Best seat for less turbulence in airplane

In theory, the closer you are to the plane's center of mass (or center of gravity), the less movement you will experience overall; this the fulcrum, or pivot point, around which the aircraft rotates. In passenger aircraft, this will lie somewhere near the front of the wings, but it is impossible to speak of any "best" seat for any aircraft. At the least, the center of mass shifts during flight as fuel is consumed and as flaps are extended or retracted, and you never know when the plane will encounter turbulence.

(Conventional wisdom similarly predicts the aft of the plane will see the most movement. It is typically farther from the center of gravity than the nose is, especially where passenger seats are concerned, and it is also where the tail is attached, which is buffeted as it keeps the plane on course.)

As Moo notes in a comment, however, what you experience in flight depends on the kind of turbulence you encounter. "Turbulence" simply means irregular air movement, which comes in pockets of mostly unpredictable size, strength, and direction. Turbulence that is strong enough to shake the plane is going to shake the entire plane. Picking a different seat isn't going to help if the plane suddenly drops 10 feet. Even in less extreme situations, it isn't as if the front of the plane will be motionless while the rear is bumpy; that would defy engineering and common sense.

As Patrick Smith of the "Ask the Pilot" column writes,

“Is it better to fly at night than during the day?” Sometimes.

“Should I avoid routes that traverse the Rockies or the Alps?” Hard to say.

“Are small planes more susceptible than larger ones?” It depends.

“They’re calling for gusty winds tomorrow. Will it be rough?” Probably, but who knows.

He agrees that sitting near the wings will afford a smoother ride, and movement is worst in the rear, but overall,

it doesn’t make a whole lot of difference.