Why go

The Galleria Borghese is the most rewarding small museum in Rome. It was built in the early 17th century as a party villa for Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V and one of the most ambitious collectors of his age. He commissioned a young Gian Lorenzo Bernini, bought Caravaggio when others found him too shocking, and filled the rooms with ancient statues, frescoes and marble.

Because the number of visitors is strictly limited, you see these masterpieces in rooms that never feel overcrowded. Bernini’s marble figures seem to move, the ceilings glow with colour, and the whole building sits in the middle of Villa Borghese, Rome’s best-loved park.

What to see

  • Apollo and Daphne. Bernini catches the moment Daphne turns into a laurel tree, with leaves sprouting from her fingers.
  • The Rape of Proserpina. Pluto’s hand pressing into Proserpina’s thigh is one of the great feats of carving in marble.
  • Bernini’s David. Caught mid-throw, biting his lip in concentration.
  • Pauline Bonaparte. Canova’s reclining portrait of Napoleon’s sister as Venus.
  • The Caravaggio room. Works including Boy with a Basket of Fruit and David with the Head of Goliath.
  • The picture gallery. Raphael’s Deposition and Titian’s Sacred and Profane Love upstairs.

Plan your visit

The gallery opens Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 7pm and closes on Mondays, 25 December and 1 January. Visitors enter at the start of each hour, with the last entrance at 5.45pm, and each visit lasts two hours. Only 180 people are admitted per slot, so booking is compulsory for everyone.

A full ticket costs €16 plus a presale fee, reduced to €11 for the last slot of the day. EU citizens aged 18 to 25 pay €2 and under-18s go free, but a €2 reservation fee is charged on every ticket. On the first Sunday of the month entry is free, with tickets released ten days ahead. The gallery is part of the Roma Pass 48 and 72 hours, which still requires a booking by phone. Book on the official site and be wary of resellers offering ‘skip-the-line’ entry, which the museum says does not exist.

Getting there

The gallery stands on the eastern side of Villa Borghese. From Spagna or Flaminio on Metro line A it is about 20 minutes’ walk through the park, and buses run along nearby Via Pinciana.

Tips

Arrive early to collect tickets and leave bags in the cloakroom. Many visitors start upstairs and finish with the sculptures as others head up. Afterwards, walk across the park to the Pincio terrace for sunset over Piazza del Popolo.

Photography without flash is generally allowed, but the rooms are small, so be considerate of others. Two hours is enough for the main works if you keep moving, and the gallery staff will clear the rooms at the end of each slot. If you cannot get a slot for your preferred day, check the official site again shortly before, because returns are sometimes released, and consider the last slot of the day, which is cheaper. The surrounding park has cafés, bike hire and the Bioparco zoo for a longer outing.