tickets for Borghese

It is a timed ticket and they let only so many people in at a time. You also have a time restriction for how long you can stay. I don't know how far in advance you can buy them, but I would also think they would sell out. I would try to buy your ticket as soon as you know your date.

It is the most amazing Gallery we have ever seen. It is one of the top sites we have ever seen.

Wait...do you mean Gallery or Palace? I'm speaking of the Gallery.

The Galleria Borghese requires reservations even with a Roma Pass. Make them as soon as you know your preferred date. You must call them. It cannot be done online. It is clearly stated on their website. See the notice in the center of this page.

It's the Borghese Gallery: no palace. The building it's in was once called Villa Borghese Pinciana.

If you intend to use the Roma Pass, you have to call to make your reservation: must pick an available day and 2-hour time slot. They let about 350 in for every slot, and clear the galleries between each of them.

http://www.galleriaborghese.it/eng/museums.html

"For the Roma Pass holders and tour guides, tickets must be booked by phone at +39 06 32810 and picked up at the ticket office of the museum 30 minutes before the opening hour."

Tickets are currently available through September, and they go quickly during high season so I'd order them as soon as possible if going this summer.

You can book tickets up to 60 days in advance. If using the romapass you'll need to call to make the reservation, it cannot be done online.

06 32810

Donna

And don't forget the time difference -- call during Italian business hours!

Donna, I thought it was 60 days too but I wonder if they changed that? The ticketone website is showing time slots as selectable through Sept 30th. Madeline, if course, has to call but I figure either by phone or website, it would be the same advance period. I did a test run with a Sept date (up to having to register) and it didn't reject me.

Just an FYI and I don't recommend this but when we were in Rome, we had a Roma pass but I forgot to call ahead. We took a chance anyway and just showed up. I showed them my Roma pass and they were able to issue us tickets right then.

Again, not recommended but if your plans are not set or you can't get tickets, you can try to just show up.

Thank you so much, everyone. I will call Italy in the morning and try to get our tickets in time.

Kathy, unless it's a recent change I still think it's only 60 days ahead of time. I think it could be that the website is just set up to show the calendar that way, just like the "seating" chart. I haven't heard of anyone being able to book more than 60 days out but if anyone has I'd love to know so that I can update some of the forums I post on.

Donna

I'd love to know too as unless rejected at the point of actually making the purchase, it sure looks like they may have extended the calendar. Hmmmm….

Thanks, Donna. :O)

Yes, but I seem to recall some complaints about purchases being denied at that stage. I wonder if it's just because the dates are too far in advance. I'm not willing to make an actual booking just to see. Perhaps when I'm in Rome next month I can ask at the gallery.

Donna

I just called Galleria Borghese and reserved 3 tickets for April 23. It was really easy. We'll be using the Roma pass, so there's no extra charge. The woman gave me a reservation number, and that's it. Thanks again to all!

Great ! You will love it!

When we went, we loved it so much that we lingered around for a long time. As time went on people left. There seemed to be tour groups and they stayed together and left together. We found ourselves all alone surrounded by amazing sculptures. We just stayed as long as we were allowed. Later on we learned that everyone had gone upstairs. We totally missed the upstairs! We didn't see the stairs, I guess. But the alone time there was priceless!

Maybe it would be good to go upstairs first and do the opposite of the crowd....??

Susan, heading directly upstairs - the opposite of the crowd - is indeed a recommended strategy for the Borghese.

Donna, it seems odd to let someone get all the way to final booking before rejecting a selectable date on the calendar but hey, it's Italy! Ha.

Terrific museum, Madeline, and you're going to love it. Take some time for a wander in Villa Borghese (the park)? It's a great place for some breathing room before heading back into the tourist insanity. There are a couple of places in the park for an adult beverage and a rest-up after your museum visit and walk.

Hi Kathy (or anyone else who's been)-I would love some more details about the locations in the park for adult beverages and relaxation! We just booked our tickets to the Borghese for our trip in May and due to a bunch of timing issues, the only day we were able to make it work was in the afternoon of the day we arrive in Italy. It's not ideal, but we didn't want to miss it! That said, we're definitely going to be in the market for a glass of wine and a chance to relax before we head into the gallery, and were going to look for someplace close by so that we weren't flustered trying to get there in time for our timed entrance. Any tips or favorite spot recommendations are welcome!

