The Borghese Gallery is a cardinal’s villa in the middle of the Villa Borghese park, holding the greatest collection of Bernini’s marble sculptures anywhere, plus paintings by Caravaggio, Raphael and Titian. Booking is compulsory for every visitor, including those who go free, for two-hour time slots. As of October 2026 a full ticket costs €16 plus a €2 booking fee (€2 plus the fee for EU citizens aged 18–25; under-18s free, booking fee only). It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 19:00, last entry 17:45, and closed on Mondays.
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Tickets and tours for Borghese Gallery
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Why the Borghese Gallery matters
Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V, built the villa in the early 17th century as a showcase for the art he collected with a ruthless passion: he commissioned the young Gian Lorenzo Bernini, bought Caravaggios when other patrons found them too shocking, and had a Raphael altarpiece removed from a church in Perugia. The Italian state bought the villa and its collection in 1902. Because the rooms are small and the works fragile, visitor numbers are strictly limited, which makes it one of the most rewarding museum visits in Rome: you see masterpieces up close, without the crowds of bigger museums.
What you’ll see
- Bernini’s sculptures (ground floor): Apollo and Daphne, with Daphne’s fingers turning into laurel leaves; The Rape of Proserpina, where Pluto’s fingers press into her marble thigh; his tense, coiled David; and Aeneas, Anchises and Ascanius.
- Canova’s Pauline Bonaparte: Napoleon’s sister, who married a Borghese prince, reclining half-nude as Venus Victrix.
- Caravaggio: six paintings, from the early Boy with a Basket of Fruit and Sick Bacchus to the late David with the Head of Goliath, where Goliath’s head is a self-portrait.
- The picture gallery (first floor): Raphael’s Deposition and Lady with a Unicorn, Titian’s Sacred and Profane Love, and works by Correggio, Antonello da Messina and Rubens.
- The rooms themselves: ceilings frescoed with myths, Roman mosaics of gladiators in the entrance hall, and coloured marbles everywhere.
Tickets and booking
Prices and rules from the gallery’s official site, as of October 2026:
- Ticket: €16 full price (€11 for the last, shorter slot of the day), plus a compulsory €2 booking fee. EU citizens from 18 until their 25th birthday pay €2 plus the fee; under-18s are free but pay the fee. Extra charges may apply during temporary exhibitions.
- Free with booking, no fee: visitors with a disability and a companion, EU-licensed tour guides, accredited journalists and children under 5. They must still reserve a slot.
- Compulsory booking: every visitor needs a reservation for a timed slot, with up to 180 people per slot. Visits last two hours, except the last entry at 17:45. Book on the gallery’s official ticket site or by phone on +39 06 32810 (Monday to Friday, 9:30–18:00), and buy only through official channels: the museum warns against resellers. In spring, summer and autumn, book two or three weeks ahead.
- Free Sundays: on the state museums’ free days, slots open about 10 days ahead and there are no last-minute places.
- Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00–19:00; the ticket office opens at 8:30. Closed on Mondays, 25 December and 1 January.
- Bags: only small bags and pouches up to 21 × 15 cm are allowed in the rooms. Backpacks, larger bags and umbrellas go in the cloakroom, so arrive at least 20–30 minutes before your slot to collect tickets and leave your things.
- Exhibitions in autumn 2026: the big “Metamorfosi. Ovidio e le arti” exhibition, made with Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, runs until 11 October 2026, and an installation by Isaac Julien until 25 October.
How long to allow and when to go
Your slot is two hours: spend the first on the ground-floor sculptures, which draw the crowds, and the second upstairs in the picture gallery, which is usually calmer. Weekday morning slots are the easiest to get. Combine the visit with a walk or a bike ride in the Villa Borghese park around it.
Accessibility
A stair lift on the left of the front facade gives access to the ground floor, where the sculpture rooms are fully accessible. A small service lift reaches the picture gallery but does not take large wheelchairs, so the gallery lends small wheelchairs that fit it. Visitors with a disability and a companion go free but must book. Contact the accessibility office (+39 06 6723 3753, ga-bor.accessibilita@cultura.gov.it) before your visit; there are also tactile maps and sign-language tours.
Getting there
The gallery is inside the park, at Piazzale Scipione Borghese 5, with no metro station at the door. From Termini, take bus 910 or 92 to Pinciana/Museo Borghese; from Flaminio (metro line A), buses 89, 490, 495, 61 or 160; from Barberini (metro line A), buses 63, 83, 61, 160, 52 or 53. On foot it is a pleasant 15–20 minutes through the park from the top of the Spanish Steps or from Via Veneto.
Combine it with
Walk back through the park, past the Pincio terrace, to the Spanish Steps (about 1.2 km) and on to the Trevi Fountain. The park itself has a lake with rowing boats, bike rentals and other museums; see our Rome travel guide and our cycling guide.
Borghese Gallery FAQ
Do you need to book the Borghese Gallery?
Yes. Booking is compulsory for every visitor, including children and others who go free, for a two-hour time slot. Tickets often sell out weeks ahead.
How much is a Borghese Gallery ticket in 2026?
As of October 2026, €16 plus a €2 booking fee, so €18 in total. EU citizens aged 18–25 pay €2 plus the fee, under-18s pay only the fee, and the last slot of the day costs €11 plus the fee.
Is the Borghese Gallery closed on Mondays?
Yes. It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:00 to 19:00, with last entry at 17:45, and closed on Mondays, 25 December and 1 January.
How long is a visit to the Borghese Gallery?
Two hours, the length of each time slot. The last entry, at 17:45, is shorter.
Can I take a bag into the Borghese Gallery?
Only a small pouch up to 21 × 15 cm. Backpacks, bags and umbrellas must go in the cloakroom, so arrive early.
What are the must-see works in the Borghese Gallery?
Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne and Rape of Proserpina, Canova’s reclining Pauline Bonaparte, the six Caravaggios, Raphael’s Deposition and Titian’s Sacred and Profane Love.