In the ratings of the best museums in Rome, the Borghese Gallery is consistently one of the first places. Thousands of travelers daily rush to the old villa, where among a huge number of masterpieces you can see such famous works as “Descent from the Cross” by Rubens, “David with the Head of Goliath” by Caravaggio, “The Lady with the Unicorn” by Raphael, as well as sculptures of the great Bernini.
However, the Borghese Gallery enjoys well-deserved fame not only as one of the best collections of art in the world, but also as the most inaccessible museum of the Eternal City.
And it’s not only the number of people who want to visit the famous gallery - the number of daily ticket quotas is strictly limited, which means that even after standing in line, you can be left without a ticket.
Booking tickets online in this case becomes not just a convenience, but almost the only way to get to the museum. About how it is guaranteed to get to the Borghese Gallery in Rome, we will tell in this article.
You can get to the Borghese Gallery with a professional guide
Hours of the Borghese Gallery
The Borghese Gallery is open daily from 9:00 to 19:00, but the last visitors are launched at 17:00, as the length of stay in the museum is strictly limited by the rules - no more than two hours.
This fact should be taken into account: given the volume of the collection, it may make sense to take tickets for two consecutive sessions at once or to clearly monitor the time in order to cover the maximum number of halls.
On Thursdays, you can stay in the Borghese Gallery longer until 21:00, and the last group enters at 19:00.
The ticket office of the museum starts at 8:30 and ends at 18:30 (Thursday at 20:30). On December 25 and January 1, the museum is closed.
How to buy tickets to the Borghese Gallery
At official rates, the ticket price at the box office is 13 euros. Mandatory reservation is additionally paid - 2 euros. But, as we have already said, in the case of the Borghese Gallery, it’s almost impossible to buy tickets at the box office just by walking from the street due to official restrictions.
According to the rules of the Gallery, only 360 people can go inside and only for 2 hours, and taking into account the fact that about 10 million foreign tourists visit Rome annually, there is no reason to hope for luck.
Naturally, the artificial restriction around the already extremely popular museum creates unprecedented excitement, and therefore often a situation arises when tickets are fully redeemed for many days in advance.
In the center of the fresco (Mariano Rossi), the god Jupiter greets Romulus
The only and at the same time more than affordable way to avoid disappointment: buy a ticket to the Borghese Gallery online in advance.
You need to be prepared for the fact that you will have to pay more, but you certainly will not be left empty-handed in front of the closed door of the museum, but you can guaranteedly enjoy the masterpieces of Rubens, Raphael, Caravaggio and Bernini.
On the GetYourGuide website, in addition to standard entrance tickets, tickets with special services are also available: floating entrance time, extension of the session up to 3 hours, guide escort, tour of the gardens of Villa Borghese, transfer.
The price of tickets, depending on the season and demand here, can start from 20 to 30 euros. See available options here.
Cheaper tickets can be found on the Weekendinitaly website. Here the cost starts from 20 Euro, but the site is sensitive to the Internet browser.
Tickets to the Borghese Gallery: Important Nuances
The availability of advance online reservation allows guaranteed access to the museum without waiting in line. Exchange of a received voucher for a ticket at the box office rarely takes more than a few minutes.
If you are a student or teacher of an architectural or art university, you can be admitted to the museum for free. For people with disabilities, free guided tours are available.
Sculpture "Apollo and Daphne" by Bernini (1622-1625)
The Borghese Gallery also has a special action called “Sunday at the Museum”: in 2019 the museum will be open for free access on October 6, November 3, December 1.
In addition, free admission will be available on April 25 and May 1, as well as on Wednesdays every even month of the year (sessions at 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00).
Important! Booking (2 euros) remains mandatory. It can be done by calling + 39 06 32810 (Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 18:00 and Saturday from 9:00 to 13:00).
Excursions to the Borghese Gallery
You can get to the Borghese Gallery with a professional art guide. This will allow you to know the collection much better, because without a guide, a trip can turn into a chaotic movement in the halls.
The excursion time is usually limited to 2 hours, and the standard cost is about 125-150 Euros. At the same time, tickets to the Gallery itself will still have to be purchased separately. A detailed description, prices and reviews of Russian-language excursions can be found on this page.
Another way to visit the Gallery with a guide is to contact the organizer of Russian-speaking excursions in Rome Lele.
BlogoItaliano has been friends with Lela since 2013, and she can organize a live guided tour not only in the Borghese Gallery, but also in many other popular museums in Rome and the Vatican.
To clarify with Lela the possible dates, times and prices of excursions, write to her e-mail email protected or send a message via the feedback form under this article.
It is better to contact her as early as possible, because in Rome there is always a huge number of tourists, and many dates can be busy in advance.
Audio Guide for the Borghese Gallery
For those who prefer to stroll through the museum in splendid isolation, an audio guide service is available. You can get it on the ground floor of the museum for a separate 5 euros.
Unfortunately, the service is not available in Russian, but if you speak English, Italian, French, German or Spanish, then the faceless guide is at your service!
How to get to the Gallery
The nearest metro station in Rome is Barberini (line A), a walk from the metro to the gallery takes about 20-25 minutes.
Buses 52, 53, 63, 83 (stop Pinciana / Museo Borghese) and buses 61, 160 (S. Paolo del Brasile) also go from Barberini to the gallery side.
There are direct routes from Termini Station - Nos. 910 and 92. And, of course, there is always a Roman taxi at your service.
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