Galleria Borghese

We were in Rome June 3, 4, 5 and 6. We called the Gallery from our apartment on the 3rd and were able to get a reservation for 1 pm Sunday, the 5th. When we arrived we did notice a sign that said they were full until Tues, so yes, making a reservation is necessary, just not months in advance. We really enjoyed our 2 hr visit there.

It is always advisable to make a reservation for the Borghese gallery ahead of time if you want a guarantee of seeing it. It is usually sold out but there are times when you can get in on short notice. If it's important to you to see it, make the reservation and know you have a guaranteed spot. If not, you may not get in.

donna

Upon checking into our hotel, I had the concierge make a 5 p.m. reservation for that same day. That worked out fine. I would check their website to see how late they are open in October--could be different than summer hours. Going at 5 pm, I had the last 2 1/2 hr. timeframe for the day which enabled me to move about the museum without any crowds. I was able to get up close to the works--it was awesome.

Marie....The Borghese is easily worth the effort and planning to purchase the advance tickets. Don't make the mistake we did - get good directions and be on time. They are not forgiving about late arrivals. We almost missed it. If you are traveling to Rome on 01 October, I suggest that you get tickets for 03, whe you've had a chance to recover from your long trip. Enjoy.

They only allow 200 people in the gallery at one time. Once they fill the slots the only thing you can do is hope someone is a no-show. They start giving away reservations a half hour before entrance time. If you get there with less than a half hour you may find yourself without a slot or you might find yourself getting someone else slot.

Donna

Make your reservation at least a week or two in advance. Be there ON TIME, or they may not let you in, pre-paid or not! I would suggest a taxi. We had a hard time getting a bus there and were quite late. We had to beg our way in, and they were very busy that day. You will have to check your purses/backpacks, etc...so leave as much as you can behind at your hotel.

We visited the gallery in early April on a Sunday, and they had a sign stating they were booked through Wednesday. We had our B&B call to make the reservation ahead of time and then paid upon arrival, and we're definitely glad we did as we may not have been able to see it at all. It was an excellent gallery, one of the best we visited in Italy.

Agree with the others--definitely go to the Borghese, and definitely book ahead. We went the 'ask your hotel to do it' route and they emailed us the confirmation. Printed that out and took it with our Roma Pass to the desk (and then the power went out and we had to go sit outside for 30 mins--Italia!).

I can't recall exactly but I think they only reserve about 3 months out. I think we asked our hotel about a month before our trip, which was in November, and got the day/time we wanted.

You definitly want to get reservations. If you are planning to get a Roma Pass then you don't want to purchase tickets in advance. With a Roma Pass your admission can be free or reduced, but you still want a reservation. To do this call the number given in Rick's book. They will give you a reservation number and you can pay when you arrive. I'd call a week or two in advance. Remember that the Gallery will be closed on Monday the 4th.

You can also request that your hotel make the reservation for you. You should arrive at least 30 minutes before your reservation time, to queue for your tickets, then to queue to check all bags and cameras, then to queue for the audio quide (if you want it). I also recommend using the toilet, since you don't want to use any of the precious 2 hour visit in the john. If you have any time left before queuing to enter the galleries, you can browse in the gift shop or have something in the cafe.

Just got back. The Borghese is nothing short of fabulous. Be sure to get the audio tape. Absolutely you must have a reservation. Follow the calling instructions in Rick's book. It definitely works. You will be able to talk to an English operator and they will give you a reservation number. I also highly recommend a tour of the Galleria Doria Pamphilj in Rome with the free audio tour narrated by the family. Makes it very personal.