Borghese Gallery

Rome, Italy

3 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

For an in-depth experience of baroque Rome, treat yourself to a private art history tour led by an experienced historian-guide. Visit the Borghese Gallery (Galleria Borghese) to see its renowned collection of art and statues, and then wander through the gardens of Villa Borghese, down to Piazza del Popolo for a tour of Santa Maria del Popolo, a 15th-century church home to two works by Caravaggio. Throughout this experience, enjoy the personalized attention that comes with a private guide.

Private walking tour of Baroque Rome and the Galleria Borghese
Guided tour of the Galleria Borghese
Guided tour of Santa Maria del Popolo
Choice of morning or afternoon tours
English-speaking guide specializing in art history
Departs from the Borghese Gallery and concludes at Piazza del Popolo
Enjoy privileged, personalized attention from your guide on this special private art tour
Customize the tour to suit your own interests

What's Included

Professional art historian guide
Private tour

Gratuities
Food and drinks
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Borghese Gallery and Museum
Piazzale Scipione Borghese, 5, 00197 Roma RM, Italy
Departure Point: Entrance to Borghese Gallery (Galleria Borghese), in Villa Borghese Directions: The guide will be waiting for you with a sign displaying your name. Dates: Daily, except Sunday and Monday

End point

Piazza del Popolo, Roma RM, Italy
The tour finishes outside the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, in Piazza del Popolo.

What To Expect

Meet your guide at the Borghese Gallery, housed in the Villa Borghese, to begin your private walking tour of Rome’s baroque art and architecture. Head inside to tour the gallery with your guide, an art historian with much knowledge to share about the history and art of the villa, which dates back to Cardinal Scipione Borghese, who filled his home with an impressive collection of works.

Admire several statues by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, including Apollo and Daphne, David and Rape of Proserpine, and see a Canova sculpture of Pauline Bonaparte Borghese. Don’t miss paintings by Caravaggio, Titian, and Raphael before leaving the gallery to walk through the lovely Villa Borghese gardens down to Piazza del Popolo, a busy Rome square.

Head inside the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo with your guide to see two of Caravaggio’s famous works—Crucifixion of St Peter and Conversion on the Way to Damascus; with your guide’s artistic help, compare these baroque paintings with Raphael’s Renaissance-style Chigi Chapel. Your tour then ends at Piazza del Popolo, a central location from where you can continue exploring the city on your own.

Note: This private tour can be customized to your interests by your professional guide; please list any particular interests you have, such as architecture, history or culture, at the time of booking so your guide can prepare.

Galleria Borghese

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Piazza del Popolo

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation

Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

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.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

68 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 68 reviews

Fantastic experience

Leila_T, Jul 2022

My husband and I were in Rome about 8 years ago and got a private guide to explore the Borghese Gallery. It was a great decision. We had really meaningful tour and fell in love with the Bernini sculpture at the gallery. We had the opportunity to return to Rome again and the first item on our list was signing up for a private guide to take us back thru the Borghese Gallery. Again, it was a great decision. Luca Farris, an art historian, met us in front of the museum. He arrived early as did we so we started our tour upon arrival. He was incredibly knowledgeable, spoke excellent English and loved Bernini as much as we did. After the visiting the gallery, the 3 of us strolled through the park to the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo to look at the interior of the chuch which housed some Caravaggio paintings. After we explored the chuch, Luca pointed out a good cafe near the Via Corso where we could sit and people watch. It was a great tour; we would highly recommend this experience.

Response from Host, Sep 2022

Thank you very much. I know that Luca enjoyed touring the Borghese and P.za del Popolo with you nd send his best regards

Our guide Laura (Carbonara) was an...

Debbie, Oct 2018

Our guide Laura (Carbonara) was an absolutely wonderful guide and for us worth the cost. She has worked at the Borghese Villa and is very familiar with the process and staff as well as all the artwork. She studied art history and was able to help us understand not only the history of the pieces but the history of the Borghese family and their place in Italian history. She spoke fluent English and quickly picked up on what our individual interests were which helped us focus within our limited time. (The 2-hour window in the Borghese is absolute - they clear the museum when your time slot ends). We had a small-mix up about the inclusion of Santa Maria De Poppolo in our tour and Laura went over the top to get that straightened out. My only suggestion would be that it would be better to have guests meet the guide at 8:45. We met Laura at 9:00 and people had already been going in to check bags before that. Felt like we missed a few opening minutes of our allotted time. (One general comment - since the Borghese limits each time slot to 360 people and crowds are manageable, if you are not truly interested in sculpture/art/Italian history you might not need to splurge on a private tour here.) Thank you for your service, it was just what we needed.

Wonderful tour with our guide, Maria...

