Is the Egyptian Museum in Turin worth it, and who should skip the guided tour?
5 min read
Short answer: yes, if ancient Egypt interests you even a little, and no, if you only want a quick look at “something famous”. For most visitors the guided Egyptian Museum tour is the best way in. If you like to read and wander alone, the ticket with a digital audio guide gives you the same building for far less.
Practical details such as timed entry and opening hours are in our Egyptian Museum ticket guide. This page answers the other question: is it worth your time?
Why people say it is
The booking page for the most-reviewed tour calls it the oldest museum in the world devoted entirely to Egyptian civilisation, and ranks it as the second most important Egyptology museum after Cairo. You do not need to take that on trust: the standard guided tour has 1,741 ratings at 4.8 stars, the small-group tour 1,599 at 4.8, and the priority-access tour 1,354 at 4.8. That is an unusually consistent verdict for a museum visit, and it is why this is the one indoor attraction in Turin we would not drop for a short trip.
What you actually look at: mummies, sarcophagi, papyri, royal jewellery and, according to the small-group listing, the tomb of Kha. A guide’s real job is to give those pieces a story, because the labels alone will not.
Four ways to do it
| Option | Duration | From | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Egyptian Museum tour | 2 hours | €47.20 | 4.8 (1,741) | first visit, wanting the story |
| Small-group skip-the-line guided tour | 2 hours | €79 | 4.8 (1,599) | questions and a quieter group |
| Priority access guided tour | 2 hours | €69 | 4.8 (1,354) | skipping the queue, learning the museum’s origins |
| Entry with digital audio guide | 2 hours | €20 | 4.1 (24) | going at your own pace |
Guided tour: what is different between the three
The standard guided tour lists a live guide in Italian, English, French, German and Spanish, a skip-the-ticket-line feature, wheelchair access and a private-group option. It also tells you that the museum itself is not the provider, so the guide comes from an outside company. Headphones are listed for groups of ten and over, so a group of that size is possible; if hearing the guide matters to you, keep that in mind.
The small-group version is sold on a smaller party, and its description points to the tomb of Kha. The priority-access version leans on the story of how the collection came together, alongside mummies and sarcophagi. The group size for your date is something to check on each booking page. All three are two hours, so choose by what you value, not on the assumption that a higher price means a better guide.
See availability and prices for the small-group tour
Who should skip the guided tour
Skip it if you read every label anyway, if you want to spend an hour in only two or three galleries, or if you dislike keeping to a fixed two-hour pace. The audio-guide entry costs €20 and has fewer ratings (24), so it is a less proven product, though it suits wanderers well.
Skip the museum entirely if you have only a day in Turin and your interests are baroque palaces, chocolate or football; our one-day itinerary fills that day without it. Travelling with children? The family guide covers the museum’s child-focused tour.
Our pick
Book the guided tour for a first visit, take the small-group option if you would rather talk to the guide than follow a flag, and choose the audio ticket if you already know what you came for.
