Palazzo Colonna entry ticket review: 4.8 from 898 ratings, and one option that changes what you see
This is the listing everything else on this site is measured against: 4.8 from 898 ratings, more than four times the next palace listing. What it sells is admission and nothing else — the guided tour is crossed out on its own page, and the Princess Isabelle apartments are not in the base ticket but behind an option. The palace sells a short ticket of its own at its own door for roughly half the platform price; the platform ticket is booked in advance, for a building open two mornings a week.
Two lines in, one line out — and the two lines are not the same ticket
What its own page puts a check beside
- Colonna Gallery and Gardens entry ticket
- Colonna Gallery, Gardens, and Apartments entry ticket (if option chosen)
What the same page crosses out
- Guided tour
Read those two inclusions against each other rather than down the page. The first is the gallery and the gardens. The second is the gallery, the gardens and the Princess Isabelle apartments, and it carries “(if option chosen)”. So the word “Gardens” appears in both lines and the apartments appear in only one, which means the list cannot be skimmed: whichever option you pick, you will see your own inclusion echoed back at you. The single crossed-out line is “Guided tour”, and it is the clearest thing on the page.
The palace’s own tariff has the same two tiers, a short one and a complete one, and the complete one is what adds the apartments. The platform’s base ticket and the palace’s short ticket are very close: the operator’s short tier names the Pio pavilion and the platform’s base line does not mention it. The two are close, and tickets sets out both lists side by side so you can compare them yourself.
A five-star reviewer who missed the gardens
The most useful review on this site is not a complaint about the palace. corinne gave this listing five stars and wrote: “I didn’t know there was a garden with statues to visit. Indicate it clearly, because I had time and I was disappointed not to have seen it. Otherwise, it’s magnificent.” The gardens are named in the first inclusion, in the base ticket, before any option. She had already paid for them, she had the time, and she went home without seeing them.
It pays to read the list of inclusions as a map. And it cuts the other way too: Laurie, on the same listing, describes “Paying the extra to see the gardens and the apartment” as “a must!!” — the extra she is describing is the option, which does add the apartments and repeats the gardens. Two five-star reviewers, one who paid extra for something she may already have had and one who never found it. The two inclusion lines are easy to misread.
What else the written reviews actually contain
Ten written reviews, all five stars, with an average of 4.8 across 898 ratings, and each carries useful detail. Monika gives the two facts that matter most before you book anything: “Only open Friday and Saturday Gardens worth seeing as very relaxing.” Suzana on what the place is like inside: “It’s worth visiting as there are few tourists in the gallery, and there’s a picturesque collection of paintings.” Andew and Linda both describe the staff as friendly and informative, which on a self-guided ticket is the only guiding there is. Laurie, having bought the option, adds the sentence that settles what this listing is: “No guide was needed.”
One review is worth reading closely. Graeme writes of “interesting audio by a family member very personal”. The palace does sell an audioguide, delivered to your own phone in six languages, and it does not appear in either of this listing’s lists — so whatever Graeme heard, he did not get it from this ticket. The operator’s own audioguide page does not say who narrates it.
What works
- 4.8 across 898 ratings, the sturdiest base of anything about this palace
- The base ticket names the gardens, which reviewers rate highly
- The guided tour is crossed out plainly rather than fudged
- Booked in advance for a building that opens two mornings a week
Worth knowing
- The apartments are an option, not an inclusion — read the two lines against each other
- Priced above the palace’s own short ticket at the door
- No guide of any kind, and no audioguide in either list
- One five-star reviewer never found the garden her own ticket covered
Before you pick an option, read the two inclusion lines beside each other rather than one after the other. Both say “Gardens”. Only the second says “Apartments”, and only the second costs more.
The other three listings about this palace
Guide on some optionsRome: Colonna Palace Guided Tour
Everything, unconditionallyRome: Palazzo Colonna with Gallery, Apartments & Gardens
The private tour optionColonna Palace Private Tour
Frequently asked questions
Does this ticket include the Princess Isabelle apartments?
Only on one option. The base inclusion is “Colonna Gallery and Gardens entry ticket”; the apartments appear on a second line that carries “(if option chosen)”. The gardens are named on both lines, which is exactly why the list is easy to misread.
Is a guided tour included?
No. “Guided tour” is on the page and crossed out. If a guide is what you want, the listing titled Guided Tour gates its guide behind an option too, and the palace itself runs guided tours on Friday mornings by reservation — Friday or Saturday compares the two mornings.
Is it cheaper to buy at the door?
Yes — the palace’s own short ticket costs roughly half what this listing’s base option does. Booking here secures a place in advance, which helps because the palace opens two mornings a week. Both tariffs are set out side by side on tickets.
Is the audioguide part of this ticket?
It is in neither list. The palace sells an audioguide separately, delivered by QR code to your own phone in six languages. One reviewer describes an audio commentary he found personal; the listing does not mention one.