Kristina M, May 2018

Wonderful tour with our guide, Maria Ludovica. Ludo combined interesting historical stories with the beautiful works of art to enhance our visit. We learned so much and had great fun! Would highly recommend! Ludo had great communications before the start of the tour important since the Borghese Gallery is strict about entrance and exit times.

What a marvelous morning in this...

Joanne H, Apr 2018

What a marvelous morning in this wonderful museum. Maria had an advanced degree in Art History and spoke excellent English. She guided us through this amazing museum, pointing out the most important works and noting the features that made them special. I highly recommend this tour for anyone with an interest in art.

Excellent tour! Our guide was...

Andres B, Jan 2018

Excellent tour! Our guide was Gianluca Farris and he was outstanding! Not only did he know everything related to the Gallery and its history, but he also gave us tips and recommendations for restaurants and other places when our tour was over. He even bough us a cappuccino! The Borghese Gallery is a must, you can't miss it. And it's absolutely worth it to make it a private tour. You will learn and enjoy your visit so much more!

This was the most surprisingly...

PATRICIA O, Oct 2017

This was the most surprisingly wonderful tour we took of the many tours we took. Our guide was marvelous. If you miss this tour, you have missed one of the best This was the most surprisingly wonderful tour we took. Our guide was marvelous and the artwork in our opinion was akin to going to the Uffizi or the Musee D'Orsey. Bernini, Michaelangelo, Caravaggio, Raphael. The Bernini's are stunning!

Very knowledgeable, very passionate...

Allan H, Oct 2017

Very knowledgeable, very passionate. Spoke good English. Very organized.

Our expert in art history was...

catherinerhoff, Jun 2017

Our expert in art history was fantastic. In a private group you get to see more, and tailor to your interests.

Luca, our guide, was a font of...

Lisa D, Jan 2017

Luca, our guide, was a font of detailed and entertaining information to provide history and context to what we saw. We would whole heartedly do again. The only way to experience this exquisite treasure trove of art!

Amazing and absolutely worth every...

James R, Jan 2017

Amazing and absolutely worth every cent. Our guide Maria Ludavica was very knowledgeable and even my wife who is very well versed in art history learned a great deal. A warm and wonderful experience and I would recommend it to anyone with even a small interest in art.

To participate in the learning of...

RICHARDH_S, Nov 2016

To participate in the learning of history and the artists who created such awesome paintings and sculptures was exhilarating! We had never really knew much about Bernini until this wonderful tour. Isabella was very knowledgeable and made sure that we understood what she was telling us. It was worth the long walk up to the Gallery and putting up with the rain! Do it!

This was a wonderful tour. Our guide...

Timothy H, Oct 2016

This was a wonderful tour. Our guide did an outstanding job of describing the art and history of the gallery, gardens and the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo. Thank you, Harula, for a wonderful experience.

This was one of the highlights of...

Peter F, Oct 2016

This was one of the highlights of our trip to Rome this time around. Our guide went out of her way to make sense of the Gallery, the surrounding gardens and other galleries - and value-added by explaining the use of public transport tickets! And she was a lovely person.

We were four people and we all...

Jane S, Sep 2016

We were four people and we all agreed that Isabella gave us a marvelous tour of the Borghese Gallery and Popolo Church. She is very personable and knowledgeable - a great combination. My husband and I had been to these sites several times we love Caravaggio and Bernini but Isabella gave us insights and history that we never would have known. Brava!

This was very well done. Luca is an...

Stephen D, Sep 2016

This was very well done. Luca is an outstanding guide for the artwork in the gallery and for the grounds of the Borghese Villa. I would highly recommend this especially as there is a limited time in the Gallery.

Great tour with Luca. He was really...

Sheila W, Jun 2016

Great tour with Luca. He was really funny, informative, and kept our 18 year old niece interested throughout the tour.

Best of the best. Our guide was an...

Catherine_H, Jun 2016

Best of the best. Our guide was an expert and got us to all the best pieces just as our time expired. A must-see.

We were met on time by Isabela. She...

Carolyn T, May 2016

We were met on time by Isabela. She was exceptional with her art descriptions and explanations. Be for warned that Gallery permits you only two hours, then it allows additional people in to view everything. Wonderful experience

Our tour guide Maria Ludovica...

Josepha S, Mar 2016

Our tour guide Maria Ludovica Candrilli was absolutely fantastic. She has advanced degree in art history and I highly recommend anybody that takes art seriously ask for her if you are visiting the Borghese. As the daughter of an artist, I cannot say enough wonderfull things about her

very competent, well prepared and...

Gustavo C, Nov 2015

very competent, well prepared and knowledgeable guide who shared her enthusiasm and love for the subject matter

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