Centro Storico
Centro Storico
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
991 reviews
Excellent
430
Very good
473
Average
78
Poor
7
Terrible
3
Dmitrij F
Vilnius, Lithuania46 contributions
Jan 2023 • Friends
Good place to taste snacks food and drinks local wine. Historic location in the middle of Alba. Very cozy place. Take a time to walk around old city.
Written June 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Foodange
Manchester, UK4,098 contributions
Apr 2024 • Couples
Alba is a truly beautiful place, not too crowded and very laid back.
As we were staying in the centre, we walked through the old town every day in every direction.
Great to see old buildings in fabulous condition and no roads dug up!
As we were staying in the centre, we walked through the old town every day in every direction.
Great to see old buildings in fabulous condition and no roads dug up!
Written May 9, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jmh-chicago
Chicago, IL32 contributions
Alba is a city of towers, the culinary capital of the Langhe, famous for its truffles, and – well – sort of a pain to get to. Here’s what you need to know and a few pleasant surprises the moment you step off the train.
Andiamo! Let’s Get You There.
I’m guessing your primary objective for venturing outside of Milano or Torino is for a hearty wine tour, home base: Centro Storico in Alba. I suppose you’ll be drinking plenty of vino but the thought of trekking around in a car rental while under the influence let alone navigating around the hilly, twisty & often street sign-less landscape of Piemonte means one thing: taking the train. On a map, it seems pretty simple: a relatively straight-forward 150 km jaunt from Milano to Alba (via Asti), except one thing: there’s no express train at this time between Asti & Alba. There used to be a direct tunnel; apparently, it collapsed, which means you’ll need to head further west, stopping in Torino first. So, to start your adventure, set aside a good 3 1/2 hours and consider this:
1. Book a ticket from Milano Centrale to Alba, first stop: Torino Porto Nuovo (appx 1 hr 50 min).
Hint: If you’re using a credit card at an automatic teller, find out what your PIN number is (yes, you have one; you just don’t use it often – if ever – in the States). Call your bank. You’ll need this to “free the code” & purchase your ticket. Sad & frustrated were many tourists who did not know their credit card’s pin code & not paying through a live teller at the main ticket office).
2. From Torino (Porto Nuovo), look for the train headed through Cavallermaggiore (appx. 30 min).
Hint: Cavallermaggiore’s just one town along one of many lines; it’s not necessarily a final destination. Ask an attendant or look at a map showing which line runs through this blip of a town. You’ll want the train going to the end of this line through Cavallermaggiore.
3. Get off at Cavallermaggiore and look for the training headed in the opposite direction towards Alba.
Hint: As with all trains in Italy, the window for transferring is typically short. Your ticket may not indicate which platform this is and the info. in Cavallermaggiore can be limited. While you’re likely to be dropped off in the center platform, the train to Alba (marked in LED on the cars itself) may already be sitting on the other platform. We loitered around for 15 minutes before we finally noticed this & barely made the train with 2 minutes to spare. Better get going!
Congratulazioni, You Made It!
Now, head right for the Centro Storico, grab a glass of vino with a plate of prosciutto crudo e melone there or in a nearby piazza where al fresco dining abounds.
Andiamo! Let’s Get You There.
I’m guessing your primary objective for venturing outside of Milano or Torino is for a hearty wine tour, home base: Centro Storico in Alba. I suppose you’ll be drinking plenty of vino but the thought of trekking around in a car rental while under the influence let alone navigating around the hilly, twisty & often street sign-less landscape of Piemonte means one thing: taking the train. On a map, it seems pretty simple: a relatively straight-forward 150 km jaunt from Milano to Alba (via Asti), except one thing: there’s no express train at this time between Asti & Alba. There used to be a direct tunnel; apparently, it collapsed, which means you’ll need to head further west, stopping in Torino first. So, to start your adventure, set aside a good 3 1/2 hours and consider this:
1. Book a ticket from Milano Centrale to Alba, first stop: Torino Porto Nuovo (appx 1 hr 50 min).
Hint: If you’re using a credit card at an automatic teller, find out what your PIN number is (yes, you have one; you just don’t use it often – if ever – in the States). Call your bank. You’ll need this to “free the code” & purchase your ticket. Sad & frustrated were many tourists who did not know their credit card’s pin code & not paying through a live teller at the main ticket office).
2. From Torino (Porto Nuovo), look for the train headed through Cavallermaggiore (appx. 30 min).
Hint: Cavallermaggiore’s just one town along one of many lines; it’s not necessarily a final destination. Ask an attendant or look at a map showing which line runs through this blip of a town. You’ll want the train going to the end of this line through Cavallermaggiore.
3. Get off at Cavallermaggiore and look for the training headed in the opposite direction towards Alba.
Hint: As with all trains in Italy, the window for transferring is typically short. Your ticket may not indicate which platform this is and the info. in Cavallermaggiore can be limited. While you’re likely to be dropped off in the center platform, the train to Alba (marked in LED on the cars itself) may already be sitting on the other platform. We loitered around for 15 minutes before we finally noticed this & barely made the train with 2 minutes to spare. Better get going!
