Apostolic Palace and Secret Garden of Castel Gandolfo

The palace that dominates the square of Castel Gandolfo was for centuries the summer residence of the popes. Since 2014 it can be visited: the gallery with the portraits of the pontiffs, rooms with tapestries and works of art, rooms of the private apartment that were closed for centuries and the Secret Garden. It is run by the Vatican Museums and you enter by reservation on their website.

When it opens

According to the official 2026 calendar, on weekdays it is open from 9:00 to 13:00; on Saturdays, from 9:00 to 16:00 in winter and from 9:00 to 17:00 from March to October; on Sundays, from 10:00 to 17:00. It is usually closed on Tuesdays and for most of July, when the pope resides in Castel Gandolfo. In January and February, the Moro Garden and the Secret Garden can only be seen at weekends. Leaving the rooms begins half an hour before closing. Check the calendar before you go: it changes with the pope's presence.

What is included

The standard visit covers the palace and the Secret Garden. There are special guided tours, such as the rooms closed to the public and the astronomical domes of the former Vatican observatory, and family rates. On the ground floor there is a café with a terrace over Lake Albano and a bookshop in the Chinese Room.

Getting there

By regional train from Roma Termini on the Albano line: Castel Gandolfo station is below the village, about ten minutes' walk uphill. By car, along the Via Appia Nuova; parking in the centre is difficult on Sundays.