Imagine an extremely generous, well-travelled and cultured friend has offered you their flat in Turin. Your cab driver whistles and comments on your luck; only true Torinese live in Piazza Vittorio, the huge 19th-century square that was the scene of the traffic jam in The Italian Job. The easy access app you receive upon booking lets you into a sumptuously decorated apartment with embassy ceilings, an art collection to make your mouth water, and a mixture of antique and mid-century furniture. All four elegant suites have discreet modern touches - such as digital keypads instead of room keys and touch sensor reading lights – but in no way compromise their charm, and the smell of beeswax and flowers fills the air.
Setting off from Look To Suites - whether on a romantic city break or with children - makes you feel not so much like a tourist as a welcome guest on Grand Tour: to your right, the River Po, and a series of hills each topped by monumental buildings; to your left, the wide, unhurried, arcaded streets where you can stroll from museum to chic boutique through the heart of a city infused with an aristocratic, calm sophistication unlike any other in Italy.
Highs
- Manager Carolina knows Turin inside out, speaks fluent English, and nothing is too much trouble, from guided tours and restaurant bookings to tram tickets and personal shoppers
- Complete autonomy: the easy access security system means no doorbells, so you can arrive late without fear of disturbing anyone
- Three of its beautiful rooms overlook Piazza Vittorio, while the fourth overlooks an internal courtyard
- A well-chosen library on Turin and Piedmont in several languages
- Your choice of three types of pillow when booking
Lows
- The mattress in Giglio was a touch too firm for me, although the daybed was blissfully comfortable - as were the mattresses in the other rooms
- Between 11pm and 8am you are understandably asked to respect others’ need for quiet - to avoid embarrassment, only bring your children if you think they'll stick to this
- No bathtubs, although the fabulous showers do make up for this
Best time to go
May and September are great, but you’ll find the climate here is mild even in winter. A good alternative to crowded Venice, there's a strong Carnevale tradition here too, with a month of music, floats and masked parades (dates vary annually).
Our top tips
Like a local, don’t buy bottled water but fill up from the many cast iron water fountains known as torets (‘little bull’ in the regional dialect.) Download the I Love Torets app, and you can even access nearby tourist information and check the water quality on your phone.
- Boutique Hotel
- 4 rooms
- Breakfast + walk to restaurants
- All ages welcome
- Open all year
- Pool
- Spa Treatments
- Beach Nearby
- Pet Friendly
- Disabled Access
- Car not necessary
- Parking
- Restaurants Nearby
- WiFi
- Air Conditioning
- Guest Lounge
- Terrace
- Garden
- Gym
Rooms
Revamped by architectural garden designer Guiliana Marsiaj, every spacious suite glows with the colours of the flower it is named after. All feature high-end comforts, with useful extras like international adaptors and smart TVs. New double glazing means you’ll hardly hear a murmur from outside.
The Rosa (sleeps 2) and the slightly bigger Narciso (sleeps 3) have balconies with fine views, whereas the Lillà (sleeps 2 in twin beds or converted into a double) overlooks the internal courtyard. The beautiful bathrooms all have showers and bidets.
We stayed in the largest, most private suite at the end of the corridor, the Giglio (sleeps up to 4), with its vast super-kingsize bed. Although the window is too high for views, we were too busy luxuriating on the sleigh daybed to notice. The bathroom has twin basins and a shower with giant botanical print panels.
Features include:
- Bathrobes
- Fan
- Hairdryer
- Safe box
- WiFi
Eating
We gasped out loud to find the pretty breakfast room bathed in morning light streaming through stained-glass windows. The children tucked into croissants and doughnuts, while I polished off locally produced goat's cheese and honey ‘pops’ and delicious freshly baked ayurvedic bread. Flag up dietary intolerances when booking and they will happily be covered. There is also a kitchenette for guests to use.
If you’re here for the food, Turin won’t disappoint with its seven Michelin-starred restaurants, while just ambling along we passed old-fashioned family trattorias, a pungent ‘truffle bar’, and a surprising number of Japanese restaurants. Best of all are the beautiful cafes, some dating as far back as the late 1700s; my favourite was the tiny, exuberantly fin de siècle Caffe Mulassano under the arches of Piazza Castello, where tramezzini (crustless, triangular white bread sandwiches) were apparently invented. Other culinary firsts reflect Turin’s historic relationship with chocolate and include the choc ice on a stick at Gelatteria Pepino, which is still going strong in Piazza Carignano.
Features include:
- Breakfast
- Coffee maker
- Restaurants nearby
Activities
- Hop on-hop off sightseeing buses stop in Piazza Vittorio and at pretty much all of Turin's fabulous roll call of museums and art galleries, offering combination fast track entry tickets to many of the same.
- We especially enjoyed the bite-size Museum of Oriental Art (MAO) with two peaceful Japanese gardens in its courtyard.
- Set aside a morning just to stroll the wide arcades aimlessly, or take a guided walking tour (from Art Nouveau Architecture to Chocolate Tasting.)
- Visit the botanical gardens and the Borgo Medievale, a ‘medieval’ town built in 1884, in Parco del Valentino; Italy may be stuffed with peerless examples of the real thing, but children in particular love its toytown atmosphere.
- Catch the shuttle from Piazza Vittorio to the gilded interiors and extensive grounds of the House of Savoy's former residence, the Venaria Reale. Don’t miss the Fantacasino, inspired by 18th-century mechanical amusement parks, or the Mandria hunting lodge set in 3,000 hectares of nature reserve.
Activities on site or nearby include:
- Historical sites
- Museums / galleries
- Nightlife
- Plantlife / flora
- Private guided tours
- Shopping / markets
- Traditional cultures
Kids
Although the décor may suggest otherwise, they’re not precious here, and children of all ages are made welcome. Everything you might need can be provided on request, from a changing table to a babysitter, while the library includes some thoughtfully chosen and very beautiful picture books without words much enjoyed by my four- and 10-year-olds. Children under six stay free.
As for Turin, my city-averse children fell in love with the place; it’s the most pedestrianised city in Europe where street entertainers abound.
Best for:
All ages
Family friendly accommodation:
The Giglio suite will sleep a family of four very comfortably; request an extra bed upon booking
Distances:
- Airport: 20 minutes
- Shops: all around
- Restaurants: 5 minutes' walk
For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection
Location
Look To is in Piazza Vittorio Veneto 8, in the heart of Turin. The city's main attractions are all within walking distance.
By Air:
Turin Airport (18km) is the closest.
From the Airport:
Take a taxi (30 mins), or catch the shuttle service to Porta Susa train station (40 mins). From there, you can either take the tram from Piazza XVIII for five stops (20 mins), taxi (15 mins) or walk to the hotel (30 mins).
By Train:
Turin has two train stations: Porta Nuova and Porta Susa. From Porta Nuova, it's a 20-minute walk to the hotel, a 15-minute tram ride via lines 68, 6 or 61, or a 10-minute taxi ride. See above for directions from Porta Susa.
By Car:
Driving isn't recommended in Turin as there are traffic-free zones at certain times of the day. If you do want a car to explore the wider area, see our car rental recommendations – you can park in a nearby car park for a daily charge.
Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.
Airports:
- Turin-Caselle Airport 18.0 km TRN
- Milan Malpensa 135.0 km MXP
Other:
- Beach 140.0 km
- Shops 0.1 km
- Restaurant 0.1 km
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