National Cinema Museum: how the official ticket office works

Who runs the National Cinema Museum

The National Cinema Museum is a foundation built on the collection of the historian Maria Adriana Prolo, and since 2000 it has occupied the Mole Antonelliana, the symbol of Turin. The building, designed by Alessandro Antonelli and begun in 1863 as a synagogue, rises more than 167 metres. Inside, the museum tells the story of film from magic lanterns to the present day: the great Temple Hall with reclining chairs for watching the projections, the spiral ramp that climbs along the dome, posters, costumes and props.

The same foundation runs the panoramic lift, a glass cabin that rises through the Temple Hall to the viewing terrace at 85 metres. This page is about the official sales channel; for the visit itself, see our guide to the Mole and Cinema Museum.

What the museum sells directly

• Museum: €18 full price, €16 reduced (ages 6–26 and some membership cards), temporary exhibitions included.
• Panoramic lift: €9 full price, €7 reduced.
• Museum + lift: €23 full price, €20 reduced.
• Free entry: children up to age 5, disabled visitors and one companion, holders of some cards listed by the museum.
• Dome climb: a route on the roof of the Mole, €12 supervised and €15 with a guide, plus guided visits for groups.
• Schools: €5 per student, booking required.

Rates for Torino+Piemonte Card and Abbonamento Musei holders are listed on the museum’s website and have changed over time: check them before buying.

How to buy directly

On museocinema.it, under buy tickets, choose the ticket type, the date and, if you are taking the lift, the ascent time. Pay by card and receive the tickets by email. You can also buy at the Mole’s ticket desk, open until one hour before closing, but at weekends and in holiday periods lift slots are often already sold out.

The museum releases a small number of lift tickets online about 19 hours before the chosen date: if everything is sold out, try again the evening before. The last ride down from the terrace is ten minutes before closing.

Opening hours and closures

The museum and lift open Wednesday to Monday, 9am to 7pm, and are closed on Tuesday. The ticket desk closes an hour earlier. In summer, at Christmas and during festivals the museum often announces extra openings or late evenings, published in the news section of the official website.

The lift may be stopped in strong wind or for maintenance. The best moment for the terrace is a clear day, when the arc of the Alps is visible on the horizon; sunset slots sell out first.

Buying from the museum or from a booking site

From the museum you pay the base price, choose your lift time yourself and have access to the extra tickets released the day before. It is also the only channel for the dome climb and for reduced rates linked to cards and passes.

On a booking site you usually find the museum with a guided visit or combos with the hop-on hop-off bus. They make sense if you want a guide in a specific language or are already using the bus; for entry alone they almost always cost more. On Tiqets, for example, the guided visit of the Mole and museum starts at €98.50, a figure to weigh against the €23 official combined ticket. Check whether the lift is included and at what time, as it is the item most often missing. Current offers are in our Mole guide; the comparison of booking sites is on who sells tickets in Turin.

Practical tips

• Getting there: the Mole is in the historic centre, about ten minutes on foot from Piazza Castello along Via Po. The metro does not go there.
• With children: this is one of the museums families like most; the ramp is long but has no steps.
• Fear of heights: the lift cabin is glass and rises through the open space of the Temple Hall; if heights bother you, see the museum and skip the ascent.
• Nearby: Piazza Vittorio Veneto and the Po riverside are a few minutes away; for several museums in a few days, consider the Torino+Piemonte Card.