Rome
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Small-Group Borghese Gallery Tour with Bernini, Caravaggio, and Raphael

Roma, Italy
Likely to Sell Out

From USD 85.99

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Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours in advance.
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Audio Guides
Kid-Friendly
Likely To Sell Out
Unique Experiences
  • 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
  • Offered in: English

Overview

Explore the Villa Borghese's meticulously curated collection during this small-group tour in Rome. Stroll through twenty rooms of the 17th-century palace with an art historian guide. See breathtaking works by masters like Caravaggio, Bernini and Raphael, including Bernini's 'Apollo and Persephone' and Caravaggio's 'St John the Baptist'. Admire the villa's marble architecture and ceiling frescoes as you listen to engaging commentary from your guide. This small-group tour is limited to 15 people or less.
  • Tour the Villa Borghese with an art historian guide
  • Enjoy the uncrowded atmosphere of the intimate museum
  • See works by Carvaggio, Bernini and Raphael
  • Learn about the history of the building and Cardinal Borghese's collection

What's Included

  • Pre-reserved, all-inclusive Borghese Gallery Tickets
  • Expert, English-Speaking guide
  • Small groups of 10 people or Fewer
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

  • Borghese Gallery and Museum
    Piazzale Scipione Borghese, 5, 00197 Roma RM, Italy

    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.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Make your way to the Villa Borghese to meet your small group and tour guide in front of the museum's double staircase. 

Pre-reserved tickets and the museum's policy of letting groups in at 2-hour intervals means the space is never overcrowded. Upon entry, admire the architecture and opulent decoration of this museum, once only open to royals and dignitaries. Built in the 1600s by Cardinal Scipione Borghese to house his impressive art collection, the space is now one of the most intimate museums in Rome. 

Follow your guide on a tour of the collection's highlights, including Canova's 'Pauline Bonaparte', Carvaggio's 'John the Baptist' and Bernini's 'the Rape of Proserpina'. Rely on your guide's knowledge of the collection to gain insight and interpretation in to the art's history and folklore. Hear about the Cardinal's personal quirks and how they informed the collection, as well as some history about the building itself. The small-group nature of the tour means you have the opportunity to ask questions and get some personalized attention from your guide. 

Your tour ends back at the original starting point.

Galleria Borghese

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • 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.
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • Walks complies with all local government regulations. You may need to wear a mask or provide proof of vaccination to enter certain venues. Please refer to Italy government guidelines for the most up to date information.
  • Most travellers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveller Photos

