It’s hard to imagine a complete itinerary for Italy without Rome, the Eternal City, on it. The Italian capital is best known among tourists for its historical landmarks like the Colosseum and the Pantheon, but don’t overlook major cultural institutions like the Borghese Gallery (Italian: Galleria Borghese), with its superb collection of Renaissance artwork; they, too, should definitely be on your Rome itinerary.
Unlike some of the more iconic things to do in Rome, visiting the Borghese Gallery isn’t something you should just do on a whim. Tickets here can sell out quickly and visits are done in a very particular way, so it’s well worth taking time to plan your visit if you want to go. This guide will show you how to buy tickets to the Borghese Gallery, highlight the importance of skip-the-line tickets for the Borghese Gallery, and help you plan various other aspects of your visit.
Quick Answer – How to Buy Tickets to the Borghese Gallery: Unless you like spending your vacation waiting in long lines, we highly recommended you either book your skip-the-line Borghese Gallery tickets in advance here or book a guided tour of the Borghese Gallery. Out of these two, the guided tour is the better option as you not only get to skip the long lines, but you also get to learn about the secrets, the stories, and painting techniques concealed behind the treasures in the museum from an expert guide.
Best Ways to Get Tickets to the Borghese Gallery
Because it is such a popular attraction among tourists, there are a number of different ways you can get tickets to the Borghese Gallery. Travelers can find an approach that best suits their needs, depending on how organized they are and how they like to see sights. Below we’ll explain where to buy tickets for the Borghese Gallery for each approach so that you can work out which you prefer.
1. Line Up in Person (Not Recommended)
Although it is possible to buy tickets to the Borghese Gallery at the museum when you arrive, we’d advise against taking this last-minute approach. Not only will you have to spend time waiting in line at the ticket desk, which seems like a waste, but there’s also no guarantee that there’ll be tickets left. Visitor numbers are limited at the gallery and so tickets can quickly sell out, leaving few or no options if you just turn up to get them.
2. Book Online
If you know you want to see the Borghese Gallery during your time in Rome, then booking tickets to the Borghese Gallery before you go is certainly the smarter approach.
By booking in advance, you can choose the exact time of your visit, which will allow you to plan your other sightseeing activities around your scheduled visit. While booking online is more expensive, you get the benefit of skip-the-line Borghese Gallery tickets and the certainty that your ticket is safely sorted out.
Tickets can be booked through the official website for the Borghese Gallery, but that approach does have its drawbacks. For one, the website doesn’t always work, and when it does, it redirects you to an independent ticketing company whose tickets are nonrefundable.
Instead, we recommend booking through this link, as it’s much easier to use and you cancel up to 24 hours in advance to receive a full refund. These tickets may be more expensive, but they also come with a host who will greet you on arrival and help you start your visit.
3. Book a Guided Tour (Recommended)
If you are looking to get as much as possible out of this experience, consider booking a guided tour of the Borghese Gallery. With this guided tour, you’ll get a skip-the-line ticket and spend your time at the museum being shown about by a live tour guide and learning more about the artwork than you would if you went in on your own. In addition, you won’t just be touring the Borghese Gallery on this tour; you’ll be shown around the rest of the gardens as well.
4. Purchase a Roma Pass
A useful option for tourists interested in visiting lots of attractions while in Rome is the Roma Pass. This tourist pass works a little differently to other city passes you may have come across, as it only comes with free admission to one or two attractions depending on which pass you get. However, it also features discounted prices for all the other included attractions, as well as free use of public transport. Some attractions included in the pass are the Colosseum, Castel Sant’Angelo, and Trajan’s Market.
To use the Roma Pass at the Borghese Gallery, you will still need to make a reservation for an entry time in advance of your visit and pay the reservation fee.
Useful Information for Visiting the Borghese Gallery
What’s the Best Time to Visit the Borghese Gallery?
Unlike at so many tourist attractions, your experience at the Borghese Gallery won’t really be affected by when you decide to go. The museum is very much an indoor activity, so the weather really only matters if you plan on spending time out in the gardens.
As for avoiding crowds while you’re there, that is already handled for you as visitor numbers are limited for each entry/exit time. This means the museum can only get so busy. However, if you’d like your experience to be as quiet as possible, then you may want to aim for visiting on a weekday, either first thing in the afternoon or in the last scheduled time slot.
The timing of your visit is really most important during the planning stages. Time slots that are likely to sell out quicker than others are those on weekends and the 11:00 time slot, as visitors like to go to lunch afterwards.
Borghese Gallery Hours of Operation
The Borghese Gallery is open every day of the week except Mondays and is closed on January 1 and December 25. Opening hours for the museum are from 9:00 to 19:00, with last admission at 17:45.
How to Get to the Borghese Gallery
Attractions in Rome are scattered around the center of the city, so it’s always a good idea to look into the best way to reach them depending on where you’re coming from. In the case of the Borghese Gallery, you can walk to it from some attractions like the Spanish Steps or Piazza del Popolo. Otherwise, public transportation is going to be the easiest way to get there.
