How to visit Castel Gandolfo (as a day trip) from Rome? Tickets, info and tours
Although there is no shortage of wonders to visit in Rome, do take a break from heat and the buzz of the capital city. A 40-minute train ride will bring you to the cool, tranquil, and green village of Castel Gandolfo on the shores of Lake Albano. Here you’ll find the Apostolic Palace, which has served as the popes’ summer retreat from the 17th century right through 2016. Now you can visit it as one of the Vatican museums!
Roam the extensive gardens, view the interior of the Papal Palace, and perhaps even have lunch there! Purchase your tickets quickly and securely, and rest assured—you’ll receive them electronically, you won’t be waiting in queues, and you can obtain a refund up to 24 hours of your scheduled tour.
Tickets for a visit to Castel Gandolfo
However, according to many travelers, going on your own is not recommended. With those reservations you are strongly bound by times and all kinds of conditions. For example, you have to register for your train ride somewhere in the station in Rome and you also have a specific hour for your visit itself.
It is therefore best to go with a group on a half or full day tour, this way you avoid a lot of hectic and misunderstandings and you are sure of a quiet visit. Book your tickets online here. You will receive an immediate confirmation and you can cancel up to 24 hours before your planned visit. Admission is free for children under 5 years old.
Here you will find some packages that travelers recommend
1. Day tour with minibus incl. Picnic from € 27 - Book here
2. Half day trip to Pope's Summer Residence from € 50- Book here
3. Pope summer residence excursion incl. Lunch from € 40 - Book here
For even more options see below:
Content
All about the Apostolic Palace (Castel Gandolfo)
Today’s palace sits atop a hill, 25 kilometres southeast of Rome, overlooking Lake Albano.This prime piece of property has a long history! Archaeological findings from the 16th century BCE have been found in the area, which was known as Alba Longa during Roman times.
In 81-96 CE, Emperor Domitian built a residence on the hilltop, and in 1200, the Genoese Gandolfo family built a castle on the site. Pope Urban VIII (Maffeo Barberini) erected the pontifical palace between 1624 and 1626, and subsequent popes later enlarged it. The palace is part of the Vatican state.
Pope Francis opened the Barberini Gardens
In 2014, Pope Francis opened the Barberini Gardens for paid tours, and in October 2016, he opened 20 private rooms of the palace—never before seen by the public. Francis, a pope who embraces humility, visited the palace a handful of times, never overnight. His decision ended the palace’s 420-year role as the papal summer retreat. This could change with the next pope’s appointment, however, so don’t miss this opportunity to visit!
What you’ll see at Castel Gandolfo?
The pontifical complex comprises about 55 hectares.
- 30 hectares are stunning classical gardens.
- the remaining 25 are the pope’s farm.
- The entire complex is slightly larger than Vatican City.
2.1 The Barberini Gardens
The magnificent Barberini Gardens are designed to be in bloom year-round. A guided tour via eco-friendly golf cart takes roughly 60 minutes; you can admire the hedge mazes, sculptures, fountains, and ancient ruins.
The three-tiered Belvedere Gardens feature sunken koi ponds and panoramic views. A 300-metre-long covered portico was initially designed to shade Emperor Domitian from the elements whenever he wanted to go for walks—it is now over 2,000 years old.
2.2 The pope’s organic farm
The pope’s organic farm is home to cows, sheep, donkeys, free-range poultry, and bees. The farm produces and ships fresh foods to the Vatican, including handmade cheeses, yogurts, eggs and milk, not to mention cauliflower and broccoli, said to be Pope Francis’ favourite vegetables.
Expect to see beautifully maintained orchards and vineyards and more than 1,000 olive trees around the farm.
Click here to order your tickets
2.3 The Papal Portrait Gallery
Within the palace, you can admire grand marble walls and frescos, tapestries, religious artefacts, the pontifical throne, the popes’ private bed chamber, and of course impressive displays of fine art.
The Papal Portrait Gallery features fifty canvases of various sizes; the portraits start with Pope Julius II, elected in 1503, through Pope Francis, elected in 2013. An interior courtyard displays many of the cars used by popes over the years, versions of the famous ‘popemobile’.
