The best photo spots in Turin for wedding and engagement photos

I live in Turin, and where to go is the first decision for any session here. This guide to the best photo spots in Turin is my honest answer, written for a wedding portrait hour, a Turin engagement photoshoot or a save the date. For each place: what it looks like, the best hour, the crowds, the rules and a tip.

How to choose where to take wedding photos in Turin

Pick spots that sit close together. Turin is compact, but traffic around Piazza Vittorio and the hill roads eats time, and a session that crosses the city spends half its light in a car. Two or three places within walking distance give better photos than six places on a map.

Then match the place to the hour. Arcades and gardens are kind at midday because they give you open shade. Squares and viewpoints want the last hour before sunset, when the light is low and warm. For weddings, we plan the spots, the timeline and a rain plan at the consultation included in every collection.

Parco del Valentino and the Borgo Medievale

The Valentino runs along the left bank of the Po: plane trees, lawns, the riverside path and the brick and stone of the Castello del Valentino. In the morning the light comes through the trees in soft patches. In the evening the river turns gold and the hill on the far bank glows.

• Crowds: runners and families at weekends; quiet on weekday mornings.
• Rules: the park is public. The Borgo Medievale, the mock medieval village inside it, was closed for restoration when I checked its official site in October 2026.
• Tip: the river path south of the Borgo has long, clean lines of trees that work for a walking shot without strangers in the frame.

Murazzi del Po

The Murazzi are the stone arches built into the embankment below the city, right on the water. Because the arches face the river and the east, they catch the morning sun.

• Crowds: this is nightlife territory, with bars in the arches. Come early in the morning, when it is almost empty.
• Tip: stand your couple in an arch and shoot from the riverside; the dark opening frames them like a doorway.

Piazza Vittorio Veneto and the bridge

Piazza Vittorio is a vast arcaded square that runs down to the Po and the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele I. From the bridge you look across to the Gran Madre and the green hill behind it. At sunset the low light comes from behind you and lights the church.

• Crowds: busy at aperitivo hour and at weekends; manageable on weekday mornings.
• Tip: the bridge parapet gives you the church, the hill and the river in one frame.

Gran Madre di Dio

The Gran Madre is a neoclassical church with a domed rotunda and a wide flight of steps, facing the bridge and the city across the river. Its steps take the evening sun and give you height, which makes even a simple standing portrait look composed.

• Crowds: people sit on the steps in the evening; mornings are calmer.
• Rules: it is a working church. Keep the session to the steps and the square, and away from service times.
• Tip: from the top step, with a longer lens, you can line the couple up with Piazza Vittorio behind them.

Monte dei Cappuccini

A short climb above the Gran Madre, the square in front of the church of Santa Maria al Monte is the classic view of Turin: the river, the rooftops, the Mole Antonelliana and, on a clear day, the Alps. The Museo Nazionale della Montagna next door has its own panoramic terrace, the Vedetta Alpina, which is part of the museum visit.

• Best time: the last hour before sunset, when the sun drops behind the Alps and the city goes warm.
• Crowds: popular at sunset in summer. Arrive 20 minutes before you want to start.
• Tip: shoot backlit against the sky first, then turn the couple around for the city view once the sun has gone.

Villa della Regina

On the hill above the Gran Madre, Villa della Regina is a seventeenth-century royal villa with Italian gardens, water features and a historic vineyard, looking out from the river to the Alps. It is one of the few places in the city where you get terraces, fountains and vines in one session.

• Opening: closed on Mondays, open from 9:30 am the rest of the week; the Ministry of Culture listing shows a 6 pm closing and, for part of the year, 5 pm. Gardens-only ticket €5, villa and gardens €10.
• Rules: it is a state museum; write to the villa before planning a professional shoot.
• Tip: the late-afternoon closing means no summer sunset here. In late autumn the low afternoon light reaches the gardens before closing time.

Basilica di Superga

Superga sits on top of the hill east of the city, a baroque basilica with a dome that you see from almost everywhere in Turin. From the terrace around it you look down over the whole city to the Alps. The best way up is the Sassi-Superga rack tramway: 3.1 km in old wooden carriages, from 225 to 650 metres above sea level.

