I'm going to be in Rome for a few days at the end of June and I want to visit the Palazzo Barberini -- it sounds pretty spectacular.

But its website seems to suggest that it would be a good idea to a reserve an entrance ticket.

Am I misreading this? Has anyone had to reserve a ticket here? I've seen enough people turned away from the Galleria Borghese that I now heed advice about booking advance tickets!

Thanks,
Sandra

Sandra,

I may be wrong, but when I visited the Palazzo Barberini in January, I just walked in. I didn't need a reservation at all, or an advance ticket. It was my understanding that only large groups or guided tours need a reservation.

The website seems a bit unclear about it; you can follow the links and purchase advance tickets, but they are only tickets. They mention nothing about a reservation because unlike the Galleria Borghese, there are no pre-determined entrance times to the Barberini.

We were there on a Sunday in March and had no problem -- no lines, no waiting (and there were plenty of people in Rome at that time). I don't think it's nearly as well known, or as popular as the Borghese, but it is absolutely worth a visit!

Thanks very much, Stella and Roz, for your advice. I won't worry any more about advance tickets! I really do want to see Palazzo Barberini -- especially after your glowing descriptions, Stella, in your blog from early this year. I seem to always return to my favourite haunts when I visit Rome. But these year, I'm determined to see a few new things in the couple of days that I'll be there -- the Scavi tour, the frescoes in the the Villa Farnesina (which I see is only open in the mornings) and the Palazzo Barberini!

Thanks again,
Sandra

Yes, definitely try to make the Villa Farnesina, too -- it's wonderful. Buy the English guidebook on your way in, as there isn't much in the way of explanation as you go through the museum, and the guidebook is pretty good. This page from my October trip report lists a few places we visited in Rome last October where we mostly were able to avoid big crowds (including the Villa Farnesina).

- Roz

Thanks very much, Roz. I had read your trip report several months ago (and what great photos you had) but had forgotten your description of the Villa Farnesina. One thing: you mentioned in your trip report that it was a bit difficult to find. In what way? Was the entrance tucked away in an obscure corner? I usually stay in the area of the Piazza Farnese, so the Villa is almost directly across the Tiber....but buildings are so sheltered from the main street there, from the Lungotevere Farnesina, I can imagine it might be a bit tricky to find a way in!

Sandra

Yes, the main thing was we weren't sure where the entrance was, and I think we had to walk a long way before we could find our way in. Also, I seem to recall that the signs were a bit misleading, but right now I can't remember the details. But we really don't know that part of Rome well, so maybe you'd find it more easily than we did.

I could be wrong, but as I recall, access to the Villa Farnesina is from Via della Lungara. So if you're walking along the Lungotevere you can be right next to the villa but unable to reach it. And the villa's grounds mean it's a pretty long block between the two places where you can cut over to the Via della Lungara from the Lungotevere. That may be what happened.

We went to the Barberini in Oct 2005 and had no reservation and no wait. It was a weekday. We also went to the Farnesina and the Corsini on the same trip. The Farnesina appears on the map that the entrance should be on Lungatevere della Farnesina but the entrance is on the next street in from the river, Via della Lungara, as KT says. In fact, the entrance to the Palazzo Farnesina is across from the entrance to the Palazzo Corsini, the other part (along with the Barberini) of the National Gallery. (We walked all the way along Lungatevere della Farnesina in the rain before we figured this out!)

Incidentally, the entrance to the Palazzo Barberini is on Via delle Quattro Fontane, rather than on Piazza Barberini.

Thanks, Fibonacci and KT -- this is really helpful. I'll be crossing on the Ponte Sisto from the Campo de' Fiori, so I'll guard against being lured by the Lungotevere and instead, head in from the river and follow the Via della Lungara!

Thanks also for the tip on the Barberini (I'm sure I would have scoured the Piazza looking for the entrance!)

Sandra