I just got to Rome and realized I have not made reservations for Borghese Gallery! I am only going to be here until Tuesday November 4th. Yikes! All the tickets have sold out. However I see some on sale for private tours that cost $62 . Is that my only option?
I am a sculptor and can't imagine coming to Rome and not seeing the Borghese Gallery! Any ideas?
Unfortunately that is correct. Access to the gallery is time controlled and total time in the gallery is limited to two hours.
Bummer! I was hoping there might be scalpers somewhere......
I believe that if you go to the Borghese Gallery some time before a given reservation time slot, that about 30 minutes before the appointed time they free up spaces of those who have not yet checked in, and sell those tickets. I'm not sure how often spaces actually open up, how many, how long the lines are and when they start forming, or whether that is more likely to happen at certain times of day. Maybe others can add information here, from their own personal experience. Good luck! It's a wonderful museum, and certainly the Bernini sculptures are the highlights.
Thank you for the tip. I can't believe after all my careful trip planning, I forgot to make reservations!
We were fortunate to get reservtions by phone 2 days ahead of time in December 2 years ago, but I'd heard about possibly scoring tickets at the last minute if they had no-shows. If waiting at the ticket desk to see if anyone failed to show up the required 30 minutes before their reservation time, you'll get in! Maybe you could show up in person and let the folks at the desk know your situation -- perhaps some groups of visitors might even have one of them get sick or be a no-show for some other reason, and the Gallery might put you in touch with those people? Good luck.
From my experience, the first morning tours are least full and are your best bet for getting a ticket from a no-show. If you show up at 8:30 for the 9:00 tour, you only have to wait half an hour and if they do not have a ticket for you, you have not wasted the day.
Or you could look for a broker online and buy a voucher, which you take with you at the reserved time. I have used Select Italy for short notice tickets, or just convenience if I need tickets for a half dozen museums in different places. Their prices will be about double the face value, but you won't hang around hoping for a no-show.
This might be a long shot but I've heard that sometimes hotel desks sometimes have certain connections. Might it at least be worth asking them the question (assuming you're staying in a hotel)?
