Guided tour

Borghese Gallery Masterpieces & Gardens: Skip-the-Line Tour

Activity provider:City Wonders Ltd.
Guided tour

Borghese Gallery Masterpieces & Gardens: Skip-the-Line Tour

Activity provider:City Wonders Ltd.
Likely to sell out

From US$ 57.90 per person

Likely to sell out
Certified

Appreciate art like a collector with this fully-guided tour of the Borghese Gallery and Gardens. Carefully controlled entry means that unlike the nearby Vatican Museums, this collection of masterpieces is never crowded.

About this activity

Free cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
Reserve now & pay later
Keep your travel plans flexible — book your spot and pay nothing today.
Duration 2.5 hours
Check availability to see starting times.
Skip the ticket line
Live tour guide
English

Experience

Highlights
  • Enjoy the stress-free controlled entry, which lets visitors observe famous masterworks with minimal crowds
  • Book with ease: pre-reserved tickets and Skip-the-Line Access mean less time organizing and more time enjoying works by Bernini and more
  • Discover a hidden treasure trove of art history with works from masters like Caravaggio
  • Take a tour of the Borghese Gardens, the Cardinal’s take on a traditional English garden (except on tours after 7:00 PM)
Full description

Learn about Cardinal Borghese's vast art collection and the stories behind each piece on this guided tour of the Borghese Gallery and Gardens. Stroll along shady lanes among sculptures and tranquil fountains.

Cardinal Scipione Borghese commissioned both the Villa Borghese itself and many of the great works still on display in its gallery. Works by Bernini, Caravaggio, and Titian remain in their original settings, as envisioned by the Cardinal, a fiercely determined collector. Strictly-controlled entry to the Villa and Gallery can make booking difficult and complicated. This package lets you avoid the organizing and even skip the line to get in when you arrive. During this fully-guided tour you’ll hear more about Cardinal Borghese’s quest to complete his collection, and the stories behind the artworks themselves, including Bernini’s "Apollo and Daphne", Canova’s "Pauline Bonaparte", Caravaggio’s "St. Jerome" and Raphael’s "The Deposition".

Your guide will be an English speaker and an expert on the collection, and audio headsets ensure you’ll hear every word they say. The tour also includes a visit to the Borghese Gardens: once the Cardinal’s private park, now a favorite spot for locals to relax among sculptures, plants, and water features, and get away from it all.

From the Pincio Terrace, you can appreciate another kind of work of art: the vista of Rome itself, from the Piazza del Popolo in the distance.

Includes
  • Skip-the-line entrance to the Borghese Gallery
  • Borghese Gallery entrance ticket
  • Expert guide
  • Garden walking tour
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel pick-up and drop off

Select participants and date

Participants

Date

Meeting point

Meet your guide in Piazzale del Museo Borghese, in front of the Borghese Gallery.

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Important information

What to bring

  • Passport or ID card

Not allowed

  • Luggage or large bags
  • Bags
  • Baby carriages

Know before you go

  • Arrive 15 minutes before departure. Guests arriving after departure cannot be accommodated and missed tours or tickets cannot be refunded
  • This tour involves a fair amount of walking. Comfortable shoes are recommended.
  • This tour cannot accommodate guests with wheelchairs, strollers, or baby carriages, or guests with any impairments requiring special assistance
  • The use of mobile phones is prohibited
  • Extra measures may be implemented at some venues due to heightened global security. You may experience delays in getting through mandatory security checks. This may restrict the size of bags that can be brought inside; it is recommended to avoid bringing large bags on the tour
  • No bags are permitted in the Borghese Gallery.
Customer reviews

Overall rating

4.7 /5

based on 1756 reviews

Review summary

  • Guide
    4.7/5
  • Value for money
    4.2/5
  • Service
    4.6/5
  • Organization
    4.5/5

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Star rating:

Fantastic. Borghese was about 20 minutes from our hotel, so we walked through a pretty, quiet neighborhood before entering a gorgeous park. The trail led us the the Borghese Gallery. Once through security, we were taken room to room as our guide told stories of the pieces and the artists (mostly the AMAZING Bernini). When we were finished we were taken back into the park, which we found used to be the gardens of Borghese. We saw his aviary, different fountains, and just gorgeous, well manicured grounds. We were left at a point which overlooked most of the city of Rome, from the Victory building on the left, a bunch of obilisks, and ending at the Vatican walls and Saint Peters Basillica. Down the path, we had easy access to The Spanish Steps high- end shopping, and Oblisk of the Immaculate Conception. This was our 5th tour of the week, and it was our favorite from start to finish, better than both The Vatican/Sistine Chapel/Saint Peters tour and the Collosium. Highly recommended.

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May 8, 2023

The place was absolutely stunning!! Unfortunately on that day I wasn’t able to finish the tour because I felt sick for personal reasons, it was In the middle of the tour I literally did probably 45 minutes and the tour guide lady was there to support me and giving the best help! I’m very pleased with it. I’ll probably come back soon.

April 26, 2023

What made this tour even more special, was our guide : Fabio ! A guy with so much passion about his work, with so much passion about art! Borghese gallery is full of masterpieces, that Fabio helped us discovering them! And then, we had a nice walk in the beautiful Borghese gardens, while discussing with Fabio about Art and History of Rome, in a questions/answers game ! Surely a 3-hours-experience to remember !

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April 3, 2023

Product ID: 3095