For most travelers staying around Via Roma, Piazza San Carlo, or the historic centre, Torino Porta Nuova is the more convenient station. Choose Porta Susa when your ticket specifically uses it, when taking the direct train to or from Turin Airport, when using the TGV to France, or when staying on the western side of central Turin. For travelers comparing Torino Porta Susa vs Porta Nuova, the good news is that the two stations are only three stops apart on Metro Line 1.
Many Frecciarossa and Italo trains call at both stations, often leaving Porta Nuova first and stopping at Porta Susa several minutes later on their way toward Milan. That does not make the station names interchangeable, though. Always check the station printed on your actual ticket.
The quick decision: which Turin station should you use?
- Historic centre, Via Roma, Piazza San Carlo or San Salvario: Porta Nuova is usually easier.
- Turin Airport by train: use Porta Susa. Airport trains do not run into Porta Nuova.
- Paris or France by direct TGV: use Porta Susa.
- Cit Turin, Piazza Statuto or the western side of central Turin: Porta Susa is often closer.
- Your ticket already names a station: use that station rather than choosing based on geography.
- Your train is offered from either station: choose the one closest to your accommodation or onward transport.
Why Porta Nuova is usually easier for sightseeing
Torino Porta Nuova is the large terminal station at the southern edge of the central street grid. Walk out of the main front of the station and you emerge at Piazza Carlo Felice, with Via Roma continuing north toward Piazza San Carlo and Piazza Castello.
That geography makes Porta Nuova particularly convenient when your hotel is in the traditional tourist centre. You can leave the station and start walking without first taking another train, metro, or tram.
The station is also physically straightforward with luggage. It is a terminus, so the railway platforms end at the main concourse rather than passing underneath the building. You walk from the end of your platform into the station hall and then toward the exits.
There are 20 passenger tracks, so do not assume that a high platform number will be beside the one you used earlier. Check the Partenze screens for your train and binario, the Italian word for platform.
Which Porta Nuova exit should you use?
For the city centre, follow signs toward the main frontage and Piazza Carlo Felice. Once outside, Via Roma provides the simplest orientation point for central Turin.
The station also has side access toward Via Sacchi and Via Nizza. The Via Sacchi side is useful for taxis and surface transport, while vehicle access is also arranged on the Via Nizza side. If you simply want to walk toward Piazza San Carlo, resist the temptation to follow whichever side door happens to appear first. Head for Piazza Carlo Felice.
Why Porta Susa works differently
Porta Susa is a modern through-station rather than a traditional terminus. It sits along Corso Bolzano, northwest of Porta Nuova, and most railway platforms are below street level.
That distinction matters more than it sounds. At Porta Nuova you generally walk horizontally from train to concourse. At Porta Susa you normally come up from the platforms using escalators, stairs, or lifts before reaching street level or transferring to the metro.
RFI currently lists six passenger platforms at Porta Susa, with lift access to all six. Travelers with reduced mobility should still check the current RFI station accessibility information before travel because individual lifts can temporarily be unavailable.
Do not confuse Porta Susa with XVIII Dicembre
This is an easy mistake when looking at Turin’s metro map. Metro Line 1 has both a XVIII Dicembre stop and a Porta Susa stop, one immediately after the other.
If you are transferring directly between the railway station and the metro, follow signs for Porta Susa M1. There is normally no reason to walk outside to XVIII Dicembre just because you have seen Piazza XVIII Dicembre associated with the station area.
Many high-speed trains stop at both stations
A common pattern on southbound and eastbound Frecciarossa and Italo services is:
- Train starts at Torino Porta Nuova.
- Several minutes later it stops at Torino Porta Susa.
- It continues toward Milan and destinations farther east or south.
Coming from Milan, the sequence is normally reversed for trains terminating at Porta Nuova. This means a traveler staying near Porta Susa can sometimes get off before the train reaches its final Turin stop.
But check the exact service rather than relying on that pattern. Not every train serves both stations, and regional services follow different routes.
If your ticket has already been issued from a particular Turin station, the safest approach is to board there. If changing to the other station would be more convenient, check your operator’s ticket conditions or modify the booking first rather than assuming that a stop by the same train automatically makes your ticket interchangeable.
Porta Susa is the useful station for Turin Airport
The railway connection from Torino Caselle Airport runs through Porta Susa. Trenitalia’s current airport services link the airport with Porta Susa and other stations on Turin’s cross-city rail network, but not Porta Nuova.
