How to Buy Tickets for the Galleria Borghese in Rome

The Borghese Gallery is one of the most renowned museums in Rome. Located in the Villa Borghese Pinciana, it houses one of the most beautiful private art collections in the world. Visiting this museum can truly be an unforgettable experience, but purchasing tickets can be a bit tricky due to its mandatory reservation system. In this guide, we’ll explain “How to buy tickets for the Borghese Gallery in Rome” in a straightforward and simple way.

Why Visit the Borghese Gallery

The Borghese Gallery is a true treasure of art and culture, with a collection ranging from ancient Roman art to masterpieces of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Here you can admire works by renowned artists such as Caravaggio, Bernini, Titian, Raphael and many others. A visit to the Borghese Gallery is a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in art history and get up close to the wonders of this extraordinary collection.

How the Ticketing System Works

To maintain an intimate and quiet atmosphere, the Borghese Gallery limits the number of visitors to 360 for each two-hour time slot. Therefore, it is necessary to book your ticket in advance by choosing a specific time. This system allows you to fully enjoy the experience without the crowds that many other museums have.

How to Buy Tickets for the Borghese Gallery

There are several ways to purchase tickets for the Borghese Gallery, each with its own pros and cons. Below you’ll find a detailed description of each option.

For those in a hurry. How to buy tickets for the Borghese Gallery: unless you enjoy spending your vacation waiting in long lines, we highly recommend that you book skip-the-line tickets for the Borghese Gallery in advance here or book a guided tour of the Borghese Gallery. Of these two, the guided tour is the best option because not only will you skip the long lines, but you’ll also learn about the secrets, stories, and painting techniques behind the museum’s treasures from an expert guide.

Since it’s such a popular attraction among tourists, there are several ways to get tickets for the Borghese Gallery. Travelers can find the approach that best suits their needs depending on how organized they are and how they prefer to visit attractions. Below, we’ll explain where to buy tickets for the Borghese Gallery for each approach so you can understand which one you prefer.

1. Wait in line in person (not recommended)

Although it is possible to buy tickets for the Borghese Gallery at the museum upon arrival, we do not recommend this last-minute approach. Not only will you have to spend time waiting at the ticket office, which seems like a waste, but there is also no guarantee that tickets will still be available. The number of visitors in the gallery is limited, so tickets can sell out quickly, leaving you with few or no options if you simply show up hoping to get them.

2. Book online

If you know you want to visit the Borghese Gallery during your stay in Rome, booking tickets for the Borghese Gallery before departing is definitely the smartest approach.

By booking in advance, you can choose the exact time of your visit, allowing you to plan other sightseeing activities around your scheduled visit. Although online booking is more expensive, you get the advantage of skip-the-line tickets for the Borghese Gallery and the certainty that your ticket will be securely arranged.

The most direct way to purchase tickets is through the official website of the Borghese Gallery. Here you can choose the date and time of your visit and proceed with the purchase. However, the website can be a bit tricky to navigate and sometimes tickets may be sold out.

Instead, we recommend booking through this link, as it is much easier to use and you can cancel up to 24 hours in advance to receive a full refund. These tickets may be more expensive, but they also include a host who will greet you on arrival and help you get started on your visit.

3. Book a guided tour (recommended)

If you want to deepen your knowledge of the artworks on display, you might consider booking a guided tour. These tours, available in various languages, include admission to the museum and let you discover the secrets of the artworks thanks to the explanations of an expert guide. With this guided tour, you will receive a skip-the-line ticket and spend your time at the museum being shown around by a live tour guide and learning more about the artworks than you would if you went alone. In addition, on this tour you won’t just visit the Borghese Gallery; the rest of the gardens will also be shown to you.

4. Buy a Roma Pass

A useful option for tourists interested in visiting many attractions while in Rome is the Roma Pass. This tourist pass works slightly differently from other city passes you may have encountered, as it includes only free entry to one or two attractions depending on the pass you get. However, it also offers discounted prices for all 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 Markets.

To use the Roma Pass at the Borghese Gallery, you will still need to book your entry time in advance and pay the booking fee.

What is the best time to visit the Borghese Gallery?

Unlike many tourist attractions, your experience at the Borghese Gallery will not be affected by the time you decide to go. The museum is mostly an indoor activity, so the weather only matters if you plan to spend time in the gardens.

As for avoiding crowds while you are there, this is already managed for you since the number of visitors is limited for each entry/exit time slot. This means the museum can never actually be crowded. However, if you want your experience to be as peaceful as possible, you may want to aim for a visit on a weekday, or in the early afternoon or the last available time slot.

