Capitoline Museum is a collection of many Art and Archaeological Museums in Rome, Italy.
The museums have been around since 1471 in some form and are the World’s oldest National museums.
They are known for their impressive collection of ancient Roman art and artifacts.
The museum’s collection features many sculptures, statues, paintings, and other works of art from different historical periods.
Some of the most notable pieces in the Capitoline Museums include the iconic statue of the Capitoline Wolf, a symbol of the city of Rome, the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, and the Venus Capitolina, among many others.
The museums are housed in a complex of buildings on Capitoline Hill, one of Rome’s seven hills.
The Romans also refer to it as Musei Capitolini.
This article covers everything you must know before booking Capitoline Museum tickets.
Top Capitoline Museum Tickets
# Capitolini Museum free with Roma Pass
# Capitolini Museum tickets
# Hosted entry into Capitoline Museum
Table of contents
- Things to know before booking tickets
- Capitolini Museum tickets
- Free entry into Capitoline Museum
- Opening hours
- How long does the tour take
- Capitolini Museum queues
- What to expect
- Highlights of Capitoline Museum
- Capitoline’s audio guide
- Capitoline Museum or Borghese Gallery
- Capitoline Museum reviews
- How to reach
Things to know before booking tickets
Capitoline Museum’s skip-the-line tickets are the cheapest and the most popular.
This ticket helps you access everything displayed in the World’s first Museum, including the ongoing temporary exhibitions.
The tickets are valid for 4 hours, enough to explore the museum.
We recommend booking your tickets online as the prices are lower than those at the venue.
When you buy online, you can avoid the long queues at the attraction’s ticket counters.
When you book early, you also get your preferred time slot.
Because some attractions sell a limited number of tickets, they may sell out during peak days. Booking early helps avoid last-minute disappointments.
To book tickets, go to the Capitolini Museum ticket booking page, select the date and the number of tickets, and book.
Once you purchase the tickets, they get delivered to your email.
There is no need to take printouts.
On the day of your visit, show the e-ticket on your smartphone and walk in.
Capitolini Museum tickets
Book the self-guided Capitoline Museum ticket, which is the cheapest way to enter the attraction. Visitors can also either book a hosted entry ticket (€32) or a guided tour of the Capitoline Museums (€336).
Skip-the-line tickets
Book this popular ticket to visit the world’s first museum, which has a fascinating collection of art and artifacts that tell the fascinating history of Rome.
In 1734, Pope Clementine XII decided to make a significant collection of artwork and ancient sculptures permanently accessible to the people of Rome. With this generous act, he created the world’s first museum.
Explore the famous she-wolf sculpture featuring Rome’s founders Romulus and Remus, and glimpse a treasure chest of items telling the story of Rome, the ancient Caput Mundi.
With this ticket, you get access to the museum and the temporary exhibitions.
Food, drinks, or pets are not allowed inside the museums.
Ticket Prices
Adult (6+ years): €19
Child (up to 6 years): Free
Hosted entry with drink and snacks
The hosted entry is the next most affordable option to explore the World’s first museum.
In addition to access to the permanent and temporary galleries and exhibitions, you also get a 25-minute multimedia video on Ancient Rome.
You can book this experience in two flavors – Museum only or Museum and Happy Hour.
If you book the Happy Hour ticket, after exploring the exhibits, you can spend time at one of the fascinating viewpoints located in the heart of Rome.
The ticket includes one cocktail and snacks, and you can order more.
Ticket Prices (Museum only)
Adult (18+ years): €32
Child (6 to 17 years): €27
Infant (up to 5 years): Free
Ticket Price (Museum entry + Happy Hour)
Adult (18+ years): €59
Child (6 to 17 years): €52
Infant (up to 5 years): Free
Private tour
If you love getting into the details of the art on display, we recommend a private tour of Musei Capitolini.
During this 2.5-hour tour, you will explore the Capitoline Museum, discover the suggestive paintings of the Pinacoteca Capitolina, admire the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, and get a terrific view of the Roman Forum and Rome city center.
The tour is available in English and Italian.
Ticket Prices
Adult (18+ years): €259
Child (6 to 17 years): €69
Infant (up to 5 years): Free
Frequently asked questions about tickets
Here are some questions tourists ask before purchasing their tickets for Capitoline Museums in Rome.
Entry to the attraction is free for children up to six years, disabled persons and their companions, European Union tourist guides, European Union tourist interpreters for their services alongside the guide, valid license-holders (issued by the competent authority), ICOM (International Council of Museums) and ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) members, Musei Capitolini for “MIC Card” holders, and members of foreign and national cultural institutes such as Accademia dei Lincei, Istituto di Studi Romani, Amici dei Musei di Roma, and ICCROM. Residents of Rome and nearby provinces can access the attraction for free every first Sunday of the month.
