There is no doubt that the Italian capital is a great cultural experience. Tour Rome’s Colosseum, see where the Popes built their homes, and stroll the stunning cobbled streets steeped in centuries of history. On your next trip to the Eternal City, make time to visit as many of Rome‘s world-class museums as possible.
One of the best things to do in Rome on a rainy day is to visit the museums. Luckily, Rome has several very nice museums that will keep you bright even on rainy days.
Top 10 Popular Museums in Rome, Italy
Rome’s history is monumental, so no one museum can cover it all. But the closest thing to this feat is his 2,000-year-old structure, where Rome’s glorious past is so evident.
- Vatican Museums
- Galleria Borghese
- Capitoline Museums
- Castel Sant’Angelo
- National Roman Museum
- Palazzo Doria Pamphilj
- Museo delle Civiltà
- MAXXI Museum
- National Etruscan Museum
- Crypta Balbi
Below are the most visited museums in Rome:
Vatican Museums
Officially part of the Vatican State, the mighty Vatican Museums should count among Rome’s top attractions, right? In which you can see some of Rome’s most famous masterpieces.
Some of these are usually less-visited areas, such as Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, the beautiful frescoes of Raphael’s Rooms, the Gallery of Maps, and the Museum of Mobility of modern car. Reservations are currently required via the official website, skip-the-line, or Vatican Private Tours.
- Location: Viale Vaticano.
- Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 9 am-6 pm. The last Sunday of the month 9 am-2 pm.
- Cost: 17€. Free entry o the last Sunday of every month.
Galleria Borghese
Villa Borghese in the Campo Marzio neighborhood of Rome is home to what is perhaps the city’s most remarkable art collection. Scipione Borghese amassed a superb collection of Italian and European works of art as a devoted art collector.
During your stay at Galleria Borghese, Gian Lorenzo can visit his 20 art rooms, including sculptures such as Bernini’s David. There are also paintings by Titian, Caravaggio, and Rubens. Unlike most other major museums, the Borghese Gallery focuses more on quality paintings than on the sheer volume of museums, so it takes him less than a day to explore.
- Location: Piazzale Scipione Borghese 5.
- Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9 am-7 pm.
- Cost: 13€.
Capitoline Museums
Rome’s most important museum, the Capitoline Museums is entirely devoted to the city, its foundations, and its history, including its pre-birth – the Etruscan civilization. It was founded in 1471 when Pope Sixtus IV gifted an ancient bronze statue to the people of Rome.
The Capitoline Museums are probably the oldest public museums in the world. This is one of Rome’s most important museums, so anyone interested in Rome’s history and founding is probably the right place to start.
- Location: Piazza del Campidoglio 1.
- Opening hour: Every day 9.30 am-7.30 pm.
- Cost: 16€.
Castel Sant’Angelo
In all honesty, Castel Sant’Angelo has such a long history and has served so many purposes over the millennia that simply calling it a museum would be disrespectful as the tomb of Emperor Hadrian around 123 BC.
Built in 1000 B.C., first turned into a fortress after the fall of the Roman Empire, then a residence for popes seeking protection and even a prison, Castel Sant’Angelo is so steeped in history that it’s a real must-see place. See the must-see attractions whether you’re in Rome for a day or a week.
Centro with the stunning Ponte Sant’Angelo, Bernini’s masterpiece Castel Sant’Angelo, connected to his Storico, is home to a wonderful museum that offers a fascinating insight into the building’s medieval and Renaissance periods. Collections open to the public include Renaissance pottery, Roman sculpture, and ancient and modern weapons.
- Location: Lungotevere Castello 50.
- Opening hours: Every day 9 am-7.30 pm. Closed on January 1st, May 1st, December 25th.
- Cost: 15€.
National Roman Museum
If you want to immerse yourself in Rome’s history, heritage, and culture, don’t miss the National Roman Museum or the National Museum of Rome. This Roman Museum does not have its entire collection in one place. Instead, the exhibits are located at multiple locations around the city. Look for amber, Roman artifacts, and jewelry, at the stunning Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, admire the exquisite use of marble and stunning sculptures at the Altemps Palace, and see the Roman baths up close at the restored ruins of the Baths of Diocletian. Let’s.
