Rome-Borghese Gallery: audio, live, or own private guide?
 

Curious as to how people enjoyed this museum.

We will have our teens with us, so we are mostly interested in seeing the Bernini statues and then taking off, but could also do the whole museum. We like to have some kind of guide, but was wondering what you thought of the different options... a self-audio guide, a Museum 2 hr live (in English) guide, or bringin our own private guide. with us.

Thanks for any input!
Dina

My daughter and I thought the guide the museum offered was very good. The tour is not long as the museum is a small one.

Hi Dina,

I, and my friends who visited after me, used the audioguide and all liked it. I can spend a lot of time in museums and spent the full 2 hours in Borghese. I felt like the audioguide gave me the right amount of information.

Beware: you must check all bags (even purses) at the museum. I knew this and had my valuables on me, except for my very expensive cycling glasses that were stolen in the bag check.

The Borghese is fabulous, especially the Bernini statues, but there are some paintings that shouldn't be skipped.

It's a small museum so won't take that long. I went through with a small group and a private guide so don't know about the audio or museum guide, but I've found audio guides in other museums to be satisfactory and you can linger where you want to or skip art that doesn't interest you.

You do have to check purses, backpacks and cameras so be careful what you carry.

In autumn 2003 we found the Borghese audio guide in English to be the best of many we rented in Italy.

Thank you very much all of your input.
It sounds like we can't really go wrong, as all options are great.

Thanks, also, for the tip about having to check everything before we go in!

Dina

Hi Dina,

We liked the audioguide, but realize that everyone that uses it will be moving from room to room together.

The first floor has the statues, and the second floor has paintings. Each group is admitted for 2 hours only.

My suggestion is to begin on the second floor for the first half hour or so, than return to the first floor to start the audioguide. When we were at the museum in the fall, we had the Bernini statues literally to ourselves for the last half hour of the allocated time - by then everyone else was up on the second floor.

Have a great visit.

Good advice, Susan Eva!

BTW, Is it the kind of audioguide where you press the button that's above the piece, or do you have to do it in order?

Thanks,
Dina

I'm pretty certain that you enter the number into the audioguide that corresponds to the label near the work of art.

We used the self-guided tour in the Rick Steve's book (sorry, fodors) and avoided the crowds that were using the audio guides, simply by going to the empty rooms while everyone else was being herded like a flock of sheep.

Sometimes, it's good to be a contrarian!

As with most audioguides, you can wander where you want and push the number of the piece you are viewing for the appropriate description.

My best advice: My reservation time was for 11am on a Sunday. I was there way early and asked if I could go in with the 9am group. Yes, and there were only about 75 people, no herds. When I came out to reclaim my bag, the 11am crowd was a zoo.

Thanks again everyone for all the great advice!!!
Now I need to make my reservation....

Dina

dina4,

This was a really helpful thread as I hope to be visiting the Borghese this summer and learned quite a bit here. Thanks for posting!