Checked against each church's and museum's own site · 24 October 2026
Rome keeps some of the world's most famous paintings in parish churches that cost nothing to walk into, a few minutes from museums that sell out days ahead. This guide sorts the city's art by what a visitor has to do: what you can see free today, what needs a booking, which days are free, and the house rules that catch people out.
Caravaggio
Bernini
MichelangeloThree Caravaggio chapels within a 15-minute walk, Bernini's St Teresa, Michelangelo's Moses and Pozzo's ceiling at Sant'Ignazio.
Galleria Borghese (compulsory, even on free days) and the Vatican Museums (the only way past the queue).
Sun 1 Nov, Mon 2 Nov, Wed 4 Nov, Sun 29 Nov, Sun 6 Dec, Mon 7 Dec, Sun 27 Dec.
Vatican Museums, Capitoline Museums, Pantheon, Doria Pamphilj and the churches. Most state museums close.
Churches are working places of worship: most close for a long lunch, visits stop during Mass, and shoulders should be covered — carry a scarf.
The commission that made Caravaggio famous. A free phone audioguide plays from a QR code at the door — bring headphones.
Barefoot pilgrims at the Virgin's door, first chapel on the left. Raphael's Isaiah is on a nave pillar.
The Cerasi Chapel, left of the high altar; Raphael's Chigi Chapel is across the nave.
San Luigi → Sant'Agostino: 2 minutes. Sant'Agostino → Santa Maria del Popolo: about 15 minutes north along Via di Ripetta.
Bernini staged the vision as theatre, with the Cornaro family watching from boxes. Five minutes from Repubblica (Metro A).
Mornings to 12 PM · afternoons from 4 PM · not during Mass
One of his last great sculptures, in a quiet Trastevere church; tram 8 stops nearby.
Daily 7:30–12, 4–7:30
Four river gods around an ancient obelisk, finished in 1651. The rivalry story with Borromini's church opposite is a legend: the fountain came first.
Outdoors · alwaysOn Julius II's tomb — empty, because Julius is buried in St Peter's. Five minutes from Cavour (Metro B).
Hours not published · go morning or late afternoon
Behind the Pantheon, with Filippino Lippi's frescoed Carafa Chapel.
Hours posted only on the church's site
No longer free: €7 since July 2026, €2 for EU citizens aged 18–25. Free under 18 and on first Sundays. Not on the Roma Pass.
Daily 9–7 · last entry 6:30
Four Sibyls with angels (1514) above the first chapel on the right. It opens rarely; treat an open door as a bonus.
No published hours
Stand on the marked spot and the vault opens into the sky; the "dome" is painted flat. The church warns it never charges for entry.
Daily 9 AM–11:30 PM · no lunch break
Gold-covered 9th-century mosaics made for Pope Paschal I, a block from Santa Maria Maggiore.
Daily 9–12:30, 3–6
On the edge of the Forum, with an 18th-century Neapolitan nativity in the vestibule.
Daily 10–1, 3–6
A 12th-century basilica over a 4th-century church over Roman houses and a temple of Mithras. The upper church is free; book the lower levels online.
Mon–Sat 9–12:30, 2–6 · Sun 12–6Ticket, booking rule, closing day and how long to allow, from each museum's own page.
| Museum | Don't miss | Ticket | Booking | Closed | Allow | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vatican Museums | Sistine Chapel, Raphael Rooms, Laocoön | €20 + €5 online | Optional | Sun (exc. last) | Half a day | |
| Galleria Borghese | Apollo and Daphne, Paolina, Caravaggio | €16 + €2 | Compulsory | Mon | 2 hours | |
| Barberini + Corsini | Judith Beheading Holofernes, La Fornarina | €15 both | Optional | Mon | 2 h + 1 h | |
| Doria Pamphilj | Velázquez's Innocent X, Hall of Mirrors | €16 | Recommended | Wed | 1.5 hours | |
| Capitoline Museums | Marcus Aurelius, the She-Wolf | €15 | Optional | Open daily | 2–3 hours | |
| Palazzo Massimo + Altemps | Livia's garden room, Boxer at Rest | €15 | Optional | Mon | 2 h + 1 h | |
| Villa Farnesina | Raphael's Galatea | €12 | Optional | Sun (exc. 2nd) | 1 hour | |
| Galleria Spada | Borromini's perspective | €6 | Not needed | Tue | 45 min | |
| Castel Sant'Angelo | Papal apartments, the terrace | €18 | Weekends | Mon | 1.5–2 hours |
Mon–Sat 8 AM–8 PM, last entry 6 PM. Buy only on the museum's own site — lookalikes charge more. No photos or video at all in the Sistine Chapel.
Entry on the hour, 180 people a slot, two hours inside. Every ticket is booked, free ones and children's included; free-day tickets open 10 days ahead.
Klimt's Three Ages, Monet, Duchamp's Fountain; Abramović from 18 Nov. Thursday late openings 7–11 PM, €10.
Zaha Hadid's building; Sophie Calle now, Shirin Neshat from 13 Nov. €10 online for everyone until 12 Nov.
No longer free. Closed 30–31 Oct; free Sunday 1 Nov, 10 AM–4 PM.
Classical statues among the turbines of Rome's first power station.
Commercial gallery near the Spanish Steps. Tue–Sat 10:30 AM–7 PM.
Live from our calendar, soonest-closing first.
€16 + €2 booking fee (museum ticket)
See listing
€18 / €2 EU ages 18–25 (Colosseum ticket)
€8 site ticket / €2 reduced
€7.50 / €6 reduced
FreeFree days are crowded: arrive at opening, and book the moment tickets open where booking is compulsory.
The Vatican, St Peter's and Santa Maria Maggiore refuse sleeveless tops, shorts above the knee and hats. A scarf in your bag solves it.
Most churches shut from about 12:30 to 3 or 4 PM. Churches in the morning, museums in the afternoon.
None at all in the Sistine Chapel. No flash, tripods or selfie sticks in most museums.
Buy from the museum’s own site. The Vatican and Borghese both warn about lookalikes.
State museums: free under 18, €2 for EU citizens 18–25. The Vatican is free under 7.
€38 for 48 hours, €62.90 for 72. Doesn’t skip the Borghese booking; not valid at the Pantheon.
Every hour, price and rule here was read off the church's or museum's own site on 24 October 2026. Where a church doesn't publish its hours online we say so rather than guess. Nobody paid to be in this guide.
How we verify listingsFree days, new exhibitions and the classes worth booking, in one short email.
Checked 24 October 2026. Prices and schedules change between terms and seasons — if you find a figure here that is wrong, tell us and we will re-read the source rather than take the correction at face value. Send a correction.
Help keep this right
Locals and regulars know things no website prints. Tell us — a person reads every note, checks it, and fixes the page.