Yes, tickets are available at the venue’s ticket office. However, the popular timeslots may sell out due to high demand, so it is better to get them online in advance.
Visitors can present their tickets on mobile devices, but printed tickets are also accepted at the Capitoline Museums. You can show the voucher on your smartphone to the staff at the attraction’s entrance.
While the Museum’s times are 9 am to 7.30 pm, the last admission will be no later than 6.30 pm. Arrive well in advance of your preferred timeslot, keeping in mind the time for a thorough security check before entry.
Latecomers are denied entry to the attraction, and no refunds are provided.
The attraction offers discounted admission to EU citizens aged between six and 25, senior citizens over 65, and active teachers. Residents of Rome and nearby provinces can visit the attraction for free on the first Sunday of every month.
Unfortunately, the attraction does not offer a dedicated student discount on admission tickets.
The attraction does not offer a military discount on its admission tickets.
Yes, the Roma Pass is a cost-effective option to explore one or two museums and/or archaeological sites of your choice. The card also allows you to access public transportation network free of charge. You can avail reduced ticket prices, get a free map of Rome, and enjoy discounts on participating in exhibitions, events, and activities.
This attraction of Rome has a flexible cancellation policy. You can cancel your ticket until 11.59 pm on the day before your visit for a full refund.
The attraction has a flexible rescheduling policy. You can change the time and date of your visit until 11.59 pm the day before your scheduled visit.
The attraction is an all-weather experience, so all tickets are final.
It is permitted to take photos and videos of the works (excluding those on display in temporary exhibitions) for personal and studio use without using tripods, selfie sticks, or additional lights. However, in the case of photo and video shooting of a professional nature, for-profit or dissemination purposes, permission from the Sovrintendenza Capitolina is necessary.
The Capitoline Museums have improved accessibility, including ramps and elevators, to accommodate disabled visitors. We recommend contacting the museum in advance to arrange any specific accommodations you may need.
Free entry into Capitoline Museum
Children under the age of six enter the Capitoline Museum for free.
Residents of Rome and nearby provinces can also enter the Capitoline Museum for free on the first Sunday of every month.
We suggest you skip the Museum on the free entry day if you want to avoid the crowd.
Image: Museicapitolini.org
Capitolini Museum free with Roma Pass
Roma Pass is a great tool for saving money while holidaying in the city.
With Roma Pass, you can gain direct and FREE entry to the Capitoline Museums.
Some other attractions you can enter for free with this Pass are the Colosseum, Borghese Gallery, Castel Sant’Angelo, etc.
It comes in two flavors – for 72 hours and 48 hours.
72-hour Roma Pass: Direct entrance to two museums of your choice, unlimited travel with all public transport (excl. trains) for three days. Price: €55 for visitors above six years.
Opening hours
Capitolini Museum opens at 9.30 am and closes at 7.30 pm every day.
On 24 and 31 December, the museum opens at the same time but closes a bit early – by 2 pm.
On 1 January, the museum opens at 11 am and closes at 7.30 pm.
The last entry is one hour before the closing time.
The attraction stays closed on 1 May and 25 December.
How long does the tour take
Most visitors take two hours to explore Capitoline Museums. The duration of the audio guide is 90 minutes.
Tourists in a hurry are known to finish their tour in 45 minutes or so, while the art enthusiasts are even known to spend up to four hours exploring the Museum.
Image: Museicapitolini.org
If you are visiting during peak times, you must add 30 minutes more – the time you will spend in the ticketing queue.
Insider Tip: To avoid wasting your time, buy your Museum tickets in advance.
Capitolini Museum queues
The Museums attract a lot of crowds in the morning.
It is better to book your Capitoline Museum ticket online if you wish to skip the line because, during peak days, you may spend up to 30 minutes in the ticketing queue.
Whatever time you go, you will find the Marcus Aurelius statue and the Capitoline Wolf’s sculpture crowded.
One should avoid visiting during any temporary exhibition’s first and last two weeks.
What to expect
The museums display sculptures, statues, and paintings from different periods of Roman history, as well as a wide range of archaeological artifacts, including ancient pottery, coins, jewelry, and other relics from ancient Roman times.
The Capitoline Museums are located on Capitoline Hill. The Piazza del Campidoglio, designed by Michelangelo, is an architectural highlight, and the museums are housed in historic palaces that are part of the complex.
The museums are divided into two main buildings, Palazzo Nuovo and Palazzo dei Conservatori.
