I am planning to pre purchase a ticket for the Borghese gallery when I am in Rome. I am curious to know if I am allowed to walk the Gardens if I arrive before my scheduled ticket entrance time for the Gallery. Or is there one entrance area that I need a ticket to enter so that I have no choice but to stroll the gardens later? I would like my visit there to be relaxed and I would prefer to see the Gallery later in the day after I have strolled the gardens. Is this possible? Thanks, Alice
The gardens are free to the public. Very pleasant to stroll in. I love the entrance to the zoo although being from San Diego I've never gone in. The gardens are a nice break from the busy city. I kind forget if the smaller gardens to the rear of the gallery are restricted but I don't recall really. If so it wouldn't be a big loss.
You would be well advised to organize your reservation for the visit to the Galleria Borghese when they become available instead of after you have arrived in Rome if you want to avoid disappointment. They often sell out well in advance; the tickets are for a specific time; you all go in together at that time and then can wander freely for the short duration of your visit at which time the museum is cleared pending the next wave of visitors. There is a relatively small number of visitors inside at any one time. It is often easier to telephone rather than try to get the website to cooperate.
Thanks for your reply. I do plan to order in advance of my arrival in Rome. Since I will be there in Nov, I was planning to order soon but now I've read that with the Roma Pass it could cost less that way. Since I've been to Rome several times, I'm not sure if the Pass would be worth it for me because I've seen so many of the sites before. I probably wouldn't purchase much more than the Borghese ticket anyway. I'll only be there 2 days and don't want to pack the schedule too full.