Castel Gandolfo Tour: Explore Papal Summer Palace

28 Ratings

Castel Gandolfo

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Immerse yourself in the life of Popes with a walking tour of the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo. Explore botanical wonders, visit the Papal Apartment, and enjoy a picnic lunch in the Papal Gardens.

Duration: 2 hours

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo - Enjoy a guided walking tour of the Secret Garden with a knowledgeable Vatican staff member.
Pontifical Palace - Explore the Papal Apartment independently and delve into 500 years of history. Stroll through the bedroom, private chapel, library, and study. Admire the balcony where Popes delivered the Angelus each summer Sunday.

What's Included

Secret Garden entry ticket
Papal Apartments entry ticket

What's Not Included

Food and Drinks
Guided tour
Transportation to Castel Gandolfo
Audioguide

Additional Information

Escape the hustle and bustle of Rome by exploring the captivating Italian countryside, a true haven of art and history. Discover the charming village of Castel Gandolfo, which overlooks the serene blue waters of Lake Albano and is centered around the Pope’s Summer Palace.
Accompany a Vatican staff member on a guided walking tour of the Secret Garden….

Location

Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.1

(28 Ratings)

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Robertacj6026zy

Apr 11, 2025

Borgo and specola - Papal summer residence overlooking the village and the lake in which the landscape is reflected. Interesting the specola with astrophysical telescope of the 30s, but still working and the walk to the station in the middle of the Mediterranean scrub with the borage in bloom. The village deserves, the overall visit a day from Rome

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Sherpa57794104694

Mar 17, 2025

The interior ticket is absolutely worth it - We visited both the outdoor area and the indoor apartments. The history that accompanies the interior apartments is the result of much, much love, especially as regards the welcome made during the bombings of the Second World War. The first part really touches your soul. A visit to the quarters of the popes, on the other hand, allows you to reconstruct the beauty and history of the Roman curia up to the present day. A real treat for the eyes. Thanks to the guide Valentina Puglia for her skill and her fascinating and engaging explanations.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Mauriziovi3919ob

Mar 16, 2025

As expected - Sightseeing tour as expected. Very nice view of Rome. Affordable accessibility, nothing challenging even with slight motor problems.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Cymricj

Oct 31, 2024

Lovely way to spend a quieter day near Rome - What a nice way to spend part of a day. We took the train from Rome ( trains leave about once an hour) and really enjoyed spending a quieter day seeing a beautiful site. We visited both the Papal Apartments and Garden ( these gardens are lovely but not too big) and we took the separate tour of the Barbarini Gardens which were large and beautiful. The two sites are very close to each other in this small town but they are two separate tickets. Make sure to get your return tickets ordered before going to Castel Gadolfo since there is no one selling tickets there. You can buy on line but take in to consideration that cell service might not be good. The train tickets from Rome were very reasonable - something like 4 Euros each.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Anamaria_r

Oct 14, 2024

Historical and Intimate. - Although we had to make our own travel arrangements from Rome to Castel Gandolfo, the train ride was interesting. On arrival, we took the shuttle, which brought us directly to the entrance. The Papal apartments are quite interesting and historical, specially for believers. Unfortunately, we had rain and couldn't visit the gardens, which were not included and also the entrance price was quite high. The driver of the shuttle coming back was so kind and gave us a tour of the town and its particular residents.

Review provided by Viator

480danilov

Sep 25, 2024

An experience you will not forget - Beautiful whole structure. The cost of the ticket is definitely worth the expense. What most pleasantly surprised us was the kindness and thoughtfulness of the staff. A journey into history not to be missed. Highly recommended a visit to the gardens with audio guide.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

S_k

Aug 7, 2024

Castel Gandolfo Day Trip - A very interesting tour of the Papal summer home and gardens in Castel Gandolfo. We had a delightful tour guide and driver, Sebastiano, who picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel at the airport. There were beautiful views of Lake Albano and Nemi and the Appian Way during our day trip. We had a wonderful lunch at Arte E Vino steps from the Pope's summer home in town. An overall delightful day trip.

Review provided by Viator

Allan_l

Jun 23, 2024

Amazing Summer Palace - The garden and they apartment was amazing and the audio commentary was fair The directions from Viator on how and where to redeem the ticket was totally inept We had to ask several people on how to access the tor ticket

Review provided by Viator

Phuong_a

Sep 28, 2024

So I have very bad experience with Viator - I not miss the tour, only because I think that tour in Vatican in Rome. I have tour in St Peter from 9:AM to 11:30 AM and tour Vatican museum from 4:30 pm. I explain to Viator that this tour far from Rome. I cannot make it and request refund. Because I booked many other tours from Viator. But Viator denied. That not fair.

Review provided by Viator

N7425sgdianek

Sep 4, 2024

Overpriced tickets from Viator - Your tickets were more expensive for no apparent reason. There were no lines since it’s such a huge venue and gate price was $18.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Check Availability

From $28

up to 15 guests

1 - Adult