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Small-Group Borghese Gallery Guided Tour
4.7
137 Ratings
Roma
Discover Villa Borghese's masterpieces on a 2.5-hour guided tour. Avoid crowds, explore 20 rooms, and experience art as it was meant to be seen.
Duration:
2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Visualize an expansive palace, expressly constructed to exhibit a plethora of mesmerizing artworks. Each of its twenty chambers emanates an aura of artistic magnificence: every wall is adorned with a piece of extraordinary art, each stand holds marvelously sculpted marble, and the ceilings are decorated with heavenly frescoes. Well, there’s no need for mere imagination since this is the embodiment of the Galleria Borghese, renowned as Rome’s most private and luxurious art gallery. This edifice, constructed in the 17th century by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, was intended to display his extravagant art assortment and was initially only accessible to members of the royal family and foreign dignitaries. Nowadays, it welcomes groups every two hours (via pre-booked tickets) to ensure that its masterpieces spread across 20 rooms never experience overcrowding.
What's Included
- Small groups of 10 people or fewer
- Pre-reserved, all-inclusive Borghese Gallery tickets
- Expert, English-speaking guide
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off
Additional Information
Experience an exclusive 2.5 hour journey through the Villa Borghese, a unique art museum unmatched in its category. Rather than attempting an all-encompassing range like the Louvre, this 17th-century palace boasts a carefully selected collection of the very best. This tour provides the perfect opportunity for those wanting to evade large crowd and appreciate astonishing art in its intended form. Within the 2.5 hours, walk through the 20 rooms of the villa, each housing unparalleled masterpieces to admire.
- Please note that the second floor of the Borghese Gallery is not wheelchair accessible.
- The tour meeting time is 15 minutes prior to the start time. No refunds or re-bookings can be provided for late arrivals or no shows after tour commencement or departure.
- The Borghese museum does not allow any bags, purses into the galleries. All such items must be checked before entering the museum, which your guide will help you with upon arrival.
- Walks / Devour complies with all local government regulations. Please refer to local government guidelines for the most up-to-date information.
Location
Borghese Gallery and Museum
Piazzale Scipione Borghese
Directly in front of the Galleria Borghese's double staircase, in the little piazza.The easiest way to reach this is by taxi, but it is also walkable from the top of the Spanish Steps, taking the Metro stop "Spagna," ascending the staircase, taking a left, then following the signs through the park towards the Galleria. This is about a 20 minute walk.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(137 Ratings)
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Tara_w
May 24, 2024
Amazing artwork in beautiful museum in the park - The Borghese museum houses an amazing collection of sculptures and, usually, paintings. For now, the 2nd floor is closed for renovation but you can see the paintings in an alternate museum for an extra 5 Euro.
We were amazed to see the Bernini sculptures in person and the tour guide was excellent. She ensured that we saw all of the major artwork and understood the style of each artist.
We are already talking about visiting the museum again.
The only challenge is that the app and voucher stated that we had to exchange our voucher for tickets at the counter and the guide was not at the appointed site at the time requested. She came shortly afterwards and she had our tickets so that made it very easy. Just the instructions were a little confusing.
Review provided by Viator
Bethany
May 22, 2024
Fabulous tour! - Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and interesting. We were very pleased with the tour of the Borghese Gallery and highly recommend it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Glenn_c
May 22, 2024
Amazing tour! - The best art of this guided tour was Emily, our guide!! She is totally amazing making this tour unforgettable. A great experience that was more than worth it!
Review provided by Viator
Brenda_b
May 21, 2024
The tour was great! We... - The tour was great! We loved how much our tour guide knew about the art and museum’s history, she was very knowledgeable and held the group’s attention very well. We would definitely do something like this again.
Review provided by Viator
Tara_z
May 18, 2024
Great tour guide! Wonderful experience! - The guide, Siri was absolutely fantastic. She was entertaining, enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable about her topic.
Review provided by Viator
Daryl_l
May 13, 2024
Must see Bourghese Gallery - The gallery is wonderful a must see experience.the guide Emily was from Walks tours and she was great,very friendly and knowledgeable.take a tour with a guide it is well worth the cost.
Review provided by Viator
Duane_h
May 9, 2024
Very good guide! - The guide was the Best I had in Rome. I don't know her name, she use to be in New York, She was very knowledgeabe and a pleasure to be with.
Review provided by Viator
Angela_b
May 19, 2024
Enthusiasm and information - Caravaggio and Bernini - It’s May 2024 and still only the first floor of the Borghese is open. Angela gave us a very spirited (she is extremely Italian and quite enthusiastic, lol) tour through the first floor, in detail that could not have been possible if the museum weren’t half closed, so that was nice. She also let us know we could use our tickets for a discount at the museum many of the paintings have gone to, but it was our last day in Rome so not helpful. We found her very entertaining and interesting, and since we know little of art we learned a bunch, which had been our goal. Be aware you will have to check any bag before going in, and you cannot even take a water bottle (though my husband had his in his pocket and they didn’t bother him about it). They do a decent job of controlling traffic so the rooms aren’t too crowded.
Review provided by Viator
Yi_z
May 14, 2024
Overall a nice tour - I booked the tour for my friends, and we had the other group around the same time. My friends told me everything was great and smooth, and the guide covered every detail, and answered all the questions you would have. The only thing is when checking in he was very concerned about if you can speak English and seemed not willing to give you an audio if you can’t speak much but ok listening, which makes it a bit awkward and weird for non English speakers. I guess the overall experience is ok from what I heard from my friends.
Review provided by Viator
Brian_l
May 9, 2024
Not the Best - Disappointed. Guide was 20+ minutes late. We were then informed that third floor was closed and unavailable for viewing. Should have been advised of limitations much much sooner. Finally, there were 13 guests in the tour although our booking stated a maximum of 10.
Review provided by Viator
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