Peggy, we've only done one - and only for a drink - however we've walked by others. You might look at Casina Valadier? Very nice: it's on our list for an afternoon rest-up next time:

http://www.casinavaladier.com/en/

Here are the hours:
Restaurant:
12:30 – 15:00, 19:30 – 23.00
Caffè del pincio:
11.30 – 17.00
Chill bar:
17.00 – 00.00
Closed on Monday

The place we stopped - or rather, collapsed at - was La casina dell'orologio on Viale dei Bambini. The online reviews for food are not good (the sammies, pastries and gelato in the case looked fine) but honestly, it was just perfect for two tourists who'd been on their feet for 8 hours straight. It's near the children's area of the park.

http://www.la-casina-dell-orologio.it/it/il_giardino_d'inverno.htm
http://www.la-casina-dell-orologio.it/it/la_casina_dell'orologio.htm

As with any casual italian bar, at dell'orologio let them know you're going to sit down if you order at the counter: the price is a bit higher. We just grabbed a handy bench that didn't add to the tab. :O)

Check the locations on google maps carefully as both are a bit of a walk to the museum. Give yourself plenty of time. I'll see what I can find that's closer...

You guys are warming my heart with all this love of Borghese and kind suggestions. Thank you again.

Really, for me, Galleria Borghese eclipses the Vatican Museums. Excellent crowd control, fabulous collection and a fascinating building all add up to a terrific two hours. The building: the interior was designed for the collection with themes in many of the rooms. The trompe l’oeil is mind-blowing so take a moment to tear your eyes away from the Berninis and whatnot to notice the details.

The park? Icing on the cake. It's a bit scrubby here and there, and there's a bit of graffiti but easy to overlook. On our very first trip to the Boot together, Villa Borghese was our landing-day leg-stretcher. Access it from the east end of Piazza Del Popolo - the Pincio Gardens are at the top, and a great overlook - if possible. The museum is on the other end of the park, and I strongly suggest bringing a map to weave your way through but it'll be a nice, long walk.

I can't think of a better introduction to the wonders of Rome! LOL, I'm jealous not to be packing a bag too.

I usually do Kathy's route in reverse, starting at Galleria Borghese and then walking to the Pincio to look at the views, then take the footpath down to Piazza del Popolo. Either way it's a great trip.

O yes! Just as nice in reverse; after your visit to the museum. We've done it both ways on the same day.

I'm a little confused/worried because I made reservations for Galleria Borghese over a month ago (more than 60 days before our trip) AND it was online. This was the site that I used - do I need to worry about a scam?

http://www.galleriaborghese.it/eng/galleriaBorghese.html

GB, that is the official ticking site for the Borghese (the "buy ticket" link within the site takes you to Ticket One to actually make the purchase) so you have no worries about a scam. If your transaction went all the way through, and you were able to make your reservations for a date farther out than 60 days, you've answered the question above: they've expanded the window of time for purchasing tickets.

When did you make your purchase, and for what day?

We just ordered tickets online. Just select the date and you be able to order the tickets.

Yes, Marina: the site works just fine. There was a question earlier about just how far in advance tickets were available but that appears to have been answered.

I reserved tickets for June 4th on Frebruary 28th.

Regarding the requirement to pick up tickets reserved with Roma Pass "30 minutes before the opening hour," does that mean that if we are entering the gallery at 1 pm, we need to be there by 12:30? Or by the opening time of the gallery for the day? And since it's supposed to rain that day, will we be waiting outside or inside?

I reserved tickets for June 4th on Frebruary 28th.

Thanks, Fran! That - along with GBs post - confirms the suspicion that tickets are now available further in advance than they used to be.

Madeline, everyone is expected to be at the museum at least 30 minutes before their appointed time slot: it doesn't matter whether they're using a Roma Pass or reserved tickets through the website. This allows visitors time to pick up their tickets and check any items which are not allowed in the museum itself : umbrellas, purses, backpacks, strollers, camera bags (cameras are OK), etc.

We went earlier than that so we could browse the bookshop and choose a printed guidebook to take along.

It's a little frustrating right now as their website appears to be undergoing an update and they don't have all of the info that's in Italian available in English yet. For instance, these pages:

http://www.galleriaborghese.it/infoScopri_galleriaBorghese.html

http://www.galleriaborghese.it/galleriaBorghese.html

It'll be a better site than the old one when they've gotten it all finished, though. :O)

Thanks so much, Kathy. Great to know.

Yes, we bought ours on January 17 for June 12 - so it looks like you can get them quite far in advance now. I'm glad I had the right site! Looking back on the site, it looks like the only way to use the Roma Pass is to call. If you don't care about that then the online reservations are fine.