The Pincio terrace
Overlooking Piazza del Popolo and St Peter's dome — Rome's most famous free sunset, known to locals before visitors.
user:Lalupa — Public domain · Krzysztof Golik — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sjaak Kempe from Groningen, The Netherlands — CC BY 2.0 · Sjaak Kempe from Groningen, The Netherlands — CC BY 2.0
Rome's most famous and most varied park: eighty hectares of shaded avenues, small lakes and classical temples, laid out by Cardinal Scipione Borghese in the seventeenth century as a private garden and later opened as the city's lung. What sets it apart is that it isn't only for walking: inside are the Galleria Borghese (one of Rome's greatest museums), a zoo, an open-air Shakespeare theatre, a lake with rowing boats beside the little Temple of Asclepius, and bikes and electric carts for hire at the gates. Its great practical asset: the Pincio terrace at the southwest edge looks straight down over Piazza del Popolo and across Rome's rooftops to St Peter's dome — the city's best free sunset, and only five minutes from the top of the Spanish Steps. Combine the two at the end of a day.
Overlooking Piazza del Popolo and St Peter's dome — Rome's most famous free sunset, known to locals before visitors.
Little rowing boats circling a neoclassical temple mid-water — the calmest twenty minutes money can buy in Rome.
Inside the park: Bernini's sculptures and Caravaggio's paintings in one villa — requires a compulsory timed booking.
Villa Borghese gardens, Rome
La Galleria Nazionale (GNAM)Klimt's The Three Ages of Woman hangs here, and you may well stand in front of i7 minutes walk4.5
Villa Borghese PincianaThe greatest collection of Baroque sculpture in the world, in a single villa, wi7 minutes walk4.7
Fontana del Nettuno, Piazza del PopoloThis square was Rome's northern gate: for centuries everyone arriving from Europ11 minutes walk4.8
Spanish StepsOne hundred and thirty-five steps widening, narrowing and curving up from Piazza11 minutes walk4.7
Piazza di SpagnaThe square at the foot of the Spanish Steps, named for the Spanish embassy to th11 minutes walk4.6Looking for halal food near Villa Borghese gardens? There are several options nearby, from Moroccan and Indian kitchens to quick casual spots and places with a view. Confirm the halal status and opening hours before you go — these can change.
Hotel BaroccoA four-star hotel looking directly onto Piazza Barberini and Bernini's Triton Fo14 minutes walk · $$$$4.9The St. Regis RomeRome's oldest grand hotel and its most historic: opened in January 1894 as the G17 minutes walk · $$$$4.8Hire a bike or electric cart at a gate (by the hour) to cover ground, or walk one line: Pincio → the lake → the Galleria. Crossing the whole park on foot takes over an hour.
Among Rome's best options with children: a zoo, boats, a traditional puppet theatre on the Pincio, and safe car-free space to run — a necessary break after two days of ruins.