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Reviews

4.5
103 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travellers.
Showing 1-10 of 103 reviews
Amazing!
Donnae_L, Apr 2023
Our guide Christina was fantastic! Her passion and appreciation for the pieces of work in the gallery was so inspiring. The museum and gallery itself was simply amazing. Highly recommend this tour. Take a little extra time and enjoy the garden as well!
Great tour experience
Thomas_A, Oct 2022
Unlike other museums in Rome this one is crowded making it a more pleasing experience. Our tour guide was very good and extremely Knowleable about the museum’s collection
Great Tour with Knowledgeable Guide
Nicholas_G, Oct 2022
Learned a lot about the many masterpieces, the artists, and the history/lives of the art and artists.
The best tour I have had in Rome! Fantastic!
EkaterinaB, Aug 2022
We were very fortunate to have Guido as our tour guide. He was simply amazing, very knowledgeable and passionate about the collection exhibited at Borghese Gallery. Highly recommend!
The most beautiful museum
Arthur_G, July 2022
A must see! The most beautiful museum there ever was. Sev was an awesome guide. He explained everything really well and was super friendly. Highly recommend.
Small group means 20 people… false advertising!
Candace_C, July 2022
The guide was terrible. It was not a small group. The headphones did not work and were filled with static. He was American and provided few historical details about Bernini and the Pope. He kept emphasizing nude sensual women, their breasts and referencing how women were under the control of men at this time. This is the worst Viator experience I have ever had.
Response from Host, Aug 2022
Dear Candace, Thanks for your review. We are sorry the tour did not meet your expectations. I want to get in touch with you personally to investigate what happened. Our company takes our guest's feedback very seriously as we aim to provide the best experience possible. We care for each of our clients and you are very important to us. We are very disappointed to know we let you down in this way. This is why we want to investigate and make things right. All our guides are carefully selected based on their experience, knowledge, and charisma. We were surprised by your comments because we never received this type of complaint before. As you booked through one of our partners, I have no way of contacting you directly now because it passed more than a month since your tour. Please contact us at feedback@walks.org. We will be happy to help you and see options available for you. Kind regards, Jhonas.
An outstanding experience
daniel_p, July 2022
Dorio was a terrific guide. He shared a great deal of information in an informative and engaging way. One of the best guides we have had anywhere
Tour double booked. No refund yet
stacie_s, June 2022
You double booked the tour And they did not have any tickets for us. We called and complained and it’s still not received a refund
Loved the tour
Rob_D, May 2022
Michaela is very knowledgeable and engaging. This tour was exemplary of the finest art and art history in Italy and deserves your attention. The Benini sculptures are beyond compare and the tour was essential to their understanding.
Worth every penny!
Traveler763577, Oct 2019
Our guide was very knowledgeable and took us through the Borghese Museum in a very effective path to see the most important exhibits. She also helped us to understand and appreciate all the details of those historic art pieces. Well worth the money to spend your limited time in the Borghese Gallery. Best of all the guided tours that we took in Rome!
Response from Host, Oct 2019
Hi Traveler763577, Thank you for joining us on a wonderful exploration of some of Rome's most beautiful art pieces! We are always so pleased to bring such enthusiastic guests along with us, and we are thrilled that you enjoyed the tour! Warmest regards, The Walks Team
First day in Rome
Jacie_D, Oct 2019
Wonderful first day in Rome! Our guide was was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the gallery.
Response from Host, Oct 2019
Hello Wander323906, Thank you for your review. We are delighted to learn that we were able to make your time in Rome all the more enjoyable. We hope you will get the opportunity to take a walk with us again soon, perhaps in our other markets! All the best, The Walks Team
Do this!!
leannebol2n, Aug 2019
We loved our afternoon in the gallery!! The tour did not include the Gardens, but we spent a few hours wandering around ourselves which was just lovely. If you love art you will not be disappointed!
Use a different tour company
Debra B, June 2019
Purchased my ticket and showed up at the meeting place only to find nobody there. Three others arrived also and one person ended up calling the tour. It ended up that the tour was delayed by over 2 hours. I had received a text message a few days earlier notifying me that the tour would start 15 minutes late. I wasted so much time and taxi fare. I purchased an additional ticket and toured the gallery. Total cluster by this company. Won’t use them ever. The gallery, however, is fantastic.
Response from Host, Sept 2019
Hello Debra B, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us, we truly appreciate all feedback here at Walks as it helps us to improve and grow in the right direction. We are terribly sorry that you experienced this delay to your Borghese Gallery tour, we certainly do not aim to cause this level of disappointment to any of our guests! We always do our utmost to promptly communicate any unfortunate delays or last minute changes that are out of our control, and I sincerely apologise that on this occasion we were unable to do so. I am unable to see exactly what happened on the day of your tour without the full booking details, but nonetheless I apologise sincerely that we fell so short of your expectations. I can only imagine how frustrated you were feeling. Please contact us at your earliest convenience at info@takewalks.com, with your booking details if you can, as we would love to resolve this for you as quickly as possible! We look forward to hearing from you, All the best, The Walks Team
Best guide ever!
Randy_B, June 2019
Took this guided tour with my wife on June 11, 2019. Our guide Felix was simply outstanding. His knowledge of Art History was extremely appreciated. Felix has a PHD in Art History and had an unbelievable style delivering his message making everything informative and historical. One of the best guides I have ever had. Well done Felix.
Bernini magic
Chris_R, May 2019
Our guide, Irish Louise from Walks - Italy, etc, really made this visit for us. Her knowledge of and passion for the work she was explaining really shone through, and navigated us expertly to see the key works despite competition from numerous other groups and their guides.
A must on your visit to Rome!
Debbie_F, May 2019
The Borghese tour was one of my favorite tours. The home is packed with so much history and artwork, it was just mind-blowing. Everywhere you turn there is a masterpiece with a story to tell. Siri was our tour guide and she did a fantastic job. She was so knowledgeable about the art and the stories. We loved listening and learning from her. It was such a wonderful experience.
Great way to experience the Borghese Gallery
DayTrip779192, Apr 2019
This museum is filled with so much art from different time periods; it would be hard to appreciate what is there without someone guiding you. The tour guides knowledge was vast. We all felt the gallery would have been overwhelming without the tour. It was an excellent learning experience--highly recommend.
Mesmerizing time in the Borghese
Dreamer51545573604, Apr 2019
The guide was knowledgeable about the art we saw. He was able to answer all of our questions. The group size was small making it easy to maneuver in the many galleries. He moved us against the crowds do we had time to appreciate all that we were seeing.
Beware
Annie_W, Mar 2019
Very dissatisfied. Booked this, traffic was terrible and got lost, but still managed to get there in time to find our tour group. However...they wouldn’t let us go on the tour “because the tour operators left about five minutes ago, and they have your tickets, and they aren’t answering their phone.” When I called to complain, we were “offered” a replacement tour, however we explained to them that we were leaving the next day at 8:00 in the morning. Viator refuses to refund our money because we were offered another tour.....???? At the risk of sounding dramatic, we feel swindled.
Response from Host, Sept 2019
Hello Navigate, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We are very sorry to hear that you missed your tour. We can imagine how stressful it was for you to try to navigate the city to make it on time. While we always go above and beyond to accommodate our guests, we must also follow our schedule so as not to inconvenience group members who might have other activities planned afterwards. We work hard to ensure our clients have the best possible experience with us, and we would love the opportunity to tour with you in the future again. If you are interested in discussing this matter further with our feedback team, please feel free to reach out at info@takewalks.com. All the best, The Walks Team
Insightful & engaging
John_L, Mar 2019
Excellent guide with art history background providing an insightful and engaging tour. Necessarily selective but carefully crafted to give meaning to the whole enterprise with fascinating detail. Genuine small group tour.
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Small-Group Borghese Gallery Tour with Bernini, Caravaggio, and Raphael
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