The Best Museums in Rome: From the Vatican to the Capitoline

Rome has more museums per square kilometre than almost any city on earth. From the world's greatest collection of ancient sculpture to cutting-edge contemporary art, the choice is overwhelming. Here's our guide to the best — and how to visit without the queues.

VATICAN MUSEUMS The Vatican Museums are not one museum but a vast complex of galleries, collections and spaces accumulated by the papacy over five centuries. With over 70,000 works of art — of which around 20,000 are on display — it is one of the largest and most important museum collections in the world.

The highlights include the Gallery of Maps (a 120-metre corridor lined with 40 topographical maps of Italy painted in the 1580s), the Raphael Rooms (four rooms painted entirely by Raphael and his workshop for Pope Julius II), the Pio-Clementino Museum (ancient Greek and Roman sculpture including the Laocoön and the Apollo Belvedere) and, of course, the Sistine Chapel.

Practical: Always book skip-the-line tickets in advance. Allow at least 3 hours; a full day is not excessive. Guided tours are strongly recommended — the scale of the collection makes independent navigation overwhelming.

CAPITOLINE MUSEUMS The world's oldest public museums, founded in 1471 when Pope Sixtus IV donated a collection of ancient bronzes to the people of Rome. Spread across two palaces on the Capitoline Hill — designed by Michelangelo — the Capitoline Museums house one of the finest collections of ancient Roman sculpture anywhere.

Highlights include the original Marcus Aurelius equestrian statue (the one in the piazza is a copy), the Capitoline Wolf (the iconic bronze of the she-wolf nursing Romulus and Remus), the Dying Gaul and the Capitoline Venus. The rooftop terrace offers one of the best views over the Roman Forum.

Practical: Book tickets in advance, especially in peak season. Allow 2–3 hours. The museums are closed on Mondays.

MUSEUM PASS TIP The Roma Pass gives free or discounted entry to many of Rome's museums and unlimited use of public transport. For a museum-heavy trip it can offer good value — check the current inclusions before buying as they change periodically.

BORGHESE GALLERY Arguably Rome's most perfect museum — a manageable size, extraordinary quality and a collection that represents the peak of Baroque art. The Borghese Gallery houses Bernini's greatest sculptures (Apollo and Daphne, The Rape of Proserpina, David) alongside paintings by Caravaggio, Raphael, Titian and Rubens.

The gallery operates a strict timed-entry system with a maximum of 360 visitors at any one time, in two-hour slots. This keeps the experience intimate and uncrowded — but it means tickets sell out weeks in advance. Book as early as possible.

Practical: Booking is mandatory — no walk-ups. Two-hour timed slots. The gallery is inside Villa Borghese park, a 15-minute walk from the nearest metro station.

NATIONAL ROMAN MUSEUM (PALAZZO MASSIMO) One of Rome's most underrated museums, housing an extraordinary collection of ancient Roman art in a beautiful late 19th-century palazzo near Termini station. The highlights are the frescoes from the Villa of Livia — a complete room of painted garden scenes, removed from the villa and reassembled here — and the collection of ancient coins, jewellery and everyday objects that bring Roman daily life vividly to life.

Practical: Rarely crowded. Allow 2 hours. Combined ticket available with the other National Roman Museum sites.

PALAZZO ALTEMPS A Renaissance palace housing a collection of ancient sculpture in a setting of extraordinary elegance. The Ludovisi collection — assembled by Cardinal Ludovico Ludovisi in the 17th century — includes the Ludovisi Throne, the Galatian Suicide and the Grande Ludovisi sarcophagus. The building itself, with its frescoed loggias and courtyard, is as much an attraction as the collection.

Practical: Almost always quiet. One of Rome's best-kept museum secrets. Allow 1.5–2 hours.

MAXXI — NATIONAL MUSEUM OF 21ST CENTURY ARTS Zaha Hadid's spectacular building in the Flaminio neighbourhood houses Italy's national museum of contemporary art and architecture. The building itself — all flowing curves and intersecting ramps — is as much the attraction as the collection. A complete contrast to Rome's ancient and Renaissance heritage and a reminder that the city has a living contemporary culture.

CENTRALE MONTEMARTINI Ancient Roman sculpture displayed inside a decommissioned early 20th-century power station — one of Rome's most visually striking museum experiences. A branch of the Capitoline Museums, it houses the overflow of ancient sculpture that doesn't fit in the main building. The contrast between marble gods and industrial machinery is unforgettable.

Practical: Almost always quiet. Combined ticket with the Capitoline Museums. Allow 1.5 hours.