Viewpoint above Turin
Juvarra's basilica sits 672 metres up, high above Turin. The historic rack railway climbs from Sassi; at the top you'll find the tombs of the Savoy family, the Grande Torino memorial and, from the dome, views as far as the Alps.
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Book the Royal Tombs tour
The Basilica di Superga stands east of Turin on a hill across the Po, at 672 metres according to the basilica. Filippo Juvarra built it between 1717 and 1731. On clear days you can see the pale dome and its two bell towers from far across the city.
There is more at the top than just the church:
Allow at least half a day for Superga: the journey by tram and rack railway, a 45-minute tour, the dome and some time for the view.
The Royal Tombs, Appartamento Reale and dome share the same opening hours. According to Turismo Torino, from 28 September 2026 to 20 June 2027:
| Day | Royal Tombs, Appartamento, dome |
|---|---|
| Monday to Friday | 10:00–13:30 and 14:30–18:00 |
| Saturday and Sunday | 10:00–19:00 |
| Ticket sales | end 45 minutes before closing |
The church itself also opens at 10:00 and closes for lunch from 13:00 to 14:30. In summer 2026 (26 June to 27 September) there were also evening openings until midnight. Tours of the tombs start at set times from the ticket office. In rain, fog or snow the dome is not guaranteed to open. Current hours: basilicadisuperga.com.
Yes, you can visit the church without a ticket. You only pay for the Royal Tombs, the Appartamento Reale and the dome. Tickets are sold at the ticket office next to the basilica.
| Area | Standard | Reduced |
|---|---|---|
| Church and Votive Chapel | free | free |
| Royal Tombs or Appartamento Reale (guided) | €6.00 | €5.00 |
| Dome | €4.00 | €3.00 |
| Children under 6, visitors with disabilities, Torino + Piemonte Card, Royal Pass | free | free |
Official prices according to Turismo Torino and basilicadisuperga.com, as of October 2026. Reduced tickets apply to, among others, visitors aged 7 to 25 and over 65, teachers and groups of 20 or more. The dome is not accessible to children under 6 or wheelchair users.
The basilica also sells its Royal Tombs tour and the dome climb online. If you'd rather not organise anything yourself, book a private tour including the rack railway. Prices and reviews are loaded live from the provider.
45 minutes through the Savoy crypt, the cloister and the Hall of the Popes, in a small group. The tour is run by the basilica itself. It is in Italian, with printed texts in other languages. The meeting point is the ticket office at the basilica.
from €6.00
Details & booking
Ticket for the climb up 131 steps to the dome's outer gallery, without a guide. Exchange the voucher for a paper ticket at the ticket office. In bad weather or strong wind the dome stays closed.
from €4.00
Details & booking
Private tour of around 4.5 hours: transfer to Sassi, up on the historic rack railway, a visit to the basilica and Royal Tombs, and the view from the dome. Railway ticket and admission are included. Available in English, German, Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
from €229.00
Details & bookingAccording to the providers, all three offers can be cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours in advance. The private tour provider points out that shorts, short skirts and sleeveless tops are not welcome in the basilica.
In 1706 French troops laid siege to Turin. Duke Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy vowed to build a church to the Virgin Mary on the hill of Superga if the city held out. After defeating the army of Louis XIV, he kept his promise.
The commission went to Filippo Juvarra, who also created the Galleria Grande at the Reggia di Venaria. He built the basilica on the ridge between 1717 and 1731 and dedicated it to the Nativity of Mary. The dome is 75 metres high and each of the two bell towers 60 metres. The entrance is a portico with eight Corinthian columns.
Inside, marble reliefs by Bernardino Cametti commemorate the liberation of Turin. Next to the church is the monastery with the cloister, the Appartamento Reale and the Hall of the Popes.
You can visit the church and the dome on your own. The Royal Tombs and Appartamento Reale can only be seen on a guided tour.
The church and the Votive Chapel (Cappella del Voto) are open without a ticket. Highlights include marble reliefs by Bernardino Cametti and works by Sebastiano Ricci.
King Vittorio Amedeo III had the crypt built beneath the basilica between 1774 and 1778. More than 60 members of the House of Savoy are buried here. King Carlo Alberto has lain in the central sarcophagus since 1849. There are also the Chapel of the Queens and the Chapel of the Infantes. The tour lasts 45 minutes.
Five furnished rooms in the monastery where the royal family stayed on their visits to Superga. Here, too, you can only get in on a guided tour.
The monastery holds 266 portraits of popes. The hall is part of the Royal Tombs tour.
131 steps lead up a spiral staircase to the outer gallery. From there the view stretches across Turin, the hills and the Alps. The climb is narrow – not for anyone with claustrophobia or balance problems.
On 4 May 1949 the plane carrying Torino FC crashed into the retaining wall of the basilica. The team was returning from a friendly against Benfica in Lisbon. 31 people died: players, coaches and staff, club officials, journalists and the crew.
The “Grande Torino” was the championship-winning team of those years. Today a memorial plaque bearing the names of the dead marks the crash site.
Every year on 4 May a memorial Mass is held in the basilica, followed by a minute's silence at the plaque. The hill is correspondingly busy that day. For more on football in Turin, including Juventus, see our page on the Juventus stadium tour.