• Getting there: in GTT's current timetable the tramway runs hourly and is closed on Wednesdays; check before you go.
• Crowds: busy on Sunday afternoons, quiet on weekday mornings.
• Respect: behind the basilica is the memorial to the Grande Torino football team, who died when their plane hit this hill. I keep portraits well away from it.
• Tip: the tramway ride is a lovely short sequence for a film.

Colle della Maddalena and the hills

Higher still, the Parco della Rimembranza covers the top of the Colle della Maddalena with woods, paths and the Faro della Vittoria statue. Up here you get trees, long views and very few people.

• Best time: late afternoon, when the light comes through the trees from the west.
• Tip: you need a car, and the hill roads are slow. Pair it with Superga, not with the city centre.

Piazza San Carlo

Piazza San Carlo is Turin's grand baroque square, with arcades on both long sides, twin churches at the southern end and the bronze horseman in the middle. It is open and formal and looks best almost empty.

• Best time: early morning, or blue hour when the lamps come on. Midday light here is harsh.
• Crowds: busy from mid-morning, and the square often hosts events, so check the city calendar.
• Tip: shoot from under the arcade, looking out, so the columns frame the square.

Via Po and its porticoes

Via Po links Piazza Castello to Piazza Vittorio under continuous arcades. The porticoes give you soft, even light at any hour, which makes them my midday and rainy-day answer.

• Crowds: shoppers and students all day; it is a working street.
• Tip: look for a gap between columns where daylight falls across the pavement. One step in or out changes the light completely.

Galleria Subalpina

Just off Piazza Castello, the Galleria Subalpina is a nineteenth-century shopping arcade under a glass roof, with cafés, old shopfronts and a long perspective. The light is soft and slightly warm.

• Rules: it is a working passage; be quick and quiet, and ask before using a café table.
• Tip: perfect when it rains, and it is a short walk from the Giardini Reali.

Mole Antonelliana views

The Mole is Turin's skyline, so the question is where to see it from. Via Montebello frames the Mole straight at the end of the street. Monte dei Cappuccini shows it rising over the rooftops.

• Tip: use a longer lens from a distance. It compresses the Mole and makes it look bigger behind you, instead of a tiny spire above your heads.

Giardini Reali, the gardens of the Palazzo Reale

Behind the Palazzo Reale, the Giardini Reali cover about seven hectares: the Giardino Ducale with its fountain, the Boschetto and the Giardini di Levante with the eighteenth-century Fontana dei Tritoni e della Nereide, among plane trees, limes and a rare weeping beech. The Musei Reali describe the gardens as freely accessible.

• Rules: for photo and video shoots, the Musei Reali ask that times and methods be agreed in advance with their Documentation Office. I do that before any professional session in the gardens.
• Tip: the tree cover makes this a good choice for a bright midday.

Reggia di Venaria

North-west of the city, the Reggia di Venaria is the grandest place on this list. The Galleria Grande is a long white gallery with tall windows and a black and white marble floor. Outside are clipped hedge avenues, balustrades and the red brick facade.

I photographed Mohammed and Hejrat here in July 2026 after their civil ceremony at the town hall: the bride's veil in the Galleria Grande light, then the gardens with her bridesmaids in sage green under white parasols.

• Rules: the Reggia offers wedding photo sessions inside the palace and in the gardens on request through its events office, and civil ceremonies in the Sala di Diana. Ask them first, with your date.
• Crowds: the gardens fill up on summer weekends. A weekday or the hour after opening is calmer.
• Tip: summer sun is hard in the open gardens. The hedge avenues give shade and the gallery gives soft light, so I plan the open parterre for late in the day.

A private garden

A session in Turin does not have to touch a landmark. Daria and Andrea's save the date, photographed and filmed in June 2026, took place in a private garden: a lawn, a brick wall with a fountain niche, a pool, a small white poodle and nobody else.

• Why it works: no passers-by and no time limits, so you relax.
• Rules: only the owner's permission.
• Tip: a private garden is also the easiest place to film, because there is no traffic noise under your voices.

