Choice between Borghese and/or Colosseum

What time does the Vatican tour end? The Borghese ( a "must see" to me) is low key, not too crowded, and you're limited to a 2-hour visit. If the Vatican tour is in the morning, I'd book a Borghese tour for after lunch, maybe mid afternoon.

Jane gave good advice above. The only thing I would add is the experience we had (several years ago). We booked the Borghese tickets for a bit later in the afternoon, allowing plenty of time for flight delays, etc. to visit the museum the day of arrival. Since all flights were on time, and we were quickly fading from jet lag, we showed up earlier, saw the sign that NO tickets were available until the following week, but we very humbling and kindly explained that we had tickets for later that afternoon (showing our tickets), understood they were booked up, explained how we booked so as to not miss out slots should our plane be running late, etc., that we were exhausted from flying, but IF (by any chance) they might have an earlier slot come up, we would be so grateful and that would free up our time for later. The young man gave us instant admission :)

So, long way of saying if you book for a time you think might be safest, but show up a bit earlier that day, with luck, you MIGHT experience the same kindness we did (maybe).

But, do not miss the Colosseum/Forum....you can definitely also fit in a slot at the Borghese, but do book ahead.

Do not cut the Colosseum Tour short. It is a top historical monument. Villa Borghese has incredible sculptures but it is not the Colosseum!

Whatever u decide reservations for Borghese are normally necessary. U need at least 1.5 hrs to see the incredible marbles of the Borghese. IMO it is a must for those that love Italian art.

When I did this tour a few years ago, I booked tickets for the Borghese the day we visited the Vatican. Considering the 2 hour time limit at the Borghese, I didn’t find it too tiring to do it the same day as the Vatican visit. Visiting the Borghese is one of the highlights of that trip for me!

You can book a Borghese time slot for 3:00 or 5:00 PM, so it seems like there would be plenty of time to do that on either afternoon if there's availability. I'm going on the same tour late next month and expecting to set up a Borghese time whenever they open up the dates for reservations.

Nice to know that simple abject begging can sometimes yield good results. But you don't want to count on it.

For Dick:
I would not recommend "abject begging," as that would likely come across as insincere. What we did was honest, pure, humble and kind........two tourists who really wanted to visit the Borghese and booked (with a couple of hours cushion) so they would not miss it........but were there early and were (truly) exhausted and fading from the flight. I think ticket takers can sense the difference between "abject begging" and kind, hopeful honesty.

Given that you are planning to go to Florence and also the Vatican, you'll certainly have your fill of Italian art......... as nice as a visit to the Borghese is, it would be the one that I would skip if my schedule made getting there a challenge. Many seem to think that you can simply do the museum tour there and be done with it. I disagree...if you take the time to visit there you should also make time to enjoy the surrounding area, park/gardens.
If pressed for time I would skip the Borghese. Fully enjoy the Colosseum and the equally impressive Palatine Hills...don't rush this area. The history is so rich and so gripping that running through it or only touring the Colosseum would rob you of a big piece of your Rome experience. Take your time at the Vatican and in the Sistine Chapel...there are surprises there that you will not see or experience in Florence or at the Borghese...and if you rush...you'll never know what you missed.

You might be a super art lover...but I would avoid doing the Vatican museums and the Borghese in the same day. Maybe do St. Peters and the Borghese or the Colosseum and the Borghese. Doing the vatican museums and the Borghese in one day would burn me out of looking at art.

Outlier opinion here, but I found the Colosseum to be a strange letdown on the inside. It’s actually something you’ve seen so many times that the impact is diminished. It is VERY ruined inside, and difficult to appreciate from that sense. It’s just big. I couldn’t get out fast enough. Considering how much time and expense is involved on entering, I place it among the great European non-sights. It’s really best appreciated from the outside, and along with the Forum easy to see that way.

You should 100% do the Borghese, full stop. It’s definately a challenging day if you’re doing the Vatican Museum the same day, but as an art lover that is a tough day that you can relish. Just do your best to manage it. See one early and the other late. Don’t do any extra walking, this is a day to taxi around. Make sure to have a good long lunch and rest, maybe a quick nap in the middle of the day. You can do it!