Borghese Gallery and National Museum of Rome

FWIW, you won't have any trouble getting into the National Museum. It's just not as popular a site, tho I absolutely loved it. So book the Borghese first for the morning. Then take a leisurely stroll to the National Museum, arriving whenever. Have lunch on the way. (Do check the hours.)

Not sure about the National Museum of Rome but the Borghese has a set time for you to enter (you make the reservations) and only 2 hours to view the museum's collection. But the upside is that only 360 people are allowed in at any one time. And for us, the 2 hours was enough time. Enjoy the Borghese and don't miss the "Apollo chasing Daphne" sculpture whatever you do!

To answer how you would go between them, for me it would depend on when and what time of day. Rome can be very warm. I haven't been to the National Museum, but we love, love, love, love the Borghese. It is important to be fresh at the Borghese, and give it the time it requires. You need to be there before your reservation and must not be late or you don't go. I would go for a morning at the Borghese and either try the National Museum after lunch or do something else. Have fun planning, and look forward to a great trip...

I also suggest seeing the Borghese Gallery in the morning, walk through the park/gardens to the Pincio and Piazza del Popolo, have a leisurely lunch and then go to the Museo Nazionale. Two hours for the Borghese, another two (maybe three) for lunch/walking, then the afternoon (if you reserve the Borghese for 9ish) for the Museo Nazionale.

The Borghese is exquisite. I think it is a "must see". A friend gave me a hint that was really good. As stated in other posts, you must have reservations and can only stay for 2 hours. Since everyone is entering together, they all tend to congregate in the same areas. So, start your tour on the upper floor. But, only spend about 45 minutes up there. IMHO, it is the sculptures on the first floor that are what rate the most viewing time. So spend the last hour and 15 minutes there. We walked in the park to the Gallery, but got turned around in the park and almost missed our entry time. So, if you walk, leave yourself time!

Michael and Zoe, do you think that it is necessary to go to the Borghese Gallery in the morning and the National museum in the afternoon? Can I switch them so that I can benefit from using the Roma pass at the more expensive National museum as my second site (after using it at the Colosseum first), then getting the discount at the Borghese Gallery?

Melanie, I haven't looked at the aspect of which option would be less expensive in terms of the Roma Pass. However, I'd suggest visiting the Galleria Borghese in the morning, as you'll probably enjoy it more when you're well rested. One point to note is that the Borghese is very strict in terms of what visitors are allowed to carry into the gallery. You'll have to check Daypacks, Purses, larger Cameras etc. Visiting the National Musuem of Rome in the afternoon might be best. As I recall, it consists of three different sections, so you'll probably only have time to see part of the exhibits. I was there in September, and it wasn't crowded at all in the afternoon. When you've had enough touring at the National Museum, there are lots of nice restaurants in that area. Walking from the Borghese to the National Museum would be too far for me. My preferred method would be to walk through the Villa Borghese and then down the Spanish Steps to the Spagna Metro stop. Travel three stops on the "A" line (direction Anagnina) to Termini and then walk to the National Museum. There's a Taxi stand near the Spanish Steps, so that's another option. Happy travels!

FYI, it's one mile from the Borghese Gallery to the National Museum. It's 0.75 miles from the Gallery to the Spanish Steps. (Gotta love Google Earth.) Only you can decide if that's too far to walk. When we're in Rome, we routinely put in at least five miles a day walking. You have to burn off that gelato somehow. :-)

The easist way to get from the Galleria Borghese to the National Museum near Roma Termini would be to ride the 910 bus from the Pinciana/Allegri bus stop, which is about 200 meters from the entrance into the park and the Galleria. Once on the 910 bus, you could ride six more stops until the bus route ends in the Termini train station parking lot... or even get off one stop earlier at the Terme Diocleziano stop and walk over. This article has a few maps (and photos) of the bus stops near the Galleria.

To follow Ken's advice on the Borghese Gallery's security, if you need to take some personal items with you into the gallery (wallet, passport, meds), they will give you a small see-through plastic bag. It sounds worse than it looks.

A personal note: The Borghese is, to us, one of the greatest places to visit anywhere. We would never compromise regarding our plans to be there. Enjoy it to the fullest. Then, take a cab to the National Museum so that you have some time for lunch and energy to enjoy the Museum.

Melanie, One point I forgot to mention regarding "security" at the Galleria Borghese is that they don't permit photos at all. That's the way it was when I was there last, and I'm assuming this hasn't changed. They insisted that my DSLR be checked, but no one said a thing about the small P&S Camera in my pocket, so I could have "tried" to snap a few photos. However, there are Guards in each room and numerous CCTV Cameras, so it's not likely that it would even be possible to "sneak" a photo. I'd rather follow the rules than face being thrown out of the Gallery in a humiliating fashion, and perhaps having my Camera confiscated. Cheers!

I would do the Borghese first and then the National Museum. Walk down the hill to the Santa Maria del Popolo and check out the Carravagios there. Then take the subway to Termini and the National Museum is within easy walking distance. Easily done in one day. Just make sure the National Museum is open the day you plan to visit. Definitely have reservations for the Borghese but you won't need it for the National Museum.

This is all great information, thanks. George, how much would it cost to catch a taxi from the Borghese to the National Museum? Since we will have the Roma pass, we might as well take the train as it will be free.

Taxi should be maybe eight euro. And by "train" I assume you mean the metro aka the subway, right? Be sure to read Ron in Rome's suggestion above about how the bus is much easier in this instance. But the suggestion to go see the Caravaggios at S.M. del Popolo is a really great one, esp. if you have decent weather. There are two large Caravaggio canvases at that church and they're really beautiful. And you will have just seen a few other Caravaggios at the Borghese. Happy travels.

We did both in one day, which was the first day after flying from the USA. We had reservations for the Borghese in the afternoon, the 3 pm slot. The National Museum is never crowded. We were there for about 1.5 hours and saw it in the late morning/early afternoon. There are three different museums. located in different parts of the city. However, the main museum, near the Termini station is the one to see. The ticket is valid for at least couple days afterwards if you want to chec out the other two. The 910 bus from Termini station, near the National Museum will drop you off near the Borghese gallery. Make sure you ask for the gallery, not the park. The stops for the park require much more of a walk. The 910 bus came very infrequently, so we waited at least 45 minutes before one showed up at Termini. Give yourself plenty of time to get to the Borghese, don't want to miss your time slot. See the National museum saves more money with the Roma Pass than the Borghese. So use the Pass for the free Colosseo and National Gallery admissions first, then use the discount for the Borghese. As everyone stated, reservations for Borghese are a must. When we were there, those without reservations had to wait 3 days before the first opening was available. Expecting to get in as a "drop in " usually will cause disappointment. By the way, some people say that visiting Ostia Antica and the National Museum together equals most of what you see by going to Pompeii. I'll leave it up to others to comment on the validity of that statement.