When is the best time to visit Castel Gandolfo?
The busiest tourist period in Rome is during the summer months, Castel Gandolfo is no different, as many tourists combine this with the sights in the city.
Would you like a quieter visit? So try to go outside the summer. That actually applies to all sights in Rome.
Opening hours of the palace and gardens
The opening hours vary greatly due to COVID-19, at the time of writing, September 2020, the monument is only open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 6.30pm with the last admission at 5pm. The complex is closed during the week.
When you buy your tickets online, you still have to reserve a time slot. Then you can immediately see which are still possible for you. Book your tickets here.
Where to buy your tickets?
All visits to the Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo must be pre-booked; no tickets are available onsite. These are a few of the most popular entry tickets available.
Purchase is a quick, easy, and secure online transaction. You’ll receive instant confirmation, and you are welcome to cancel up to 24 hours before your scheduled visit. Admission is free for children below the age of 5.
Here you will find some packages that travelers recommend
1. Half-Day Trip to Pope’s Summer Residence, Castel Gandolfo € 52 - Book here
2. Excursie zomerresidentie paus incl. lunch vanaf € 40 - Book this tour online
Half-day trip to Castel Gandolfo
This 6- to 7-hour trip begins with the train ride from Rome’s Termini Station. Your tour guide will share some of the palace’s rich history on the train. As you enter the palace, you’ll be issued an audio guide. After a tour of the Barberini Gardens, you can enjoy an exclusive lunch on the palace grounds. Afterward, your guide will lead you around the Roman town before you return to Rome on the train. Book this tour online € 52
Tour of the pope’s summer residence with lunch
This 5- to 6-hour trip includes a bus journey from Rome with a guide, tours of the Papal Palace (with an audio guide inside the palace) and gardens, and a lunch prepared with fresh produce from the pope’s farm. Book this tour online € 49
30 attractions in Rome and the Vatican
The best value in Rome! This pass is valid for 90 days from its first use, and you can choose to include 3, 5, or 7 attractions, including, of course, the Pontifical Palace in Castel Gandolfo. Buy this pass for only € 95
How to get to Castel Gandolfo from Rome?
5.1 By train
There is a direct rail route, a 40-minute ride from Termini Station in Rome. Note: Be sure to buy your return ticket at Termini, because there is no place to buy a ticket at the Castel Gandolfo station—only a booth to validate a ticket that you already have. Trains run regularly throughout the day. Go with a guided tour, your train ticket is included in the tour.
5.2 Come by bus
The Cotral bus from Rome to Castel Gandolfo leaves from the bus terminus at Anagnina Station, which can be easily reached on Metro Line A. The journey should take about 30 minutes.
5.3 Drive your own car
You can take reach Castel Gandalfo via the A90/E80, the Appia Nuova/SS7, or the A24 and A90/E80 from Rome. After Ciampino Airport, turn left at the third traffic light. The roads are in reasonably good condition, and the trip should take roughly 45 minutes. You can find parking next to the Apostolic Palace.
Keep in mind that you cannot get tickets to the palace on site, so it will be difficult to get in.
5.4 Best option: go on a day tour
From Rome several guided tours of half or full day depart to Castel Gandolfo. There are tours with which you take the train in a group, but also a trip with a small group in a (mini) bus is possible, the bus tours usually include lunch. Click here to book a day tour.
What is the location of Castel Gandolfo?
Location on the map
- Tours of the Apostolic Palace and grounds include some steep inclines and long flights of stairs; regrettably, those with limited mobility cannot be accommodated. Wear comfortable shoes!
- Use of selfie sticks is prohibited inside the palace.
- Respectful attire is required: Sleeveless and/or low-cut tops, shorts, and miniskirts are not allowed.
- Only rucksacks and small bags will be permitted inside.
- Photography is permitted, but flash and tripods are strictly forbidden.
- Smoking is prohibited throughout the premises.
- No food nor drink is allowed inside.
- You may leave large bags, food, umbrellas, etc. at the security check during your tour.