Congratulazioni, You Made It!
Now, head right for the Centro Storico, grab a glass of vino with a plate of prosciutto crudo e melone there or in a nearby piazza where al fresco dining abounds.
Written July 9, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WitchyYork
Strensall, UK1,402 contributions
Jul 2013 • Couples
We spent a very enjoyable morning walking around the historic centre of Alba. Lots of little streets and shops.
There is a car park (not expensive) near the market, from here you can walk straight down the the cathedral.
There is a car park (not expensive) near the market, from here you can walk straight down the the cathedral.
Written August 7, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jerry G
Hoover, AL368 contributions
Jul 2018 • Couples
As many others have said, Alba Old Town Central Storico is a quaint older Italian town. If you have never visited Italy before, I would expect that Alba would be exactly what you might imagine. Narrow streets, wine, truffle shops, beautiful older architecture and storefronts, restaurants, etc. It is easily walkable, and you can cover the entire Centro Storico in probably an hour if you were just making the loop. Certainly can take up a day or so of your time, but due to its size, you can cover it all pretty quickly. We used it as our central location to venture out into the wine regions. Beware the streets are narrow and a larger car will need to navigate with caution. You can find plenty of great restaurants and things to keep you entertained for about a day, but much more than that will be a stretch.
Written August 5, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hillary @FWP
Alba, Italy66 contributions
May 2018 • Couples
Alba’s historic center offers a great selection of wine bars and specialty shops for food (truffles, pasta, specialty salumi, local cheese, and so on). Unlike other Italian city centers, this is not a tourist trap. Locals (of which I am one 6-months out of the year), head downtown for their daily shopping (Saturday is the big market and the pedestrian-only streets are over run with vendors selling everything from sweaters to socks). But also on Saturday is the open-air food market with an excellent selection of Piemontese specialties (I’m partial to the seasonal selection of honeys). There are many piazza large and small; each will have a place to enjoy a glass of wine or Spritz in the shadow of a church. Piemontese hospitality is legendary, so I suggest that you save an afternoon to explore our centrò storico.
Written May 29, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SCrealreviews
Saint-Chaffrey, France176 contributions
Oct 2015 • Friends
Love wandering around the streets of Alba - there is always something to see.. Plenty of cafes, shopping, events & historical buildings
Written October 26, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mainemermaid
Belfast, ME160 contributions
I liked the old center of Alba, friendly people, nice restaurants and trendy clothing shops... but the bargains were found at the street market. The stores were mostly too pricey.
Written April 22, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John M
Santa Cruz, CA4,468 contributions
Oct 2014 • Couples
The old city center is car free, and a delight for walking. Park the car on the perimeter in a very big public lot. Some free parking spaces exist, but paid parking is very cheap, and free on Sundays. Besides the museum and underground tour, there are two very large churches, almost right next to each other. The more important one was always well maintained, but the only slightly smaller one was taken by Napoleon for use as a stable for his horses, and it never recovered. The big beautiful one has free entry, while the damaged smaller one asks you to pay a few Euro to help with private restoration efforts. Pay the small entry fee, and the docent will explain the history of the area (in Italian language).
Written October 25, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bennetjo
new york132 contributions
Oct 2013 • Friends
Nice little town.. Great churches, nice Central Square with fountain and good places to eat. Spend time there and enjoy the local candies
Written October 18, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Per chi arriva in automobile, ci sono parcheggi coperti, a pagamento?
Ci sono zone a traffico limitato alle quali fare attenzione?
Grazie
Written September 13, 2020
Buongiorno, c'è un parcheggio coperto in piazza San Paolo, davanti all'omonimo Tempio. E' in zona senza vincoli.
C'è la zona a trafficato limitato ben indicata. Si può lasciare lì l'auto e girare a piedi senza timori.
Alcuni hotel offrono anche il posto auto gratuito.
Written September 15, 2020
Sono aperti i negozi la domenica senza considerare il periodo della sagra del tartufo?
Written August 29, 2019
Sono aperti i negozi la domenica nel periodo della fiera del tartufo?
Written September 19, 2018
Generalmente durante il periodo di fiera è tutto aperto se ti riferisci poi a qualcosa di specifico dovresti verificare
Written September 19, 2018
Ci sono parecchi negozietti e a volte anche bancarelle .
la scelta è vasta , dipende dai tuoi gusti e dalla curiosità di provare gusti diversi .
C'è ľimbarazzo della scelta.
Written March 18, 2018
Se vi veniamo con un gruppo di famiglie e bambini di domenica, troviamo aperti negozi ecc???
Written March 5, 2015
Ciao, in centro ad Alba bar e locali per eventualmente pranzare o cenare ne trovi molti per tutti i prezzi. In piazza del duomo ti consiglio il calissano.Negozi per fare shopping normalmente sono chiusi, ma puoi trovare in corso asti diversi negozi a buon prezzo per abbigliamento ed un centro commerciale conad che vende anche prodotti locali. Corso asti e' la statale che porta ad asti. Ciao Luca
Written March 6, 2015
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