Egyptian Museum of Turin: tickets, opening hours and visiting tips

Why the Egyptian Museum is worth the trip

The Museo Egizio was founded in 1824, when King Charles Felix bought the collection assembled in Egypt by Bernardino Drovetti, a French consul born in Piedmont. It is considered the oldest museum in the world devoted entirely to ancient Egypt, and for the quality and number of its objects it is often described as second only to the museum in Cairo. It occupies the seventeenth-century Collegio dei Nobili, a short walk from Piazza Castello.

What stays with you is not only the masterpieces but everyday life: sandals, loaves of bread, fabrics, writing kits, board games. Excavations led by Ernesto Schiaparelli in the early twentieth century brought whole burial assemblages to Turin, and the museum shows them as complete groups, so you understand who the people who used them actually were.

What not to miss

• The Gallery of Kings: sphinxes, statues of the goddess Sekhmet and the famous statue of Ramesses II, in a recently renewed layout that sets the statues almost at floor level, as they stood in temple courtyards.
• The tomb of Kha and Merit: the untouched burial of an architect and his wife, found at Deir el-Medina in 1906, with beds, clothes, food and tableware still in place.
• The Temple of Ellesiya: a small rock-cut chapel of Thutmose III, given to Italy by Egypt in thanks for its help in rescuing the Nubian monuments.
• The papyri: among them the Royal Canon, a list of kings, and the so-called Gold Mines Papyrus, one of the oldest known topographical maps.
• Mummies and coffins: from simple painted cases to the elaborate coffins of Late Period priests.

The route usually starts on the upper floors and works its way down in chronological order, ending in the Gallery of Kings, so keep some energy for the finale.

Which ticket to choose

For independent visitors the simplest choice is the official ticket, about €18 on the museum’s website, with a date and time slot. Children under 6 go free and there are big reductions for children, teenagers and students. Holders of the Abbonamento Musei pass or the Torino+Piemonte Card pay nothing but must still book a slot on the museum’s ticket office.

If you want a guide, Tiqets offers a skip-the-line guided tour from €49 and a small-group guided visit from €59. Both include entry, so the difference from the official ticket is what you pay for the guide. Headout also lists guided tours with entry from €49, worth comparing if you need a different time or language.

For families or friends it is worth doing the maths: the museum offers tours with its own guides for groups of up to six at a flat fee, plus tickets. For four or five people that can cost less than a guided tour paid per head.

Opening hours and the best time to go

The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 6.30pm, with Saturdays usually extended to 8pm, and on Mondays from 9am to 2pm only. Last entry is generally one hour before closing. Special evening openings are sometimes added for events, so always check the museum’s website before you go.

Weekday mornings bring many school groups and weekends bring families. The quietest times are the very first slot of the day and late afternoon, especially Saturdays after 5pm. If you are travelling over a long weekend or during the holidays, book as soon as you know your dates.

Getting there

The entrance is at Via Accademia delle Scienze 6, between Piazza Castello and Piazza Carignano. It is a three-minute walk from Piazza Castello and about fifteen minutes on foot from Porta Nuova station along Via Roma. Metro line M1 stops at Porta Nuova and Porta Susa but not in the historic centre, so you walk from there. Several GTT tram and bus lines stop around Piazza Castello and Via Po.

By car, avoid the centre, which is a restricted-access zone (ZTL) at many times of day: leave the car in a multi-storey car park and walk in. All the options for moving around the city are in our guide to getting around Turin.

Accessibility, children and practical tips

The route spreads over several levels linked by lifts, and the main galleries are wheelchair accessible. Large backpacks and suitcases must go in the cloakroom, so it is best to arrive travelling light, especially if you are dropping in with your luggage on the way to the station.

For children the Egyptian Museum is often the favourite in town: mummies, coffins, mummified animals and everyday objects work better than any explanation. With little ones, pick the key rooms and plan a break. The galleries are air-conditioned but the route is long, so comfortable shoes make a real difference.

What to see nearby

The museum sits in the heart of the old town, so it is easy to build a day on foot. Palazzo Carignano is right opposite, Palazzo Madama is five minutes away and the Royal Museums, with the Royal Palace, the Armoury and the Galleria Sabauda, are just beyond. A sensible pairing is the Egyptian Museum in the morning and Palazzo Madama or the Royal Museums in the afternoon, with lunch under the arcades of Via Po.

The Mole Antonelliana is about ten minutes’ walk away: the lift ride to the top is at its best at sunset, so save it for the end of the day. If you are planning several visits, you will find more ideas in things to do in Turin.