enough time for Borghese Gallery?
 

We have a Vatican tour at noon. If we get up early will we have enough time for the Borghese Gallery? Are they close by?

Thank you!

Borghese Gallery requires a reserved time slot. The earliest is 9:00 AM. You are allowed to stay for two hours. Even if you took the full amount of time you could still grab a taxi and get to the Vatican before 11:30. If you need to be there earlier you could just cut short your time at Borghese - it's not that large. But you do need advance reservations. Check www.galleriaborghese.it

I agree with BoulderCo, plenty of time to do both, especially since you are supposed to be limited to two hours at the Borghese (though I have many friends who have stayed longer). We were at the Borghese in January and did it all in an hour (gasp!), but then we are philistines. The Vatican and the Borghese are not in the same neighborhood, but they are not far at all when you take a taxi.

You can do it, if you can reserve the earliest time slot when the gallery opens (9:00). I recommend the audio tour at the Borghese. We did it recently and were finished within 2 hours. We didn't rush AND we listened to all the "extra" things on the tape recording. But, we didn't linger, which you can't do anyway if it's crowded. However, if you do the Vatican museum and Borghese in the same day, your eyes will probably be swimming. Try to eat something (like gelato!) between the 2 museums. Have fun!

Also, use the "Spagna" metro stop, and take the Metro out to the Vatican if you're doing the Borghese first, or the Metro from the Vatican to Spagna if you're doing the Borghese last.

BC

I think a lot depends on what your Vatican tour is. If it's a tour of the Vatican Museums, then yes, you can probably take the Metro. There is quite a bit of walking to do from the Galleria Borghese to the Spagna Metro stop and more walking between the Metro stop (whose name I admit I have forgotten) and the entrance to the Vatican Museums. It might be safer to take a taxi.

If your tour is the Scavi tour, you have no choice but to take a taxi, and even then you might be cutting it a little fine. There have been many posts about how important it is to be punctual for a Scavi tour and how you may have to go to two different places on either side of St. Peter's Basilica before you can join the tour.

Eloise, the original post does not state it's a Scavi tour, and to walk out of the Borghese to via Veneto and through to the Spagna metro is not much of a hike at all.

BC

I agree that the original post did not say that it was a Scavi tour, but I think a "Vatican tour" could conceivably be a Scavi tour. I see no harm in cautioning that if it IS a Scavi tour, more time will be needed.

And according to the ATAC Web site of the bus system of Rome, the distance along the route you describe from the Galleria Borghese to the Spagna Metro (for part of which a bus is recommended) is 2.8 kilometers, or considerably more than a mile. In my eyes, that is "quite a bit of walking," particularly if there is a time element involved.

Not sure if it makes a difference, but my tour is through Enjoy Rome. I have one more question, do you suggest the audio or guided tour?

Thanks again.

Make time for the Borghese--awesome!