Galleria Borghese: Plan Your Visit

Entry to Galleria Borghese is by timed slot, so it helps to sort out the details before you go. This page covers how long to allow, what you can bring, the facilities on site and accessibility.

Hours and Getting Here

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Slot times are on the Opening Hours page.

Getting here: the gallery is inside Villa Borghese park. Every route is on the Address & Directions page.

How Long to Allow

Gallery Visit
Villa & Gardens

NEEDS MEDIA LIBRARY ID - villa facade, reused from main page carousel

Gallery visits run in two-hour slots, except the last one of the day at 5:45 p.m., which is shorter. On the Guided Tour, a guide leads groups of up to 15 people, with commentary through a headset in several languages.

The collection fills twenty rooms on two floors: Bernini's sculptures and the Caravaggio room downstairs, the picture gallery upstairs. Two hours is enough to see the highlights without hurrying.

Two-hour slots (the last slot of the day is shorter)
Guided Tour: groups of up to 15, headset commentary
Twenty rooms across two floors

Bags and What You Can Bring

Only small bags and purses up to 21 x 15 cm are allowed in the exhibition rooms. Medium and large bags, shopping bags and backpacks go in the cloakroom.

Suitcases are a different story: the cloakroom only takes cabin-size trolleys, and only when there's space, so travel light if you can.

How to Choose Between the Guided Tour and the Golf Cart Tour

Guided Tour

Pick this if the art is the reason you're coming. It includes gallery entry, a guide and headset commentary, and lasts about two hours.

Golf Cart Tour

Pick this if you'd rather be outdoors. It covers the gardens with a map, takes about two hours and does not include gallery entry.

Galleria Borghese: Guided Tour

Highlights

Explore the impressive collection from renowned artists like Bernini, Caravaggio, and Raphael.

Enjoy detailed insights and stories behind the artworks from an experienced guide.

Benefit from reserved access to avoid waiting in lines.

Use a headset to clearly hear your guide throughout the two-hour tour.

Join a small group capped at 15 participants for a more personal experience.

Giardini di Villa Borghese in Golf Cart

Highlights

Drive a 4, 6, or 8-seat golf cart through expansive gardens.

Follow suggested routes using a provided map.

Enjoy a relaxed pace within a serene natural setting.

Explore areas of the park inaccessible on foot.

Avoid the need for long walks while seeing more of the gardens.

On-Site Facilities

There's no restaurant inside, but a café near the entrance serves coffee, drinks and light snacks from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. You can use the café and bookshop without a ticket. The cloakroom and toilets are for ticket holders only.

For a proper meal, central Rome is a short walk away.

Accessibility

A step-free back entrance at Piazzale Scipione Borghese, 5 leads straight onto the sculpture floor, and there's a stair lift to the left of the external staircase at the front. The lift to the upper floor is small, so the museum provides a compact wheelchair for the ride up, with larger, more comfortable ones waiting upstairs.

Guides can be arranged in Italian Sign Language, International Sign and American Sign Language. Museum volunteers (V.A.M.I.) run free tours, by reservation, for visitors with motor, visual, psychological or psychiatric disabilities. Blind and low-vision visitors can also listen to the museum's Beyond the Marble podcast, which describes the works in detail.

Arrange any assistance before your visit.

Know Before You Go

Book ahead: every visitor needs a reservation, children included

Arrive 10–15 minutes early: you can only go in at the start of your slot, and you'll need time for the cloakroom

Wear comfortable shoes: you'll be on your feet for two hours, and probably in the park afterwards

Allow time for the park: the walk from the park entrance or bus stop to the gallery adds a few minutes

Pack light: a small bag means no queue at the cloakroom

Frequently Asked Questions About Visiting Galleria Borghese

Can I bring a backpack or large bag?

Not into the exhibition rooms. Backpacks and medium or large bags go in the cloakroom; only small bags up to 21 x 15 cm can come in with you.

Can I leave a suitcase at the gallery?

Only cabin-size trolleys, and only when the cloakroom has room. It's best not to bring luggage.

Is there a café at Galleria Borghese?

Yes, near the entrance, open from 8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. You don't need a ticket to use the café or bookshop.

Are there toilets inside?

Yes, for ticket holders inside the museum.

Is Galleria Borghese wheelchair accessible?

Yes. There's a step-free back entrance, a stair lift at the front, and a compact wheelchair for the small lift to the upper floor. See the Accessibility section above.

Are there tours for deaf, blind or low-vision visitors?

Sign-language guides (LIS, IS and ASL) can be arranged, and V.A.M.I. volunteers run free tours for blind and low-vision visitors, among others.

Do children need a reservation?

Yes. Every visitor needs a booking, whatever their age.

Can I combine my visit with Villa Borghese park?

Yes. The gallery is inside the park, so you can explore the gardens before or after your slot, on foot or on the golf cart tour.