Seasons: cherry blossoms and autumn

Spring in Turin brings cherry blossoms for a week or two, and the dates move with the weather every year. Gabri and Mada's session was under a long avenue of them, with petals all over the path.

Autumn is the other good season: the light is lower all day, the hill turns yellow and the city is calmer after the summer. Winter is clear but short; in mid-December the sun sets around 4:48 pm.

The best photo spots in Turin on one 90-minute walk

If you want city photos without a car, this walk links five of them:

1. Galleria Subalpina for soft light and a quiet start.
2. Giardini Reali under the trees.
3. Via Po under the porticoes.
4. Piazza Vittorio and the bridge as the light lowers.
5. Gran Madre steps, then up to Monte dei Cappuccini for the sunset.

The climb at the end is short but steep, so bring flat shoes and change at the top.

Permits, drones and good manners

In streets and squares I work handheld, with no set, no lights and nothing left on the ground. Anything that occupies public space, such as a styled table, a set or a drone flight, needs planning with the City well in advance.

For museums and royal residences the rule is simple: ask first. The Reggia di Venaria, the Musei Reali and Villa della Regina all have their own offices, and we plan those requests together at the consultation. For aerial photos I am a registered EU drone pilot (ENAC, A1/A3), and every location gets checked on the official D-Flight map before a drone goes up.

FAQ

What is the best time of day for photos in Turin?

The last hour before sunset for viewpoints and squares, and early morning when you want the centre empty. In mid-June the sun sets around 9:17 pm, so golden hour falls during the aperitivo; in mid-September it is about 7:41 pm. For bright midday sessions, use the porticoes of Via Po, the Galleria Subalpina or the trees of the Giardini Reali.

Do I need a permit for a photoshoot in Turin?

For royal residences and museums, ask first: the Reggia di Venaria and the Musei Reali want a request before a professional shoot, and I write to Villa della Regina too. On public streets I work handheld, without sets or lights. Anything that occupies public ground, or a drone, needs separate planning well in advance.

Where can we take photos in Turin if it rains?

The porticoes of Via Po and Piazza San Carlo, and the glass-roofed Galleria Subalpina, keep you dry and give soft light. The Galleria Grande at the Venaria is the most beautiful rain plan in the area, but it needs a request to the Reggia in advance.

How long should a Turin engagement photoshoot be?

Ninety minutes is enough for two or three nearby places, such as Via Po, Piazza Vittorio and Monte dei Cappuccini. Two hours lets us add a change of outfit or a drive up to Superga.

Which places in Turin are the least crowded?

The Colle della Maddalena, the riverside paths of the Valentino on a weekday morning, the Murazzi before 9 am and, above all, a private garden. The centre is busy from mid-morning, especially at weekends, so I plan city sessions early or late.

Plan your Turin session

If you are marrying in Turin or want an engagement session here, send me your date and venue and I will suggest the spots that suit your light and your style. You can see more of my Turin couples, including Daria and Andrea, Gabri and Mada and Mohammed and Hejrat, on the work page, and how sessions work on the engagements page.

Send me your date and venue

Sources

• La Venaria Reale, weddings and photo sessions at the Reggia: lavenaria.it/residenza-reale-eventi-reali/matrimoni-reggia
• Musei Reali Torino, the Giardini Reali: museireali.beniculturali.it/giardini-reali
• Musei Reali Torino, regulation on images and photo and video shoots (art. 2.2): museireali.beniculturali.it (PDF)
• Ministero della Cultura, Villa della Regina hours and tickets: cultura.gov.it/luogo/villa-della-regina
• Borgo Medievale di Torino, official site: borgomedievaletorino.it
• GTT, Sassi-Superga rack tramway: gtt.to.it/cms/turismo/sassisup
• Turismo Torino, Museo Nazionale della Montagna and its terrace: turismotorino.org
• d-flight, Italian drone portal and restricted zones: d-flight.it
• NOAA solar calculator, used for the sunset times in Turin: gml.noaa.gov/grad/solcalc