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5 Best Museums to visit in Rome

Here you will find 5 of the best museums to visit the next time you are in Rome. The Italian capital is a city full of history and culture. It is not only because of the overwhelming presence of monuments from the ancient age but also because of its importance during the Renaissance. Even as of today, there are many contemporary artists active in the city.

Staircase in the Vatican, image by Gary Ullah sourced from Pixabay

Therefore, choosing which museums to visit once you are in the city, can be harder than expected. You need to carefully select your preferred cultural destinations based on your artistic taste, but also considering what surrounds those places. To help you make the best choices, here are 5 of the best museums in Rome!

1. Vatican Museums

Vatican gardens, image sourced from Tiqets

The Vatican Museums are probably the most famous cultural destination in the city. Surely, they are the oldest, as the Vatican celebrated their 500^th anniversary in 2006!

Located within the borders of the Papal State, this is a must-go for every tourist who loves the arts. From Michelangelo’s most famous painting, the Last Judgement, decorating an entire wall of the Sistine Chapel, to the statue Laocoon and his Sons, every room in this building contains some pieces you should not miss. If you are not sure about the next time you will come back to Rome, you must go to visit the many rooms of this unique mix of sculptures and paintings.

I suggest you for the Vatican Gardens as well if you have a couple of extra hours. Even though this means you will only have the guided tours for the Gardens and will be visiting the Museums on your own, this is one of the most beautiful of the many parks in Rome.

Ticket and entrance information:

The guided tours are 3 hours long, which is just enough time to appreciate the selection of the (literally) thousands of paintings and statues that are present in the building. It is important to mention that the queues are generally quite long.

Waiting to get a ticket at the local shop can take away precious time from your stay in the city, but you can skip the line with online booking here.

Moreover, remember that the last Sunday of each month, you can visit the Museums for free, but beware that the queue is going to be very long even in early morning, before the opening.

2. Galleria Borghese

The Galleria Borghese at a glance, image by Alejo2083 sourced by Wikimedia Commons

The Galleria Borghese is, after the Vatican Museums, the museum with the highest density of artistic pieces in Rome. It features sculptures and paintings from some of the most important Italian artists.

Caravaggio鈥檚 鈥�David with the Head of Goliath鈥� and Bernini鈥檚 鈥�Apollo and Daphne鈥� are just two of the major highlights of what the 20 rooms of this building contain. Including masterpieces from the 1400s onwards, this Gallery located in the middle of the beautiful park of Villa Borghese is a must-see for all those who will visit Rome.

After your visit, you should take full advantage of the location and go further inside the park of Villa Borghese. There is a beautiful walking path which you can take. First go to the nearby belvedere, known as il Pincio, to enjoy one of the best sights Rome can offer. Then turn left, to walk with this beautiful sight on your right side. If you keep walking, you will see Villa Medici and end up at the top of the Spanish Steps, one of the most popular squares of Rome.

Borghese gallery interior, image sourced from Tiqets

Ticket and entrance information:

To buy the tickets online, you can click here.聽Consider that the Museum does not allow more than 360 people at the same time in the building and that the ticket allows you to stay for no more than 2 hours. Plan your visit carefully and book your tickets in order to avoid long queues if you can!

3. MAXXI Museum

The entrance of the MAXXI – By Archeologo, source on Wikimedia Commons

The Museum of the Arts of the XXI (21^st) Century, is one of the few modern art galleries you will find in Rome.

Designed by the famous architect Zaha Hadid, its construction required more than 10 years. As you walk through the open space in the entrance, you will realise that this is not just a museum: the architect conceived it as a multi-purpose space.

The MAXXI hosts two different exhibitions: an artistic one and another that is strictly focused on architecture. Moreover, you will find different temporary exhibitions and a cafeteria located in the beautiful hall. You may even be able to visit it during one of the many social events it hosts throughout the year.

Nonetheless, what makes the MAXXI one of the best museums to visit in Rome is the experience given by the building. To walk through the unconventional spaces, noticing how the natural light plays with your eyes and your spacial perception. This is what will make your visit worthy.

If you are lucky enough to be able to visit it by night, you will notice the carefully placed lights decorating the exteriors. The different, many exhibitions will surely take hours from your time.

Besides, it is conveniently located near the Music Auditorium, designed by Renzo Piano, which is another must-see for architecture students and lovers.

Ticket and entrance information:

The museum offers the possibility of buying the normal entrance ticket . However, to enjoy reductions and other offers you will need to go in person. Fortunately, long queues are rare and the wait is generally short, as the affluence is well managed by the structure.
On the first Sunday of each month, you can visit the museum during the evening! Only on this day of the month, it is open until 10 PM.

4. National Museum of Castel Sant’Angelo

The Vittorio Emanuele II bridge with Castel Sant’angelo in the background –
Photo by Michele Bitetto on Unsplash

This is another museum which is so full of historical significance that you cannot ignore it and exclude it from your tour in Rome.

The building is beautiful and would deserve a visit even without the art exhibition. The Castle is not really a castle to begin with: it was built by emperor Hadrian to serve as his tomb and that of future emperors.

It was converted in the 14^th century to become a papal residency. The popes even used it as a refuge fortress. For this reason, it connects with Saint Peter鈥檚 Basilica with a fortified corridor. 聽Within its walls and courtyards, you will find beautiful statues and paintings.

In particular, you should reserve some time to enjoy the depiction of the archangel Saint Michael, from Raffaello da Montelupo.

Another thing making this one of the best museums in Rome, is the beautiful view that the main courtyard offers of the city. The whole area surrounding the Castle is a must-see for tourists.

On its left side is located Cavour Square, with the beautiful Supreme Court of Cassation. Instead, on the front of the Castle, there is the Vittorio Emanuele II bridge, that will bring you to one of the most characteristic neighbourhoods of Rome, Borgo.

Ticket and entrance information:

This is another widely popular touristic destination in Rome and long waits and queues are sometimes an issue at the entrance. You can buy tickets to skip the wait .
Every first Sunday of the month the entrance is free of charge!

5. The Ara Pacis

View of the Ara Pacis from the inside – by Jean-Pierre Dalb茅ra, sourced on Wikimedia Commons

is the altar dedicated by emperor Augustus to celebrate the so-called Pax Romana. The roman emperor built it to celebrate his achievement of enduring peace within the Roman Empire.

It is located right next to the Tevere, the main river of Rome. What makes it one of the must-see museums of the city, is not just the beautiful ancient Roman monument in the middle, but also the modern, transparent structure surrounding it.

The glass structure does not clash with the traditional architecture of Rome. It is rare to see modern and ancient architecture mixed as in this place, especially for a city like Rome.

As you walk on the large road next to the river, the glass building will soon get your attention. Inside, you can enjoy the view of this ancient monument and visit some temporary exhibitions, generally concerning paintings or photographs.

Sometimes, these temporary exhibitions focus on some historical character from ancient Rome. If that is your case, you can fully dive in the history of that epoch. Do not let yourself be fooled by the fact that you can see the Ara Pacis from outside.

If you are a roman art lover, you should definitely go inside and see the sculptured interns of the Altar. As for the MAXXI, the Ara Pacis is special because of the architecture of spaces that the museum offers. The cultural value of the Ara Pacis is obviously not to be underrated.

Ticket and entrance information:

The tickets for the Ara Pacis can be purchased online here.聽Pay attention to which ticket you prefer to purchase. Depending on the placement of the exhibitions, you can buy the entrance ticket to the Altar separately from that of the temporary showings. There are generally no queue issues affecting this museum.