The Capitoline Museums (Musei Capitolini), on Piazza del Campidoglio, occupy the Palazzo dei Conservatori and the Palazzo Nuovo, linked beneath the square by a gallery that runs through the Tabularium. They date from 1471, when Pope Sixtus IV gave a group of ancient bronzes to the Roman people, and are often described as the oldest public museum in the world. They are open daily from 09:30 to 19:30 (last entry 18:30); a ticket costs €16.50 for non-residents until 1 November 2026, exhibition included, and entry is free for residents of Rome. Allow 2.5 to 3 hours for the visit.
Highlights
The Capitoline She-Wolf
The bronze she-wolf, emblem of Rome, is displayed in the Hall of the She-Wolf in the Palazzo dei Conservatori. Long attributed to the Etruscans, its dating is now debated; the twins Romulus and Remus were added in the Renaissance.
The original Marcus Aurelius
The emperor's gilded bronze equestrian statue, from the second century, stands under the glass roof of the Exedra in the Palazzo dei Conservatori; a copy replaced it on the square in 1997. The same hall holds the head and hand of the colossal bronze statue of Constantine, as well as the foundations of the Temple of Capitoline Jupiter.
The Colossus of Constantine
In the courtyard of the Palazzo dei Conservatori, the marble head, hand and foot of the colossal statue of Constantine give a sense of the scale of this seated figure, which once stood in the Basilica of Maxentius.
The Palazzo Nuovo
Opposite, it gathers the great ancient marbles: the Dying Gaul, a Roman copy of a Hellenistic bronze, the Capitoline Venus, and the Hall of the Emperors and Hall of the Philosophers, with their dozens of busts.
The Tabularium gallery
The passage between the two palaces runs through the Tabularium, the record office of republican Rome, whose arcaded gallery opens onto the [Roman Forum](/fr/attractions/forum-romain). It is the closest view of the Forum from the Capitoline Hill, with the temples of Vespasian and Saturn in the foreground.
The Picture Gallery
On the second floor of the Palazzo dei Conservatori, the Pinacoteca shows among others Caravaggio's The Fortune Teller and Saint John the Baptist.
Opening hours and tickets
Daily from 09:30 to 19:30, last entry one hour before closing; closed on 1 May and 25 December, closing at 14:00 on 24 and 31 December. Until 1 November 2026, with the "Angeli" exhibition, the non-resident ticket costs €16.50 (reduced €11 for ages 6-25); without an exhibition, €15 and €9.50. Free for residents of Rome and its Metropolitan City since February 2026 (ID at the ticket desk), under-6s, disabled visitors and one companion, MIC card holders, and for everyone on the first Sunday of the month, such as 4 October 2026. Buy online, on 060608 or at the ticket desk for a later day, with a €1 pre-sale fee. The Capitolini Card (€15.50, reduced €11.50, exhibition supplement extra) covers the museums and the Centrale Montemartini for 7 days; the Roma Pass is accepted.
Infos pratiques
Tips
On Wednesdays, non-residents pay half price during the last two opening hours (prices checked in October 2026). The Diego Rivera exhibition at Villa Caffarelli, until 13 December 2026, requires a separate ticket at €15 (reduced €13): the museum ticket does not cover it. The video guide costs €6 and the audio guide €4. After your visit, step back out onto [Piazza del Campidoglio](/fr/attractions/place-du-capitole-rome) to see the copy of Marcus Aurelius where the original once stood.
How to get there
Piazza del Campidoglio 1, 00186 Rome; entrance and ticket desk in the Palazzo dei Conservatori, on the right at the top of the Cordonata. Metro Colosseo (line B) or Colosseo-Fori Imperiali (line C), then about 15 minutes on foot. Buses 40, 64, 70 and 170 and tram 8 to Piazza Venezia, a 5-minute walk away.
Opening hours
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