Villa Borghese Rome

Villa Borghese Rome

Villa Borghese, Piazzale Napoleone Rome. Enjoy a relaxing stroll through the Borghese gardens.

Villa Borghese is a large landscape garden in the naturalistic English manner in Rome, containing a number of buildings, museums and attractions. It is the second largest public park in Rome after that of the Villa Doria Pamphili.

Villa Borghese Rome park has two main entrances; one is at the Piazzale Flaminio, near Piazza del Popolo, and the other entrance is Porta Pinciana at the end of the Via Veneto. You can also enter the park in Piazzale S. Paolo del Brasile, Via Raimondi and Via di Valle Giulia.

Villa Borghese Rome was originally a vineyard in the 16^th century when in 1605 cardinal Scipione Borghese turned it into a park. Then, for the very first time the landscaper Domenico Savino da Montepulciano designed a very simple outlined park with geometric shapes. After, the architect Flaminio Ponzio built a villa from sketches which were made from the cardinal Scipione Borghese himself!

In the 18^th century an artificial lake was added and in 1903 the city of Rome received Villa Borghese from the Borghese family and finally opened this beautiful park to the public!

It's opening hours are from Monday - Sunday from 8.00AM - 7.00PM

What can you expect to see when strolling in the Villa Borghese park?

Villa Borghese museums in Rome

Villa Borghese is also known as the park of Museums. The most famous one is the Borghese Gallery Piazzale Museo Borghese, 5 - 00197 Rome where you can admire paintings, sculptures and antiquities from famous artists like Antonello da Messina, Giovanni Bellini, Raffaello, Tiziano, Correggio and Caravaggio. Ask your hotel to provide you with the tickets or get them yourself directly on the internet. Check some days before you’d like to go because it could be they’re sold out! The price is euro 13.00/person, EU citizens and EU teachers get a discount. To get inside the Borghese Gallery you must make a reservation. Entrance is permitted up to half an hour before the closing of the Gallery.

Either when you’re finished with your tour of the Museum; before you come out or taking a separate entrance to your left when standing in front and looking at the Borghese Museum, you'll find a Cafeteria and Bookshop belonging to the structure. You can have a coffee, grab a sandwich/croissant or buy some interesting small souvenirs!

Opening hours: From Tuesday to Sunday: from 8.00AM to 7.30PM

Closed:  on Mondays, 1^st of January and 25^th December

Phone: +39 06 841 3979

Address: Via Aldrovandi 00197 Roma Italy

The Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna which is located on the grounds of the” 1911 World Exposition” could also be worth a visit. The museum holds a collection of 19th and 20th century paintings, mostly done by Italian artists. Last but not least, you can also visit the Museo Nazionale Etrusco. It displays a collection of pre-Roman objects, mostly Etruscan, uncovered around Rome.

During your promenade you’ll be able to see several temples, divine fountains and numberless statues. Villa Borghese also holds an amphitheater called “ Piazza di Siena”, an 18th century arch “ arco di Settimio Severo” and a graceful botanical garden.

On the weekends, you can often see skate-boarders and roller bladders doing
amazing stunts on one of the straight stretches of the passageway. Many musicians come here to perform so you’re welcome to have a seat on one of the many benches or lie in the green grass with your picnic lunch and enjoy!

Fun things to do in Villa Borghese with kids

If you have kids, I would recommend you to come in from the end of Via Veneto because you'll find the main attractions like rides, the playground or bikes for them without having to walk too far. There is also a train that starts from there and which will take you to the other side of the park where the Borghese Gallery is. Another good place to come in should you have kids is the Pincio from Piazza del Popolo. You'll find rides, go-karts, bikes, restaurants and more. Should you go during the weekend you’ll probably find some pony’s to ride! Also, if you should be able to understand Italian, there's a puppet house with shows twice daily. They also sell hand-made puppets for euro 13.00/each!

You can rent bikes, segways, golf carts and boats for yourself and your family. Kids will simply love it!  Kids can also have fun on rides or in play areas which are not easy to find around town. The zoo is right next to the park if you have more time and you're up to it. There are also signs for a cafeteria named "Caffe del Prado" which is part of the zoo. That's why you'll have to pay to get into!

Parking

If you're bringing your car with you to the eternal city, parking will be very difficult. Right beside Villa Borghese you'll find covered parking spaces in a parking complex called Villa Borghese - Viale del Galoppatoio, 33 - Roma - 197. From there you can also reach the city center by foot!

How to reach Villa Borghese:

With the metro: getting off at the metro stations Flaminio or Spagna

Tram: tram Nr. 2 getting off the Flaminia station, tram Nr. 3 and 19 getting off the Thorvaldsen, Bioparco and Aldrovandi station. 

Via Veneto and the Roman walls are right next to the exit of Villa Borghese Park.

Galleria Borghese and Bioparco (zoo) are inside Villa Borghese.

You can find Piazza del Popolo and Church Santa Maria del Popolo right underneath the Pincio when walking downwards from Villa Borghese Park.