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Tracing its origins back to 1471, and opened to the general public in 1734 by Pope Clement XII, the Capitoline Museums (Musei Capitolini) largely are considered to the be the first public museum in the world.

The buildings themselves — the beautiful interconnected Palazzo Senatorio, Palazzo dei Conservatori, and Palazzo Nuovo centered around the Michaelangelo-designed Piazza del Campidoglio — are a sight to behold and each former palace is packed with an incredible collection of statues, paintings, tapestries, archeological treasures, and more. The most famous single piece is the original Capitoline Wolf (Lupa Capitolina), which is depicted in Roman mythology as the rescuer of Romulus and Remus, the twin brothers said to be the founders of the city. Of course, many other beautiful works are housed in the museum, too.

When travelgasm.com last visited the Capitoline Museums in the off season, tourists were sprawled all over the staircase (Cordonata Capitolina) leading to the piazza, but lines for the ticket office were minimal during the week. When we visited at a lazy mid-morning time on a Sunday, there was not a line at all. During peak season — roughly May through October — you still might like to prebook tickets to be prepared, although prebooking is less critical than it is for the Vatican, Colosseum, and Borghese Gallery.

If you buy tickets in advance, you will need to select a particular day, but not a specific time. If you would like a tour, here is a well-reviewed guided tour of Capitoline Museums that may be of interest to prebook, as well.

A good day to avoid the Capitoline Museums is the first Sunday of the month. On the first Sunday of the month, admission is free for local residents but not for tourists. Naturally, there is little point in paying full price only to slog through a larger number of visitors than usual.

Because the street structure immediately around the Capitoline Museums is largely unpleasant on foot — particularly the miserably car-choked Piazza Venezia and its tendrils — and there are few, if any, restaurants nearby that seem to be well-regarded by Italians — we would suggest eating at the Capitoline Museums' Caffeteria (Terrazza Caffarelli) on the top floor should you need to eat in the area. It not only has coffee, pastries, sandwiches, and other quick meals at fairly reasonable prices, but also provides a beautiful terrace view over the city. Note that you can access the top floor both from within the museum and from an outside entrance on the right side of Palazzo dei Conservatori at no charge, so make sure that you have your ticket handy should you need to re-enter the museum after eating.

We've mapped out the most tolerable routes to the Capitoline Museums below. The best options are either to go to the Capitoline Museums after visiting the nearby Roman Forum via Colosseo Station or before or after visiting Trastevere using Tram #8. Bus options are available, as well.

How to Get Here: Take Tram 8 from Trastevere to the Venezia stop or walk from Rome Metro Line B (Blue) from Colosseo Station. Around a dozen bus routes also stop in front of the museum (the Ara Coeli/Plaza Venezia and Teatro Marcello/Ara Coeli stops are roughly across the street from one another) and other buses stop nearby in Piazza D'Aracoeli. Bus routes 81, 83, 85, and 87 probably are most likely to be of use to a visitor.

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