The timing of your visit is actually very important during the planning stages. The time slots that are most likely to sell out quickly are weekends and the 11:00 am slot, since visitors like to go for lunch afterward.

Other Useful Information

Opening Hours

The Borghese Gallery is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm. The last entry is at 5:45 pm.

How much do tickets to the Borghese Gallery cost?

The cost of tickets to the Borghese Gallery depends on whether you buy them online or in person and if you are eligible for any discounts.

The ticket for the Borghese Gallery with standard admission costs €13 for adults and €2 for EU youth ages 18 to 25; it is free for visitors under 18. Each ticket booked online includes a €2 booking fee and an additional €2 service fee.

Adults can get discounted tickets for €8 for the last entry of the day. Admission to the museum is free on the first Sunday of the month, but you will still need to pay the booking and service fees to reserve in advance.

Visitors with disabilities and one companion can visit for free and do not have to pay the booking fee. Audioguides are available at the ticket office for €5.

The best hotels for the Borghese Gallery

Rome is a large city with many neighborhoods and districts where you can choose to stay. You really couldn’t ask for a more convenient area to explore the city than the area around the Villa Borghese Gardens, making it a prime location for tourists to base themselves. While you’ll find plenty of accommodations here, especially in the Ludovisi district, here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Luxury and pampering are on the menu for a stay at the incredible Sofitel Roma Villa Borghese. Located just across the street from the gardens, this five-star hotel features beautifully curated rooms, as well as a panoramic lounge, a fitness center, a bar, and a restaurant.

Finding a balance between cost and comfort in Rome is not as difficult as you might think with options like the Magica Luna Boutique Hotel – Rome. This boutique hotel is less than a 10-minute walk from the museum and boasts stylish rooms equipped with all the essential comforts needed for a pleasant stay. Another option for excellent mid-range accommodation is to check our guide to the best Airbnbs in Rome.

Budget accommodations are scarce in this part of Rome, with RomeHello being the closest solution for a budget place to stay. Guests can choose between dorms and private rooms in this clean and social hostel, as well as perks like a bar and a common courtyard where you can relax and meet people. You can find more great hostels in our hostel guide to Rome.

How to Get There

The Borghese Gallery is located inside the Villa Borghese Gardens, a beautiful park in the center of Rome. You can easily reach it on foot from Piazza del Popolo or by public transport.

To get there by metro, take line A and get off at Flaminio or Spagna station. From there you can walk through the Villa Borghese Gardens for 20 minutes or take tram no. 2 from Flaminio. There are also many buses that can take you to the museum, especially useful are buses 92 and 910 from Rome Termini train station to the Pinciana/Museo Borghese stop.

Borghese Gallery Security

All museum visitors will have to undergo security checks before entering. Knowing what you can and cannot bring into the museum will help streamline this process and let you start your visit more quickly. Items prohibited by the museum include luggage, strollers, food and drinks, umbrellas, selfie sticks, and tripods. There is a cloakroom in the museum basement for these items, but you cannot store large pieces of luggage there.

Visiting the Borghese Gallery with Disabilities

Since the Borghese Gallery is located inside a historic building, there are some limitations that visitors with disabilities might encounter. Visitors with reduced mobility can use the rear entrance of the building as it has no steps; they can also use the internal elevator to move between floors.

The most important aspect of accessibility is that, although the museum allows the use of wheelchairs, visitors must leave their own wheelchair and use one provided by the museum. This is because the museum’s elevator is quite small and the museum’s wheelchairs can fit inside it.

Fun Facts about the Borghese Gallery

What is the Borghese Gallery?

The Borghese Gallery is an art gallery in Rome that houses artworks from the Borghese Collection, owned by the Borghese family of Rome.

When was the Borghese Gallery built?

Construction of the Villa Borghese Pinciana, the villa that houses the Borghese Gallery, began in 1605.

How old is the Borghese Gallery?

The Borghese Gallery was opened to the public in 1903.

Who built the Borghese Gallery?

Architect Flaminio Ponzio designed the Villa Borghese Pinciana under the guidance of Cardinal Scipione Borghese.

Where is the Borghese Gallery located?

The Borghese Gallery is located within the Villa Borghese gardens in the Quartiere III Pinciano, north of Rome’s city center.

That’s all for this guide to the Borghese Gallery. I hope you now appreciate how useful it is to organize your Borghese Gallery tickets and plan your visit in advance.

What to Expect

Inside the Borghese Gallery, you can admire masterpieces by artists such as Caravaggio, Bernini, and Raphael, as well as numerous ancient sculptures. The visit lasts two hours and, thanks to the limited number of guests, you can enjoy a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere.