The Galleria Borghese in Rome is a must-visit museum when you are staying in the Eternal City. It’s chock full of incredible sculptures and paintings, and the grounds surrounding the museum (the Villa Borghese) are beautiful, and worthy of an extended stroll.

You absolutely must buy tickets in advance to the Galleria Borghese. They do not allow walk-ins at all, and tickets are strictly timed, and there is never a line to wait in. You have only two hours to enjoy the museum – although this is plenty. Buy tickets through the official website. Unfortunately, when you Google Galleria Borghese, the first bunch of sites that pop up are third party vendors for tickets. You’ll want to avoid these and get your tickets on the official website, linked multiple times throughout this article including right here! Also, if this is your first visit, I would highly recommend getting the audio guide. There are some descriptions of the art near the pieces on the walls, but the audio guide is really an excellent way to immerse yourself in the space, and get your money and time’s worth! Skip guided tours, as they are typically large, and don’t move at a personalized pace. The audioguide is one of the best I’ve ever used in any museum or landmark around the world, and you’ll save money, and have a more personalized experience since you can linger on what you love, and skip something you might not be as interested in.

Once you are here, allow yourself some time to really enjoy the art. The gallery is not very big, although is full of many important paintings, including SIX Caravaggio paintings! They are usually all on display in one room on the ground floor, and it’s really just amazing to be in that room. We weren’t super thrilled with the height of the pieces, which allowed for a lot of glare with the lighting, but it was still awesome nonetheless. Check out our Worldwide Hunt for Caravaggio page, or the Baroque Art Accessibility Consortium for more details on Caravaggio, and the paintings here. The BAAC even has a handy little itinerary with some fun information on some of our favorite pieces here! One piece that I rediscovered on this, our second visit, was “John the Baptist” by Caravaggio. Boy, his eyes are so intense, they seem to follow your gaze as you move around the painting. Just incredible!

Don’t overlook the absolutely incredible sculptures, either. One of my favorites is “Venus Victrix” by Canova. This is actually a sculpture of Pauline Bonaparte (Napoleon’s sister, who married into the Borghese family) as Venus, and the work is amazing. The cushion she is lying on is so perfectly sculpted, that it looks like if you touched it, it would be soft and squishy, rather than hard marble.

“Apollo and Daphne” by Bernini is also a gorgeous piece. Take your time to walk around the whole thing, because each angle offers not only a different perspective, but also a different point in time in the story. The audioguide does a great job of discussing the myth that inspired this piece.

Don’t skip the second floor of the gallery, either. Note that there are about a billion winding stairs to climb to get up there, and I don’t think it’s accessible if you are unable to climb stairs, but it’s worth the hike (there is a women’s restroom about halfway up if you need to take a break!). Upstairs are maze-like rooms containing all sorts of goodies. One of the top paintings to see up here is “Sacred and Profane Love” by Titian. Again, the audioguide has a really nice description and overview of this one, but you can see for yourself how detailed and interesting the subject matter is.

Finally, there are good services here including a newly refurbished cafe, and a solid gift shop with all sorts of books and Caravaggio goodies to purchase. Even if you’re not super into art museums, this small and easily digestible gallery is an absolute must-see in Rome, and you can easily fit it into any itinerary, because you are literally only allowed to spend two hours here! Enjoy!