Museums in Rome: 14 You Really Shouldn’t Miss

Rome is like one huge open-air museum. Its neighborhoods full of monuments, its squares and ruins make up the best museum under the stars anywhere in the world.

In Rome, the museums hold everything from ancient sculpture to modern art, all carefully preserved and displayed for your enjoyment.

Recommended museums in Rome

If your trip is short or your budget is tight and you have to pick just a few museums, these are the ones we'd point you to:

1. the Vatican Museums

This is a must-see museum, not just in Rome but in the world. Home to the most valuable art collection anywhere, with priceless pieces. Your ticket also gets you into the Sistine Chapel.

Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel tour (fast-track entry)

A recommended museum in Rome for the importance and value of the works it holds, such as the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius. The sculpture of the she-wolf who suckled Romulus and Remus is here too. This is also where some of the archaeological finds from excavations around the city are displayed.

Capitoline Museums entry ticket

3. the Borghese Gallery

This is probably the richest gallery in Italy, with works by Caravaggio, Titian, Rubens, Raphael, Bernini and Sanzio, among others. Beyond the art, the park and gardens wrapped around the palace make for a walk we highly recommend in Rome.

Skip the line: Borghese Gallery entry ticket

Beautiful Italian villas

Some of Rome's museums, such as Villa Farnesina, the Palazzo Barberini (National Gallery of Ancient Art), the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj or Villa Giulia, are housed in gorgeous, elegant buildings that were once home to major figures in Italian history. Their gardens and interiors are as much a part of the visit as the art.

Roman National Museums

The National Roman Museum isn't really one museum. It's four separate sites:

Palazzo Massimo alle Terme (National Roman Museum).
Palazzo Altemps (National Roman Museum).
Baths of Diocletian (National Roman Museum).
Crypta Balbi (National Roman Museum).

Tips

We'd suggest drawing up a list of what you want to see in each museum so you can prioritize, especially if you're short on time. For the Vatican Museums, for example, set aside at least three full hours. Most museums signpost routes that take you straight to their most famous and most visited works.

Rules

As a rule, flash photography and tripods are not allowed. Packages, bags and suitcases have to be left in the museum cloakroom, and every museum has access for visitors with reduced mobility.

For opening hours, location, entrances and other details, check the individual page for each museum.

Find out how to reach any museum using Rome's public transport.