Luci d'Artista City Tour Turin: Light Installations & Bicerin

Winter light art transforms Turin's alleys into an open-air gallery you navigate on foot and by bus.

Luci d'Artista City Tour is a guided experience through Turin's contemporary light installations, combining a walking tour of the historic center's hidden corners with a panoramic bus ride through the illuminated streets. The tour runs between 1 and 2.5 hours depending on your chosen option, with a live guide speaking Italian, English, and French. You can add a tasting of bicerin—the traditional Turin drink of coffee, chocolate, and milk cream—at Baratti & Milano, the historic café where it originated.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Luci d'Artista light installations

• Discover light installations in Turin
• Visit historic center alleys and courtyards
• Enjoy traditional bicerin at Baratti e Milano

The Experience

You arrive in Turin with a free evening and a few hours before dinner. The Luci d'Artista festival fills the city with light installations by Italian and international artists, and this tour threads through both the quiet alleys where the work lives and the main streets where it reads from a distance. The guide meets you at the starting point and leads you through the historic center on foot, pointing out the pieces tucked into courtyards and passages most visitors miss, then you board an open-sided City Sightseeing bus for a wider sweep through the illuminated streets. The combination means you get the detail up close and the scale from above.

The bus is open to the air, so winter clothing matters—the ride itself is the sightseeing, and you stay warm or you don't. If you choose the option that includes it, you step off at Baratti & Milano after the tour ends and order bicerin at the counter: the classic version is hot chocolate with an espresso heart and milk cream, though the café also makes a Subalpino with walnut liqueur and a cold version with ice cream. You drink it in the same room where Turinese have ordered it for over a century, and the drink tastes different there than it would anywhere else.

The walking portion starts at 5:30pm if that's your chosen departure; the open bus tour runs at 9pm on the option that includes both. A live guide in your language travels with you the whole way. Infants can ride in a pram or stroller, and the tour suits all fitness levels—the walking is through the city center, not a hike, and the bus does the rest.

What’s included

• Walking tour through Turin's historic center with a live guide in Italian, English, or French.
• one-hour panoramic open bus tour with City Sightseeing.
• guide assistance throughout.
• bicerin tasting at the counter at Baratti & Milano (included on selected options only).

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Sightseeing Experience

Is this one for you?Choose the walking tour alone if you have an hour and want to see the installations up close in the alleys and courtyards; add the open bus if you want to see the full scope of the lit streets from above and have the evening free. The bicerin option makes sense if you want to taste the drink where it was invented, rather than at any other café in the city.

Traveler reviews

4.76★★★★★★★★★★

17 verified traveler reviews

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What exactly are the light installations I'll see on this tour?

The Luci d'Artista festival features works of art created by national and international artists specifically for the winter season. The installations transform the city into an open-air museum, and the tour shows you both the pieces embedded in the historic center's alleys and courtyards and the larger installations visible from the bus route through the main streets.

Can I do the walking tour and the bus tour together, or do I choose one?

You can combine both on the same evening—the walking tour starts at 5:30pm and the open bus tour follows at 9pm on the option that includes both. Other options let you do the walking tour alone or the bus tour alone, depending on how much time you have.

What is bicerin and why is Baratti & Milano special for it?

Bicerin is Turin's traditional winter drink made with hot chocolate, espresso coffee, and milk cream, served warm in a small glass. Baratti & Milano is the historic café where bicerin was born, and ordering it there means drinking it in the place where the recipe originated and has been served for over a century.

Do I need to book the bicerin option in advance, or can I add it on the day?

The bicerin is included only if you select one of the options that includes it at checkout—you choose at the time of booking whether you want the tour alone or the tour with the bicerin tasting at Baratti & Milano.

How long does the whole experience take if I do both the walking tour and the bus tour?

The walking tour and open bus tour combined run between 1 and 2.5 hours depending on the specific option you choose. The walking portion starts at 5:30pm and the bus departs at 9pm, so you'll have time between the two if you want to grab a meal or rest.

Is the bus tour outdoors, and what should I wear?

Yes, the City Sightseeing bus is open-sided, so you're exposed to the winter air. The operator recommends clothing suitable for the winter season—dress warmly, as you'll be riding through the city at night without a roof.