That makes Porta Susa the obvious choice if you are connecting between a train and a flight. The journey between the airport and Porta Susa is roughly half an hour, although frequency varies by day and timetable period. Check the current Trenitalia airport connection before relying on a particular departure.
If your hotel is near Porta Nuova, there is no need to complicate the airport journey. Take the airport train to Porta Susa, transfer to Metro Line 1, and ride three stops through Vinzaglio and Re Umberto to Porta Nuova.
Going to Paris? Check Porta Susa first
Direct TGV INOUI services between Turin and Paris currently use Porta Susa. They do not continue to Porta Nuova simply because that is Turin’s larger terminal station.
This catches travelers who automatically type the city’s most familiar station into a map. If your journey involves Paris, Lyon connections, or another French itinerary, read the station field carefully. Current Paris services can be checked through SNCF Connect.
How to travel between the two Turin stations
Metro Line 1 is normally the easiest option. The sequence is:
- Porta Susa
- Vinzaglio
- Re Umberto
- Porta Nuova
The ride itself is only a few minutes. With luggage, however, allow additional time for reaching the metro from the railway platform, buying or validating the appropriate local fare if needed, waiting for a train, and returning from the metro level to the mainline platforms.
For a connection between two separately booked trains, do not plan around the four-minute metro ride alone. A 30-minute gap can disappear surprisingly quickly once vertical circulation and a small incoming delay are added. A buffer of 45 to 60 minutes is more comfortable when the onward train is reserved and missing it would be expensive.
GTT publishes the current Turin Metro timetable and service notices. This is worth checking for early departures, late arrivals, Sundays, and public holidays because operating hours are not identical every night.
What happens if the metro is closed?
Do not assume Line 1 operates until the same late hour seven nights a week. GTT uses a replacement surface service, identified as M1S, during some periods when the metro itself is closed.
If you arrive late and see shutters at the metro entrance, look for signs mentioning bus sostitutivo or M1S. A taxi is the simpler fallback when you have several bags, young children, or little time before an onward departure.
If you are building several rail and local-transport connections into the same trip, the Italy on Foot trip planner can help keep the station changes and overnight stops in a more sensible order.
Which station is better with luggage?
Porta Nuova usually wins for simple movement. Trains terminate beside the main concourse and there is less dependence on lifts and escalators. That can make a noticeable difference with a large suitcase, stroller, or multiple bags.
RFI also currently lists a deposito bagagli, luggage storage, among Porta Nuova’s station services. Check the official Porta Nuova station page before making a special journey for storage, since services and opening arrangements can change.
Porta Susa is still manageable with luggage, but expect to move between levels. If you need a lift, follow the lift pictogram rather than following the crowd automatically onto an escalator. This is particularly useful because the long glass station can make the correct exit appear farther away than expected.
Which station is better for different parts of Turin?
Choose Porta Nuova for
- Via Roma
- Piazza San Carlo
- the southern half of the historic centre
- San Salvario
- hotels around Corso Vittorio Emanuele II near the station
Choose Porta Susa for
- Cit Turin
- Piazza Statuto
- accommodation around Corso Francia or the western side of the centre
- direct airport rail connections
- direct TGV services to and from France
For Piazza Castello, the Egyptian Museum, and the central shopping streets, the difference is not dramatic once public transport is factored in. Porta Nuova generally gives the simpler walk, while Porta Susa can still be convenient if it saves you remaining on a train for another stop or making an unnecessary rail connection.
Useful station words to recognize
- Partenze: departures
- Arrivi: arrivals
- Binario: platform or track
- Uscita: exit
- Metropolitana / Metro / M: metro
- Ascensore: lift or elevator
- Scale mobili: escalators
- Biglietteria: ticket office
- Deposito bagagli: luggage storage
- Bus sostitutivo: replacement bus
The mistake that causes most problems
Do not treat “Turin” as a single railway station. Booking sites may let you search the city broadly, but your final ticket will identify the station you actually need. Look for Torino Porta Nuova, sometimes abbreviated to Torino P. Nuova, or Torino Porta Susa, sometimes shown as Torino P. Susa.
If you discover that you are at the wrong one, do not panic and do not start walking with your suitcase unless you particularly want the exercise. Follow the signs for Metro Line 1. Three stops later, you can correct the mistake far more efficiently.