Borghese is closing during my Rome stay on Saturday Nov 4. Depart for home on Monday Nov 6. I have guide tours for the Colosseum and Vatican, City Tour for Thursday and Friday. Arriving in Rome on Wednesday Nov 1. I can only get the 5:45pm slot which gives me 1:15 instead of the normal two hours. Could take that if my guide is available and willing to work for a short time before we tour on Thursday/Friday. Alternatively, I can get a Viator group tour at 3pm for the full two hours, with a maximum of 20 people. with the additional half hour, its similar in cost to the private guide, museum admission for 1:15. Would appreciate feedback to help me make a decision.
Posted by
alameda, ca, usa
2666 posts
I visited the Borghese solo, un-guided, and as such I tend to move a bit more quickly through museums—I was out in 1.5 hours. Guides are more thorough so perhaps the 2 hr option with Viator would be best for you…definitely don’t miss a chance to see the Borghese, it was my favorite museum experience in Rome.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7771 posts
You haven't told us about your degree of passion for art, or your general "museumgoing" experience. In particular, your preference for paintings or sculpture affect this specific opportunity. I'd point out that Viator cannot "make" you stay with a group. If you want 2 hours, you could just peel off and have the two hours.
Unfortunately, even with entry limits, this museum is very crowded. But the Bernini sculptures, in particular, take your breath away. You could enjoy them for 30-45 minutes, and pretend to scan all the paintings in 30 minutes. (However, the crowds will make that hard to do.) It depends on what visiting a museum means to you.
Posted by
Folsom
2725 posts
I think a guide will add to your enjoyment. I’d prefer the two hours.
Posted by
Chicago
1051 posts
I was surprised during our visit that most people cleared out after 60 - 90 minutes. We stayed longer. Art history is a passion and I am knowledgable. The museum is not terribly large.
Posted by
2 posts
I am more of a been there seen that person than an art lover but I would say that we went in the 5.45 slot a couple of weeks ago and it was remarkably uncrowded and especially mostly free of the large groups that seemed to plague us elsewhere in Rome, Florence and Venice.
Posted by
Western Canada
3413 posts
One thing I did was to see the upstairs first, and work my way back downstairs .
Everyone else is going the other way, so it might be less crowded as you go against the flow .
Posted by
Walnut Creek, CA
588 posts
Do the 2 hour guided tour. The best sculptures are on the first floor. Do that floor first. Its a small place and even with the audio tour guide, we did it in the 2 hours allotted time. At the end of our 2 hours there were public speaker announcements that those with entry two hours earlier were kindly asked to head to the exit. Each entry time is given a different color sticker, so they know what time you entered. I saw the staff tell a guided tour to hurry up as their 2 hours had lapsed. Nothing pushy. Just a gentle reminder.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11680 posts
One thing I did was to see the upstairs first, and work my way back downstairs .
Everyone else is going the other way, so it might be less crowded as you go against the flow .
We have visited 3 times and found this to work well. After self-guiding twice, we got the audioguide the last time and it added to our enjoyment greatly. We could go at our own pace and skip what didn’t interest us.
we spent about 90 minutes each visit.