- Booking tickets online in advance is required.
Meer activiteiten in de buurt van Castel Gandolfo
Castel Gandolfo is a quaint town (population 8,000 or so), with numerous cafés and shops and restaurants with panoramic balconies.
Visit the parish church of San Tommaso di Villanova (1658), which was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini under the order of Pope Alexander the VII, and which also contains a celebrated painting of the crucifixion by the painter Pietro da Cortona.
8.1 Lake Albano
There are many ways to enjoy Lake Albano, a volcanic crater lake fringed with black sand beaches: restaurants and bars line one shore, and beach clubs dot the other.
Around the lake are abundant opportunities to rent boats, kayaks, pedal-boats, and bicycles, and there are hiking trails that go off into the nearby countryside.
Tip: If you plan to rent a boat, be sure to bring some form of ID with you, as you’ll need to leave it with the rental agent while you’re boating.
If you’d like to enjoy some kayaking and swimming in the company of a knowledgeable guide who will travel with you from Rome, check, check out this tour.
Enjoy the breath-taking natural surroundings while looking up at the Apostolic Palace. No previous kayaking experience is required. No previous kayaking experience is required. Book your kayak and swimming tour here € 45.
8.2 The ruins of Bagni di Diana
The Bergantino Nymphaeum, better known as Baths of Diana (or Bagni di Diana) is located on the western shore of Lake Albano.. It is one of a few Roman-era relics around the lake’s shores.
Some interesting facts about Castel Gandalfo
- The Apostolic Palace provided refuge to a great number of Jews—some say as many as 12,000 to 15,000, mostly women and children, during the German occupation of Rome in WWII. Although some critics claimed that Pope Pius XII did not do enough to oppose the Third Reich, others aver that his aid saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Thirty-six refugee children were born in the palace during this time, and many were named after the pope, who ordered that his private apartment be converted to a nursery.
- The Vatican’s own observatory was founded by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. Pope Pius XI moved the observatory to the Apostolic Palace in the 1930s, when the sky over Rome became too bright. In the early 1980s, once again needing to escape light pollution above Castel Gandolfo, the observatory moved to Arizona in the southwestern US. The HQ, however, is still in the papal palace, and two telescopes remain there.
- Two popes, Pius XII and Paul VI, died in the Apostolic Palace, the first in 1958 and the second in 1978.
- The Polish Pope John Paul II, who served from 1978 to 2005, was an active man who played tennis and football at his summer retreat. He also installed a swimming pool, and when some criticized the expense, he countered that electing a new pope would be more costly. Photos of the pontiff in his swim trunks, captured by paparazzi, triggered even more raised eyebrows.
- Pope Benedict XVI retreated to Castel Gandolfo in early 2012 after an exhausting trip to Latin America, and here he made the stunning decision to step down—the first pope to have resigned since 1415. Benedict returned to the summer palace a year later to await the election of his successor. He later returned to Vatican City, where he resides as pope emeritus.
- Many scenes in The Two Popes (2019) were shot on the grounds of the Apostolic palace. (Producers were not granted permission to film within the palace itself—another reminder why you should seize the opportunity to visit!) The film recreated the historic image of Popes Benedict and Francis embracing at the palace helipad. (watch the trailer here).
Click here to book your tickets
Movie: Exploring the Apostolic Summer Palace
In this video you will learn a little more about this beautiful location that played an important role for the Vatican for centuries.
Where to stay in Rome? Our 7 x favorite addresses
On a city trip to Rome, but where should you stay overnight? We made a complete overview of the best address per price category and per neighborhood in Rome. This way you can already choose and orient yourself. Would you like to wake up with a view of the Colosseum or with the Pope's Sunday Mass in the background, discover here the accommodations and hotels in Rome by neighborhood.
Download your free city walk Rome
Discover the city with our free city walk Rome. Ideal for fully exploring Rome at your own pace. Want to see more in Rome? Buy our Rome travel guide with 3 city walks along 81 described sights (+ GPS coordinates). Be sure to download the Rome travel guide and hit the road!