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$ 58.55 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 1672 reviews

Review summary

  • Guide
    4.7/5
  • Value for money
    4.3/5
  • Service
    4.6/5
  • Organization
    4.5/5

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Star rating:

We had lovely time visiting the gallery guided by Salvatore who was na excellent and knowledgeable guide. The art was brought to light by the particular details he pointed out and by the context to each piece which he passionately provided. Thank you Salvatore!

February 8, 2023

Frederica was awesome!! She is so knowledgeable and charming, an engaging lecturer, and thoughtful of the interests of the group! She asked in advance if anyone had particular pieces they were interested in so that she could spend more time on info for them. Even the garden walk was very intriguing. We learned so much more about the artists and the works, and it inspired us to look up more reading material when we finished the tour. You’re limited to 2 hours, and it won’t feel like enough, but this was an excellent option. Highly recommend!!

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January 21, 2023

Amazing tour, amazing tour guide and amazing art! Galleria Borghese is wonderful inside, very much decorated with beautiful and world known sculptures and paintings. Our tour guide Francesca was absolutely fantastic! Her knowledge and the way she presented everything with all the details was astonishing! Thanks to her I look at the sculptures from different perspective now. I would like also to add that her English and accent are excellent! Thank you

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February 15, 2023

Product ID: 3095