More about: Borghese Gallery in Rome: Tickets and Tours
The Borghese Gallery is one of the most renowned art galleries in the world thanks to its treasures by Bernini, Raphael, Botticelli and Rubens. Is it worth a visit? Absolutely, and not only for the works it houses, but also for its unbeatable location in the Villa Borghese Gardens.
Rome Gallery Borghese Tickets
Discover the Borghese Gallery at your own pace and without queuing
Quickly access one of Rome's most important art collections, featuring works by Caravaggio, Bernini, Canova, and Raphael. Explore the gallery at your own pace and enjoy a cultural experience in a unique setting.
If you prefer to visit the museums on your own, a good option is to book these skip-the-line tickets for the Borghese Gallery, which will allow you to enter the museum directly without unnecessary waiting. Before entering, a host will welcome you and answer any practical questions you may have about the visit.
Once inside, you can freely explore the rooms of this villa-museum, located in the gardens of Villa Borghese, and enjoy works by artists such as Caravaggio, Bernini, Raphael and Canova, with the peace of mind of having up to two hours to explore at your own pace.
Recommended if... you prefer to explore the museum on your own without relying on a group or guide.
Rome Gallery Borghese Small Group Guided Tour
Guided tour of the Borghese Gallery in a small group
Enjoy a more personalised experience with an expert guide and small groups. Learn about the history behind each work and admire the artistic treasures of this museum in a more intimate setting.
This guided tour of the Borghese Gallery in a small group is ideal if you are looking for a more in-depth and accompanied experience. With skip-the-line access, you will tour the different rooms of the museum accompanied by an expert guide who will explain the context and details of the most important works.
The experience lasts approximately two hours and is conducted in groups of around 15 people, allowing for closer interaction with the guide and a better understanding of the works of artists such as Bernini, Caravaggio, Titian and Raphael.
Recommended if... you want to get to know the works of the Gallery in depth and enjoy a more peaceful and personalised visit.
How to buy tickets for the Borghese Gallery
The best advice I can give you for visiting the Borghese Gallery is to buy your tickets online well in advance of your trip so you don't miss out on this experience. This is the basic ticket, which allows you to enter the museum at a pre-booked time without having to queue.
As with any other museum in the world, when you buy this skip-the-line ticket, you can enjoy a visit at your own pace, without having to follow a specific route. However, due to the large number of visitors, I recommend that you be very punctual to avoid problems with access.
Is it worth taking a guided tour of the Galleria Borghese?
Yes, especially in a museum like the Borghese Gallery, where much of the value of the experience lies in understanding the artistic and historical context of its masterpieces. Being accompanied by a guide allows you to interpret the work of artists such as Bernini, Caravaggio, Titian and Raphael in greater depth and make the most of your visit.
A guided tour also ensures you skip the queues, receive clear guidance from the start and have the opportunity to ask questions to enrich your experience.
Recommended guided tours
- Small group guided tour of the Borghese Gallery – from S$127 2-hour tour with an expert guide and skip-the-line access in groups of up to 15 people.
- Guided tour of the Borghese Gallery and its gardens – from S$144 Also includes access to the gardens; ideal if you want to extend your visit outdoors after the museum.
- Private tour of the Borghese Gallery with an expert guide – from S$345 A fully customised option with a private guide, perfect if you are looking for a more exclusive experience.
Save on your visit to the Borghese Gallery with the Roma Pass
A visit to the Borghese Gallery is included in the Roma Pass tourist card, which offers a flat rate for access to the major attractions. With it, you'll save a lot of money on individual museum tickets and a lot of time waiting in queues.
Rome is one of the most touristy capitals in the world and has many points of interest, so if you are going to spend several days in the city and want to see most of its wonders without dying in the attempt, I recommend that you get a Roma Pass without hesitation. You can find out what it consists of and how to get it in this other article I have written about Rome Pass
However, remember that even with your Roma Pass, you must still book your entry time in advance to visit the Borghese Gallery. To do so, call 0039 06 32 810 or send an email to [email protected] (response within 48 hours).
Galleria Borghese opening hours
The Borghese Gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The museum is open every day of the year except Mondays and 1 January and 25 December.
If possible, try to avoid the busiest days so you can visit the gallery in greater comfort; these are usually weekends at midday.
How to get to the Borghese Gallery?
As with most of Rome, you can get to the Borghese Gallery by metro or bus, as it is a little further away from the city centre where many of the city's major attractions are located.
Metro
The nearest metro stop is Piazza di Spagna, line A.
Bus
There are several options for getting there by bus, depending on where you are staying or where you are visiting in the city when you leave for the Gallery:
- Bus 52 (every 15 minutes): V.Tritone, Piazza Barberini, V.Veneto... This will drop you off outside the park, 200 metres from the entrance.
- Bus 53 (every 25 minutes): V. Tritone, Piazza Barberini, V. Veneto... You will get off at the same place as above.
- Bus 95 (every 15 minutes): Bocca Verità, V.Teatro Marcelo, P.Venecia, V. Corso. It will drop you off inside the park itself, a 10-minute walk from the gallery.