Palazzo Nuovo contains a wealth of sculptures and artifacts, while Palazzo dei Conservatori houses an extensive collection of ancient art, including the famous equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius.
From the Capitoline Hill, you can enjoy stunning panoramic views of Rome, including landmarks like the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, and the Altar of the Fatherland.
Highlights of Capitoline Museum
The Municipality of Rome owns and administers these Museums.
Pallazodei Conservatori and Pallazo Nuovo are the main buildings forming the Capitoline Museum.
Galleria Lapidaria, a tunnel, runs between the two buildings and connects them from under the Piazza del Campidoglio.
Here’re the major highlights that you should see at the museum:
Pallazo dei Conservatori
Opened to the public in 1734, this Museum houses the works of great artists such as Caravaggio, Tiziano, Rubins, and Tintoretto.
Art includes paintings, sculptures, busts of famous historical personalities, and other miscellaneous creations.
Capitoline Wolf’s original sculpture is the center of attraction here.
The Capitoline Wolf is also called the ‘She Wolf’ and is a significant symbol of Rome.
The first sculpture of a living person, Ritratto di Carlo I d’Angiò de Arnolfo di Cambio, is also featured in this Museum.
Another astonishing sight in Pallazo dei Conservatori is a glass-covered hall in the center of which lies an equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius.
Pallazo Nuovo
This mansion is known for its exhibition of statues, sculptures, mosaics, and busts.
Another attraction here is a marble sculpture, Capitoline Venus, designed between 100 and 150 AD.
The statues of Dying Gaul and Discobolus are also worth seeing.
There is a hall of philosophers where you will find portraits of Greek and Roman philosophers.
Capitoline’s audio guide
With these guides, you can explore the Capitoline Museum better.
For just six Euros, video guides suitable for adults are available in Italian, English, Spanish, German, French, and Russian.
Audio guides are available for children aged six to 12 years of age.
These audio guides cost four Euros and are available in English and Italian.
Capitoline Museum or Borghese Gallery
It is unfair to compare the Capitolini Museum and Borghese Gallery because both Museums are unique and have their appeal.
The Capitoline Museum contains Roman sculptures and artwork from different eras. At the same time, the Borghese Gallery is full of Bernini sculptures, with most of its exhibits from the Baroque period.
Borghese is in a beautiful park, while the Capitoline offers a superb artistic impact.
We feel both the Museums have their unique appeal and are worth visiting.
Because both the attractions are close by – only 4 Km (2.5 Miles) apart – many tourists prefer to visit them on the same day.
Capitoline Museum reviews
Rome’s Capitoline Museum is a highly-rated tourist attraction.
Check out two reviews we picked from Tripadvisor. They give you an idea of what to expect at the attraction.
Packed full of Roman treasures
A brilliant museum packed full of Roman treasures. Expertly curated, making it easy to explore each room without feeling overwhelmed. Spend time in the first courtyard to be amazed by the sheer scale of various ruins from once colossal statues. You also get to see wonderful views across Rome from the terrace and spectacular views of the Forum, with the Colosseum in the distance. – Ben A, Woking
Unmissable!
Capitoline Museum is the best museum in Rome, of course after the Vatican. It is in the stunning Piazza del Campidoglio, the two palaces hosting the museums are beautiful, and the masterpieces on display are a must-see. My third time in Rome and only one regret that I never went in before now. I will certainly revisit it next time! – ElenaLuciaAgnese, London
How to reach
This Museum is in Piazza del Campidoglio 1, on the Capitoline Hill. Get Directions.
Address: Piazza del Campidoglio, 1, 00186 Roma RM, Italy
Getting to Musei Capitolini is straightforward.
Most of Rome’s public buses traveling towards the city center stop at Piazza Venezia.
By Metro
If you prefer the Metro, get down at the Colosseum station, which is just 10 minutes walking distance from Capitoline Museum.
By Tram
The tram bus is also a good option because it stops every 30 minutes at most of Rome’s famous attractions.
To get down at Piazza Venezia, you must get onto the Trambus with route no 110.
By Bus
Bus lines are also available for Teatro Marcello, which is 200 meters (656 feet) from Capitoline Hill.
The lines are 30, 44, 63, 81, 83, 85, 87, 130F, 160, 160F, 170, 175, 271, 628, 715, 716, 780, 781, 810, C3, H, n3, n8 and n19.
By Car
If you’re traveling by car, turn on your Google Maps and get started.
There are enough parking garages around the attraction.
You can also take a taxi to drop you at the bottom of Capitoline Hill.
For disabled visitors, the taxi can even go to the top.
Sources
# Wikipedia.org
# Museicapitolini.org
# Romesite.com
# Britannica.com
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