The most scenic way up to Superga is the historic Tranvia Sassi–Superga, known in Turin as the “Dentiera”. It runs from the valley station at Sassi on the Po through woods and meadows to the top station just below the basilica in about 18 minutes.
Timetable: trains leave Sassi every hour, with the last departure from Superga 30 minutes after the last uphill run. In the summer 2026 timetable it ran from 10:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday and from 9:00 to 20:00 at weekends and on public holidays. It does not run on Wednesdays – on that day, according to Turismo Torino, bus line 79 serves Superga instead. You'll find the current autumn and winter timetable at GTT.
The rack railway has its own fares. Standard GTT city tickets are not valid on it.
| Ticket | Monday to Friday | Saturday, Sunday, public holidays |
|---|---|---|
| Single | €4.00 | €6.00 |
| Return | €6.00 | €9.00 |
| Return with the Torino + Piemonte Card | €4.00 | €4.00 |
| Children under 6 (one per paying adult) | free | free |
Official prices according to gtt.to.it, as of October 2026. The reduced return fare of €4.00 also applies to seniors aged 65 and over (on weekdays) and holders of the Abbonamento Musei. The Royal Pass also gives you a discount. Groups of 10 or more must book at least five working days in advance.
The basilica is on Strada della Basilica di Superga, on the hill east of the Po. By public transport the journey has two stages: first to Sassi, then up on the rack railway.
Tram line 15 runs from the city centre to the Sassi valley station. Bus lines 61 and 68 and the regional line 3107 towards Chivasso also stop there. A standard GTT ticket is all you need. Our page on public transport in Turin explains tickets and fares.
At Sassi you change to the rack railway. After about 18 minutes you're at the top. From the top station it's a short walk uphill to the basilica. Remember that it does not run on Wednesdays.
Since 17 May 2026, GTT has been trialling the “Superga Express” bus for six months. On Sundays and public holidays it runs direct from Piazza Vittorio Veneto to the square in front of the basilica, roughly every 40 minutes. The first departure from the city is at 9:30 and the last at 19:30; the last bus back leaves Superga at 20:20.
Take Corso Casale to Sassi, then drive up Strada della Basilica di Superga to the basilica. If you want to switch to the railway at Sassi, there is a car park at the start of Strada Superga near the valley station.
From the square in front of the basilica, and even more so from the dome, you can see across the whole of Turin to the Alps on clear days. When there is haze over the Po Valley, though, the mountains often stay hidden.
Superga lies within the Collina di Superga nature park. It covers around 750 hectares in the municipalities of Turin, Baldissero Torinese, Pino Torinese and San Mauro Torinese. Footpaths run through its woods and meadows. A good combination: take the rack railway up and walk back down to the valley after your visit. Plan your route with a walking map; the park authority has information on the trails at parcopopiemontese.it. Wear sturdy shoes, as some paths are steep.
Other viewpoints in the city are the terrace of the Mole Antonelliana and Monte dei Cappuccini.
With the Torino + Piemonte Card you visit the Royal Tombs, Appartamento Reale and dome without paying admission. On the rack railway the card gets you a return trip for €4.00 instead of up to €9.00. On top of that you get free entry to places such as the Egyptian Museum, the Musei Reali and La Venaria Reale.
Superga is one of the places you can visit free with the Royal Pass – fittingly, as this is where the rulers whose residences the pass brings together are buried. The pass also gets you a discount on the rack railway. The Royal Pass is valid for 96 hours at 16 residences in Turin and Piedmont.
For more ideas for your days in the city, see the sights in Turin and city tours.
The church and the Votive Chapel are. The Royal Tombs or the Appartamento Reale cost €6.00 for a standard ticket, the dome €4.00. With the Torino + Piemonte Card and Royal Pass both are free.
From 28 September 2026 to 20 June 2027 the Royal Tombs, Appartamento and dome are open Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 13:30 and 14:30 to 18:00, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 to 19:00. Ticket sales end 45 minutes before closing.
Take tram 15 or buses 61 and 68 to the Sassi valley station. There you change to the rack railway, which runs every hour and takes around 18 minutes to Superga.
Monday to Friday €4.00 single and €6.00 return; at weekends and on public holidays €6.00 and €9.00 respectively. With the Torino + Piemonte Card a return trip costs €4.00. Children under 6 travel free.
It does not run on Wednesdays. According to Turismo Torino, bus line 79 serves Superga on those days. You'll find the current timetable at gtt.to.it.
131 steps lead up a spiral staircase to the outer gallery. Children under 6 are not allowed up, and the dome stays closed in bad weather.
More than 60 members of the House of Savoy rest in the crypt beneath the basilica. King Carlo Alberto lies in the central sarcophagus. The Royal Tombs can only be visited on a guided tour.
The basilica's own tours are in Italian, with printed texts in other languages. English or French is available on request at an extra charge. You can book the private tour with the rack railway in English on this page.
On 4 May 1949 the plane carrying the Torino FC team crashed into the retaining wall of the basilica on its way back from Lisbon. 31 people died. A memorial plaque marks the crash site, and a memorial Mass is held every year on 4 May.
Count on half a day from the city centre: tram and rack railway, a 45-minute tour, the dome and some time for the view. Walking back down takes longer.
Yes, Strada della Basilica di Superga leads from Sassi up to the basilica. Alternatively, park in Sassi and take the rack railway up.