Welcome to Turin. The first two days are mostly logistics — here is the order that works, and the deadlines that are already running.
1. Get in from the airport
- Turin Airport (Caselle, TRN) — the train costs about €3.70 and reaches Porta Susa in roughly 30 minutes, leaving about every half hour. The Arriva bus is €7.50 one way (€11 return), runs every 15–30 minutes and stops at both Porta Susa and Porta Nuova; easier with heavy luggage.
- Milan Malpensa (MXP) — direct coaches reach Porta Susa in about two hours for roughly €20–25. Book ahead online.
Full detail, plus the free student travel pass, is in Getting Around Turin.
2. Buy an Italian SIM
You need an Italian number for bank verification, university two-factor login, and your Permesso di Soggiorno paperwork.
- Providers: Iliad (flat monthly fee, no lock-in), plus TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Fastweb.
- Bring: your passport and your Codice Fiscale. Some shops will complete the contract without the tax code, but many will not — another reason to get it first.
3. Know the emergency number
112 reaches ambulance, police and fire anywhere in Turin and Piedmont. It is free from any phone, even without credit or a SIM. The older numbers (113, 115, 118) still work and reach the same operators.
4. Book these four things in your first week
This is the part that decides whether your first month is calm or frantic. Two of them have hard deadlines.
- Codice Fiscale — nothing else proceeds without it. The PoliTo Immigration Desk issues it on campus. → Codice Fiscale
- Permesso di Soggiorno — non-EU students are meant to apply within 8 working days of arrival; rarely enforced in practice, so aim for it without panicking if you are late. → Permesso di Soggiorno
- EDISU scholarship & student housing — the 2026/27 application closes 4 September 2026 at 12:00, and the income paperwork takes weeks to prepare. → EDISU Scholarships & Canteens
- Health cover — required by law for your whole stay, and checked at every permit renewal. → Health Insurance & Seeing a Doctor
5. Sort out a room, carefully
If you have not secured housing yet, read Finding Student Housing in Turin before you transfer any money. September is the worst month for rental scams in this city.
6. Find the community
Join our WhatsApp Community Group — senior students answer questions daily, and somebody has already solved whatever you are about to run into. For prayer spaces, halal food and mosques, use the Turin Halal & Mosques Map.
Verified August 2026 against Trenitalia’s Torino–Caselle page, Arriva Italia’s airport line, Regione Piemonte on the 112 emergency number, and the EDISU 2026/27 calendar.