- Location: Largo di Villa Peretti 2.
- Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 11 am-6 pm. Closed on Monday.
- Cost: 8€ for one venue of the Museo Nazionale Romano, 12€ for all four venues.
Palazzo Doria Pamphilj
Considered by many to be the Versailles of Rome, the Galleria Doria Pamphili was a sumptuous palace of the Pamphili nobility that began construction in the 16th century and lasted for 500 years. Despite its discreet entrance on the long Via del Corso, you will be amazed by the luxury and beauty of the interior of this palace.
In addition to its splendid apartments, halls, and chapels, Palazzo Doria Pamphili houses masterpieces by Caravaggio, Titian, Bernini, Raphael, Guercino, Vasari, and Velazquez.
- Location: Via del Corso 305.
- Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 9 am-6 pm and Friday to Sunday 10 am-7 pm.
- Cost: 12€.
Museo delle Civiltà
The Museo delle Civiltà, short for Museums of Civilizations, is located in Rome’s southern EUR district and is organized within the Palazzo delle Scienze. It consists of several sections, each dealing with a theme related to traditions and societies not only in Italy but around the world. One is oriental art and the other is non-European prehistory and ethnography.
The same Palazzo delle Scienze also houses the Medieval Museum, where you can explore and understand the complex transition from antiquity to modernity. The nearby Palazzo delle Tradizioni Popolari has a section devoted to popular art and traditions.
- Location: Piazza Guglielmo Marconi 8 and 14.
- Opening hours:
- Tuesday to Sunday 8 am-7 pm.
- Closed on Monday.
- Cost: 10€.
MAXXI Museum
The National Museum of the XXI Century Arts is located in Flaminio. Designed by late Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, this futuristic museum puts on display contemporary artists of every style, be it painters, architects, and sculptures, as well as photographers.
Through a diverse set of activities ranging from exhibitions, multimedia projections, workshops, shows, and conferences, the MAXXI Museum aims at being the reference point and a laboratory for contemporary creativity and cultural experiments.
- Location: Via Guido Reni 4a.
- Hours opening: Tuesday to Sunday 11 am-7 pm, Saturday and Sunday until 8 pm.
- Cost: 12€.
National Etruscan Museum
The National Etruscan Museum is housed in two beautiful villas, the Renaissance-style Villa Giulia and Villa Poniatowski, the Roman home of Stanislaus Poniatowski, nephew of the last Polish king, renovated in 2012 by the Italian architect Giuseppe Valadier. Contained.
As the world’s most important museum dedicated to the pre-Roman Etruscan civilization, you’ll find some of the most important relics and masterpieces of ancient culture, with a total of 6000 objects displayed in 50 rooms. and illustrated in a way that is easy for children to understand. Reservations are required for groups of 10 or more.
- Location: Piazzale di Villa Giulia 9.
- Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9 am-8 pm. Closed on Monday.
- Cost: 10€.
Crypta Balbi
Crypta Balbi is one of the venues of the Museo Nazionale Romano, Rome’s most important group of museums.
It was built as the portico of the elegant Balbo Theater, built in 13 BC. It was built by Consul General Lucius Cornelius Barbas after a successful campaign in Libya. This courtyard helped provide shelter for the theater audience when it rained and during breaks.
Today, Crypta Balbi has a small but very attractive museum. It shows and preserves the building and the accompanying changes that have taken place over 2000 years. Over the centuries, the structure has been renovated and used for various purposes. From the portico of the ancient theater, it was transformed into a medieval merchant house, the residence of the Church of Santa Maria Domine Rose, and later the Monastery of Santa Caterina dei Funari. in the 17th century.
- Location: Via delle Botteghe Oscure 31
- Opening hours: Saturday and Sunday 10.30 am-7.45 pm.
- Cost: 8€ for Crypta Balbi only