Quirinal Palace: How You Can Visit Italy’s Presidential Home

It's not just the official residence of the President of the Republic. The Quirinal Palace is also a museum open to the people of Italy and the world, and it sits on the highest of Rome's seven hills.

What to see at the Quirinal Palace

Visitors get to see and admire a huge number of artworks, furnishings, tapestries, decorations and fine architecture of real historical and artistic value, spanning the 18th century, the Napoleonic era and the House of Savoy right up to the 20th century.

Another prized gem of the Quirinal are its gardens, a kind of «island» with privileged views over Rome.

Their layout has changed several times over the centuries, following the taste of the day and that of the building's «illustrious tenants».

Between 1997 and 1999, architect Gae Aulenti, the woman behind the magnificent layout of the Musee D'Orsay in Paris, created the exhibition space that blends modern ideas with the building's older rooms.

Changing of the Guard at the Quirinal Palace

It's not only Buckingham Palace that has a changing of the guard: at the Quirinal it takes place every day at 15:00. Well worth catching if you're visiting Rome with kids.

It's in Rome's Trevi district, naturally very close to the Trevi Fountain.

Visiting the Quirinal Palace

If you want to visit the Quirinal Palace, you need to book your ticket at least 5 days in advance. Tickets are issued in your name for a specific date and time, and guided tours are in Italian only. You can book on the palace's official website.

Price: €10, plus a €1.50 booking fee. (€5 for visitors aged 18 to 25.)
Entry is free for under-18s and over-65s.

Opening hours

The Palazzo del Quirinale is open to the public from 9:30 to 16:00.

It opens on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The palace closes over Christmas, during the Republic Day celebrations and for the whole of August.

Getting there

Address: Piazza del Quirinale. Metro: Barberini