Borghese Gallery Small-Group Tour with Canova's Masterpieces
Recommended by 91% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Rome, Italy
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Group discounts
- 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
- All-inclusive ticket for Galleria Borghese
- Expert, English-Speaking guide
- Expertly guided walking tour
- Headset (groups over 6)
- Gratuities
- Hotel Pick-Up/Drop-Off
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Galleria BorghesePiazzale Scipione Borghese, 5, 00197 Roma RM, Italy
Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of your tour, your guide will be holding a green Walks sign. This tour meets at Galleria Borghese, Piazzale Scipione Borghese, 5, 00197 Roma, Italy. Meet outside at the double staircase directly in front of Galleria Borghese.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
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.
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.
1
Galleria Borghese
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour is in English.
- We are able to accomodate guests with mobility impairment or wheelcharis, please make sure to email our Guest Experience team at the time of your booking for proper arrangements.
- This is a walking tour. Guests should be able to walk at a moderate pace without difficulty.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.7
based on 166 reviews
Alex_Y, Dec 2025
Excellent tour guide with deep knowledge and insights about the museum. Highly recommend while you are in Rome.
Aleksandra_D, Oct 2025
The guide was extremely knowledgeable and motivated to explain the history and the symbolism of paintings and sculptures. It was like a lecture on art history.
David_G, Aug 2025
The Borghese Gallery has many wonderful pieces of art. We were excited to experience them. Our guide took so long on the first sculpture that we did not get to see every room. We were disappointed. Not sure what we missed. We were on the last tour of the day. Sometimes less is more from your guide.
Beth_P, Jul 2025
Tour guide was an art history professional from NYC. She provided a detailed explanation of Bernini’s sculptures.
David_E, Jun 2025
Emily was an amazing tour guide! Taught us so much about the art work. Had a blast would 100% do again!
elizabeth_m, Oct 2024
Very knowledgeable tour guide and absolutely beautiful surroundings. Definitely recommend this experience!
Mark_M, Oct 2024
Our guide did an excellent job on providing details and anecdotes on the most important and interesting works in this beautiful museum of classic statues and art. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable on the history and background of the Bernini and Caravaggio works. Fascinating and exciting tour! Excellent way to get the most out of this “must see” site! Highly recommend! The grounds and gardens which you can walk at your own pace were beautiful.
Robin_J, Sep 2024
The most wonderful tour! Marta our guide was the best. Great stories and info. She knows her art history. Definitely book this tour!
Karen_G, Sep 2024
The stories behind the art! To have are the historical background and bring it to the present was inspiring.
Brittany_S, Sep 2024
This tour was a fantastic experience and our guide, Marta, was so informative and knowledgeable while also sprinkling in a few jokes here and there. The art is incredible and it was a great experience to someone new to the city. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone.
Colin_J, Sep 2024
My wife currently requires a wheelchair, following a serious operation, and having broken a bone. The Galleria Borghese is outstanding, but not too wheelchair friendly. Our "Wheels" tour guide (Ambra) was nice, but she didn't really provide the level of help required. For instance, starting the tour, without making sure that my wife & I were in the group. She did, however, try to ensure that my wife could see, during most of the talks. Overall, the tour would have been excellent, if my wife's issues had been more fully catered for.
Jacqueline_H, Sep 2024
This tour was a highlight of our trip. Our guide was absolutely incredible- so passionate, knowledgeable, and had a totally contagious energy and excitement about Bernini. Highly recommend!
ThomasK_K, Sep 2024
great tour , guide and art…small intimate museum….wish there was some time added to the tour for the gardens, maybe driving around in tram or train
john_M, Jul 2024
Our tour guide was exceptional. She was knowledgeable, responsive to questions and professional. We were truly educated.
David_S, Jul 2024
Excellent tour with a very knowledgeable and engaging tour guide. Terrific explanations of the art pieces with historical insight on how and the pieces were commissioned.
Marilyn_S, Jul 2024
Seeing the Bernini sculptures were a lifetime memory i will always have! Our tour guide was amazing and personal. So informative and really knew what he was talking about.
Holly_W, Jun 2024
Learning more about sculpture art than I knew in the past. Our guide Laura was a last minute substitute guide and did a wonderful job sharing her love for art.
Tara_W, May 2024
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.
Glenn_C, May 2024
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!
Brenda_B, May 2024
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.
ANGELA_B, May 2024
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.
Tara_Z, May 2024
The guide, Siri was absolutely fantastic. She was entertaining, enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable about her topic.
Yi_Z, May 2024
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.
daryl_l, May 2024
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.
Brian_L, May 2024
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.
Response from Host, May 2024
Dear Brian,
Thank you for sharing your experience with the Borghese Gallery Tour.
We apologize for the disappointment you faced during your tour.
Our website advertises this tour with a maximum group size of 15 people.
We understand your frustration regarding the guide's lateness and the unexpected closure of the third floor.
We strive to inform our clients of any changes as soon as possible, but some closures are beyond our control and can happen at the last minute.
Please contact us at feedback@walks.org so we can investigate the issues with the guide and ensure better communication in the future.
Warmest regards,
Jhonas.
Walks and Devour Tours.
Duane_H, May 2024
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.
James_M, Apr 2024
The Borghese gallery strictly limits the number of visitors into the gallery and that allows for very close examination of its masterworks.
The intimate nature of the place coupled with our guides insightful descriptions of the history and background associated with each piece, made the time spent here very valuable.
It made me want to learn more.
sue_C, Apr 2024
The guide was amazing.. he brought so much knowledge and passion that every price came alive !!
Enjoyed the tour even if we couldn’t access the 2nd floor.
Michele_R, Oct 2023
Our guide Francesco with Liv Tours was very knowledgeable on the artwork in the gallery. We had a full two hours of informative instruction starting in the second floor then proceeding to the sculptures on the first. Save some time after your tour to visit the gardens…the park is immense.
Lynda_G, Oct 2023
Marta was excellent. She actively engaged all members of our group by asking our opinions on various pieces. No answer was wrong and she even admitted to changing her mind several times regarding the same question over the years. The histories of various pieces were not dull and boring, but rather alive with intrigue, mystery and emotion. The ultimate effect was to make the art more approachable to the untrained as well as trained observer, increasing everyone’s appreciation of these incredible sculptures and paintings.
From $64.76
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Borghese Gallery Small-Group Tour with Canova's Masterpieces
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