The 8 best museums in Rome

With 28 centuries under its belt, Rome has so much history and art to showcase that it requires about 250 dedicated institutions. Some museums in Rome are within Renaissance palaces, while others exist as the Eternal City's open-air attractions or in archaeological parks like Terme di Caracalla and Circo Massimo. 

The vast majority of Rome's top museums are a testament to the glory of the ancients, though many others display items from comparatively more recent history, from the Middle Ages to the baroque period, or focus specifically on modern and contemporary art. While not technically museums, Rome's 900-plus churches house hundreds of world-famous masterpieces; seek them out as well to enjoy their combination of art, architecture and history. 

No matter what you appreciate most, these 8 of the best museums in Rome are a great place to start your journey. 

1. Musei Capitolini

Best overall

If you have time for only one museum during your stay in Rome, let it be the Musei Capitolini, set midway between the Colosseum and the Pantheon in the Centro Storico neighborhood. Considered the first public museum in the world, it dates back to 1471, when Pope Sixtus IV gave a collection of ancient Roman statues to the people of Rome. In the intervening centuries, the museum has acquired many more items. The collection today numbers 70,000 works of art (although not all are on display simultaneously), including archaeological finds, sculptures and paintings from antiquity and the Middle Ages to the Renaissance and baroque eras. Don’t miss the Venus Capitolina, the Hall of Curiatii and Horatii, and the colossal head of Constantine. 

Planning tip: Set aside at least a couple of hours for your visit ⁠– you won’t want to rush this. Museum admission is free for people with disabilities and one family member or companion. The museum outlines a wheelchair-accessible route on its website.

2. Villa Giulia

Best for Etruscan art

Before Rome became, well, Rome, much of central Italy was inhabited and controlled by the Etruscans, a people of extraordinary engineering talent. The Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia is the top institution on Etruscan culture. It proudly showcases more than 6000 works of Etruscan art on the walls and around the grounds of a Renaissance palace built for Pope Julius II, then restructured in the 1700s. The building alone, with its courtyards and nymphaeum, is worth the trip. 

The Etruscan collection includes must-see works like the Sarcophagus of the Spouses, the statue of Apollo found at Veio and parts of Etruscan temples and buildings – these masterpieces of Etruscan engineering will remind you whom the ancient Romans learned from. 

Planning tip: Most of the museum's rooms are accessible to visitors with mobility issues by alternative routes, elevators and stair lifts. The museum can provide tactile reproductions for visually impaired visitors.

3. Ostia Antica

Best for a day trip

Take a break from modernity and head to the almost perfectly preserved ancient Roman city at Ostia Antica. Once a far-off town serving as Rome’s seaport, present-day Ostia was absorbed by urbanization as one of Rome’s districts. Today, you can walk across the main streets of Ostia Antica (easily reachable from the city center by metro to the Magliana station) to understand the layout of an ancient Roman city, with ruins of its buildings, temples and theaters. Even some statues and mosaics have endured to this day. 

Detour: For a similar experience in Rome, you can visit the Via Appia Antica, the world’s oldest highway. 

4. Villa Torlonia

Most eclectic 

An underdog in a sea of much more famous museums and located in the youngest of Rome’s princely villas, the museums of Villa Torlonia are spread over multiple buildings in the eponymous park. 

Obelisks and columns greet visitors before entering the main building, Casino Nobile, inside which each room is a treasure, with frescoed walls, mosaics and statues in a mix of styles, from Egyptian to Roman to Gothic to neoclassical. The next building, Casino dei Principi, hosts temporary art exhibits and the Archives of the Roman School. Casina delle Civette is built in the style of a countryside cottage out of a fairy tale and predominantly depicts animals and nature. 

Planning tip: The closest metro station is Policlinico. Visitors with mobility issues who want to see the Serra Moresca should access Villa Torlonia from the Via Siracusa entrance; this restored compound, designed in the mid-1800s by Venetian architect Giuseppe Jappelli, was inspired by the Alhambra in Spain.

5. Centrale Montemartini

Best for Roman sculpture

The once-industrial Ostiense district is the site of Rome’s largest museum for Roman sculpture, set within a former power plant. While other museums in Rome display plenty of classical sculptures (Museo di Scultura Antica Giovanni Barracco, Palazzo Braschi, Palazzo Altemps, Palazzo Massimo, among others), at Centrale Montemartini the stark contrast between the industrial setting and the ancient marble is unique. The last room of the museum houses three cars of the train owned by Pope Pius IX in 1858.

Planning tip: Wheelchair users can access the area at Via Ostiense 106; use the intercom to the left of the barrier to have it opened.

6. MAXXI

Best for contemporary art

The unconventional MAXXI, which stands for Museo delle Arti del XXI Secolo (Museum of the Arts of the 21st Century), in the Flaminio district is Italy’s very first museum dedicated to contemporary art. MAXXI hosts and produces thought-provoking exhibitions of art, architecture, design and photography, plus events on cinema, dance, fashion, music and theater. More than a museum alone, MAXXI is an inclusive platform celebrating creativity and dialogue, often spotlighting works of young artists. It organizes workshops for people of all ages.

Planning tip: Wheelchairs can be reserved for visitors with mobility issues at least one day in advance.

7. Galleria Borghese

Best for Renaissance art

Within the massive park of Villa Borghese, Galleria Borghese reigns supreme. This residence of the princely Borghese family was built in the 1600s and refurbished in the neoclassical style in the 1770s. The museum’s vast collection is made up of ancient sculptures and paintings ranging from the 15th to 19th centuries, including works by Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio and Canova. The palace, with its frescoed ceilings, is a work of art in itself. 

Planning tip: Book your visit to the museum ahead of time. Villa Borghese has various entrances; the one closest to the Galleria is on Via Pinciana. To reach the second-floor galleries via the elevator, visitors in wheelchairs may need to transfer from their personal wheelchair to a smaller one provided by the museum.

8. Vatican Museums 

Best for religious art

The Vatican Museums, though technically located in Vatican City, are the largest museum in Rome. Popes commissioned and acquired about 70,000 works of art, of which only 20,000 are on display. Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel is possibly the most famous part of the museum; this is where cardinals lock themselves in to elect a new pope. The Vatican Museums are also home to ancient Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan and Roman artifacts and statues, and medieval, Renaissance and baroque art (including works by Giotto, da Vinci, Titian and Caravaggio). Other must-see areas include the Gallery of Maps and the Raphael rooms; the gardens, too, deserve a visit.

Planning tip: This is one of the city’s busiest tourist attractions. It’s best to book tickets months in advance, although you can also wait in line. Because some areas of the museum are not accessible to visitors with mobility issues, the museum has outlined this route to all accessible areas.

Tickets to museums in Rome 

Most archaeological sites and major museums in Rome are public. Some of them are always free, and some are free the first Sunday of the month. Usually, public museums don’t charge children and EU citizens under 18, while EU students under 26 and over 60 can get discounted fees. However, this may vary and usually does not apply to private museums. Check each museum’s website to understand whether you or someone you are traveling with is eligible for a gratuity or discount.