- Buses 86 and 116 (electric, through narrow streets, every 5-10 minutes): V. Giulia, V. dei Baullari, Corso Rinascimento, V. Zanardelli... Get off at Porta Pinciana, more than 10 minutes from the park.
Please note that punctuality is essential when entering the gallery, so if you are using public transport to get there, leave your hotel with plenty of time to spare in case the chaotic Roman traffic delays your bus more than usual.
A little history about the Borghese Gallery
The Borghese Gallery has an extraordinary collection of Italian paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries, with works by Titian, Antonello da Messina, Bellini and others. It houses authentic gems of painting such as Rubens' 'Pieta', Raphael's 'Lady with a Unicorn' and Canova's 'Paulina Bonaparte'.
The museum
It has rooms dedicated to the master of light and shadow, Caravaggio, with his impressive 'David with the Head of Goliath', and others housing sculptures from the early period of the brilliant Bernini, such as 'Apollo and Daphne' and 'David', as well as Roman antiquities including a 'Mosaic with Gladiators' from the 4th century AD and a 'Dancing Satyr' from the 4th century BC.
In addition, it is a truly beautiful museum in terms of decoration, with two floors that can be visited in two hours (the maximum time allowed for each visit), and without crowds, as only 360 people are allowed in each session. This ensures a very relaxed tour.
The gallery is a 17th-century palace building, known as the 'Casino Nobile' of this villa, built in 1633 as a residence and exhibition space for the private collection, already famous at the time, of Cardinal Scipione Borghese, patron of Bernini, nephew of Pope Paul V and after whom the gallery and gardens where it is located are named.
The building
The Borghese Gallery is, in fact, one of the first buildings in the world to have been built specifically for exhibition purposes, which, compared to other modern art galleries, denotes a certain antiquity. This is despite its remodelling in 1775 under the direction of architect Antonio Asprucci, who rearranged the museum's sculptures and antiquities according to a single thematic criterion.
At the end of the 18th century, the building was converted into a public museum. Some time later, in 1808, due to the impossibility of maintaining the legacy, the family was forced to sell several of the sculptures and antiques to Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, brother-in-law of Prince Camillo Borghese. For this reason, some of the jewels housed in the gallery are now in the Louvre in Paris, such as the remarkable statue of the 'Borghese Gladiator'.
Ana's Traveller Tip
The Villa Borghese park is free to enter and you can enjoy it even if you don't have a ticket for the Gallery. For me, the park is a must-see on any trip to Rome.
What can I see around the Borghese Gallery?
Villa Borghese Gardens
There are many other places of interest in the area around the Borghese Gallery that you can visit on the same day as your visit to the museum. If you have already decided to buy your ticket for the Borghese Gallery, you will pass through the magnificent Villa Borghese Gardens, which are worth a separate visit as they are one of the largest urban parks in Europe, where nature and art come together to create a truly dreamlike setting.
In addition to the gallery, you will find sculptures, ponds, gazebos and groves, the Rome Zoo, known as Bioparco, with more than 1,000 animals of 200 different species; the Pincio Water Clock, an example of 19th-century engineering that is still in full working order, and even a replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London, the Silvano Toti Globe Theatre. A real treat for the senses.
Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini
Very close to the area, approximately one kilometre away, there are two renowned churches. The Church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini is one of the most unique churches in Rome because it houses a crypt decorated with the bones of more than 4,000 Capuchin friars who died between 1528 and 1870. It was built between 1626 and 1631 under the orders of Pope Urban VIII.
Santa Maria della Vittoria is the other basilica of interest in this area. Built in the 17th century to commemorate the victory of Emperor Ferdinand II in the Battle of Monte Bianco, it will ring a bell if you have seen the film based on Dan Brown's bestseller Angels and Demons, as it serves as the setting for part of the film.
Piazza di Spagna and other unmissable streets and squares
A short distance away, you can visit another of Rome's key landmarks, the famous Piazza di Spagna and its lively steps, which were built in the early 18th century to connect the square with the Church of Trinità dei Monti and are always full of tourists, street artists, street vendors and Romans themselves.
Just over a kilometre away, you can enjoy another of the city's most emblematic squares, Piazza Barberini, located at the end of Via Veneto. It is particularly striking thanks to the two important fountains designed by Bernini that decorate it, the Triton Fountain and the Fountain of the Bees.
A short distance from the square is the Barberini Palace, a wonderful Baroque palace that houses the National Gallery of Ancient Art, with more than 1,400 pieces by renowned artists from the 13th to the 18th centuries, including works by Titian, El Greco, Caravaggio, Tintoretto and Raphael, with his brilliant work "La Fornarina".
Guided tours of the best of Rome
If you don't want to miss any of the city's most incredible streets and squares, I recommend taking a guided tour. The number of narrow streets, statues, fountains and works of art that you can find on the streets of Rome can easily go unnoticed if you don't have an expert to explain them to you. I wrote this guide on Top 11 tours of Rome that can help you choose the guided tour that best suits you.
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