To get there by metro, take the A line to either the Flaminio or Spagna stations. From there, you can walk through the Villa Borghese Gardens for 20 minutes or get the No. 2 tram from Flaminio. There are also a lot of buses that can take you to the museum, with particularly useful ones being the 92 and 910 buses from the Roma Termini train station to the Pinciana/Museo Borghese stop.
How Do Borghese Gallery Tickets Work?
Understanding how tickets to the Borghese Gallery work is crucial to get the most from your visit. While Borghese Gallery tickets aren’t especially complicated, there are one or two quirks that you’ll want to know when planning your visit.
When booking your ticket, you’ll need to select a scheduled time slot from the times available. Entry times are divided into two-hour shifts, each with a cap of 180 visitors.
Unlike other museums where you can stay inside as long as you want, all visitors must vacate the museum at the end of their two-hour shift. Because of this, make sure to select an entry time that you’ll be able to be on time for.
After booking your ticket, you can choose to either print it out or save it on your smartphone to present when you arrive on the day.
How Much Do Tickets for the Borghese Gallery Cost?
The cost of tickets to the Borghese Gallery depends on whether you’re buying them online or in person, as well as whether you’re entitled to any discounts.
Borghese Gallery tickets for general admission cost €13 for adults and €2 for EU youths aged 18 to 25 years old; they are free for visitors under 18. A reservation fee of €2 and an additional €2 service fee are added to each ticket when booked online.
Adults can get discounted €8 tickets for the last entry of the day. Entry to the museum is free on the first Sunday of the month, but you will still need to pay the reservation and service fees to book in advance.
Visitors with disabilities and one of their companions may visit for free and do not need to pay the reservation fee. Audio guides are available by the ticket office for €5.
Best Hotels for the Borghese Gallery
Rome is a big city with plenty of different districts and neighborhoods where you can choose to stay. You really couldn’t ask for a more convenient area to explore the city from than the area around the Villa Borghese Gardens, making it a prime place for tourists to base themselves. While you’ll find lots of accommodation here, especially in the Ludovisi neighborhood, here are a few suggestions to get you started.
Luxury and pampering is on the menu with a stay at the incredible Sofitel Roma Villa Borghese. Found across the road from the gardens, this five-star hotel features gorgeously curated rooms, as well as a rooftop lounge, fitness center, bar, and restaurant.
Balancing cost and comfort in Rome isn’t as hard as you might think with options like the Magica Luna Boutique Hotel – Roma. This boutique hotel is less than a 10-minute walk away from the museum and boasts elegant rooms with all the essential amenities you need for a pleasant stay. Another option for excellent midrange accommodation is to look at our guide to the best Airbnbs in Rome.
Budget accommodation is in short supply in this part of Rome, with the RomeHello hostel your closest option for somewhere affordable to stay. Guests have their choice of dorms and private rooms in this clean and social hostel, in addition to perks like a bar and communal courtyard where you can hang out and meet people. Other great hostels can be found in our guide to hostels in Rome.
Security Process at the Borghese Gallery
All visitors to the museum will need to go through a security screening before they are permitted entry. Knowing what you can and cannot bring inside the museum will help make this process easier and allow you to start your visit quicker. Items prohibited from the museum include luggage, strollers, food and drink, umbrellas, selfie sticks, and tripods. There is a cloakroom in the basement of the museum for these items, but large luggage cannot be stored there.
Visiting the Borghese Gallery With a Disability
Because the Borghese Gallery is set inside a historic building, there are some limitations that visitors with disabilities may encounter. Visitors with reduced mobility may use the rear entrance to the building as it does not have stairs; they can also use the elevator inside to get between floors.
The most notable accessibility matter is that while the museum does accommodate the use of wheelchairs, visitors must leave their personal wheelchair and use one provided by the museum. This is because the museum’s elevator is quite small and the museum’s wheelchairs are able to fit inside it.
FAQ – Facts About the Borghese Gallery
What Is the Borghese Gallery?
The Borghese Gallery, or Galleria Borghese, is an art gallery in Rome housing artwork from the Borghese Collection owned by the Borghese family of Rome.
When Was the Borghese Gallery Built?
Construction on Villa Borghese Pinciana, the villa in which the Borghese Gallery is housed, began in 1605.
How Old Is the Borghese Gallery?
The Borghese Gallery opened to the public in 1903.
Who Built the Borghese Gallery?
Architect Flaminio Ponzio designed the Villa Borghese Pinciana under the instruction of Cardinal Scipione Borghese.
Where Is the Borghese Gallery Located?
The Borghese Gallery is located within the Villa Borghese Gardens of the Quartiere III Pinciano district in the north of central Rome.
That about does it for this guide to the Borghese Gallery. Hopefully, you now appreciate how useful it is to organize Borghese Gallery tickets and plan your visit ahead of time.
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