa, and Alba, with one train an hour on weekdays. The outward journey in the comparison is the Porta Nuova–Alba station pair and includes a change, so that is not the same journey as boarding a direct SFM4 service at Porta Susa. Pick your Turin departure station according to the service you plan to use.
Alba is also a gateway to the Langhe, but the vineyard villages are not on this town-centre rail visit. For a village beyond Alba you need onward transport and time for the return connection, so if you only have a half-day, keep the outing in Alba itself.
Bardonecchia: a mountain day by rail
Bardonecchia is the mountain choice when you have a full day, not just a spare morning. Its old town gives you a settled place to wander and pause for lunch, while Campo Smith is a separate option for time outdoors. Choose the walk for the conditions and the ground underfoot, and leave enough daylight and energy to get back to the station. A town visit need not become a hike.
Direct SFM3 trains run from Torino Porta Nuova to Bardonecchia, but not every departure need go through without a change. On weekdays, the published half-hourly SFM3 cadence applies at Porta Nuova and Bussoleno; it is not a half-hourly promise for Bardonecchia itself. Select a through service if you want the simplest rail day.
From the station, decide whether to focus on the old town or make Campo Smith the main outdoor stop. The time spent between those places depends on your walking route and conditions, so leave a generous window rather than treating the town and slopes as one compact sight. If the weather turns, the old town offers a less exposed way to enjoy the mountain setting before your return train.
Genoa: a full day at the port
Genoa repays a full day because the old lanes and the waterfront offer two very different parts of the city. From Piazza Principe, head into the historic centre and its closely packed lanes, then make for Piazza de Ferrari, the broad civic square. Leave space to reach the Old Port, Porto Antico, and pause by the waterfront before making your way back towards Piazza Principe.
Zairon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Edited
There are direct trains between Turin and Genova Piazza Principe, though your chosen departure may instead involve a change. With rail travel in both directions as well as the walks in Genoa, this is not a good half-day choice. Start early enough to spend time in the lanes rather than passing through them on the way to the port, and keep the return walk to the station in mind when choosing how long to linger at the water.
Choosing your departure station and return
Torino Porta Nuova serves the Asti, Susa and Bardonecchia routes and direct trains to Genova Piazza Principe. For Alba, Torino Porta Susa is a departure option on the direct SFM4 line. Choose the station and the individual service together: the outward figures above begin at Porta Nuova, while a direct departure from another Turin station can give you a different journey.
For Asti, Susa and Alba, plan the walk back from the old centre before settling on a return departure. Bardonecchia needs more room if you head beyond the town, and Genoa’s Old Port is not the departure station. A Langhe village visit needs an onward connection as well as the train. If you want destinations that are not as straightforward by rail, other day trips from Turin by bus and car cover palace, abbey and lake options.
Sources & fact-checking
Checks against the sources below cover: services.
- Orario digitale regionale Piemonte-Valle d’Aosta
- SFM4 Germagnano-Aeroporto-Torino-Alba
- Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) — service
- SFM6 Aeroporto-Torino-Asti | Trenitalia
- SUSA/BARDONECCHIA-TORINO | ORARIO FERIALE
- SFM3 Torino-Bardonecchia
- Regionale Liguria timetable, train 8623 (Genova–Torino)
- Train list, Torino–Genova (Trenitalia)
