Alex M.
Yelp
Wow. There is so much here. If you want to save your feet for the museum- your cab can drop you off right below the steps up to the museum. Take pictures in the courtyard- it's beautiful! Then buy your tickets. 15 euro each.
Be prepared to go through security. If you have a small crossbody purse they won't make you check it.
There are lifts for the handicapped, and lots of stairs if you aren't. There are two wings connected by an underground (-1) tunnel. Make sure you see both wings. They are outstanding. In one wing- the one where the ticket booth is, you have an upstairs palace, with carved ceilings, chandeliers, and statues. There is also a painting gallery, and china. And lots of statues. Don't touch or sit on the statues (we saw someone do that- stern lecture from museum guard- totally merited stern lecture). The gift shop is also in this first wing as is the giant Marcus Aurelius on horseback, pieces of the giant (Constantin?) statue, and the lion attacking the horse. Also, there's a great fountain- it was, I believe, a "talking" statue, where people could leave notes- probably nasty notes, like, "The streets are too dirty" and "Why isn't the free bread better?"
Cross the tunnel (lined with artefacts, of course) and you're in the wing with Venus (she's got her own room), the Dying Gaul, and many other famous statues. There's a room of heads, and rooms of fragments of calenders and lots and lots and lots of statues.
The bathrooms are nice and they have handicapped ones!
There's a restaurant. We didn't go there. I was literally too tired to eat after seeing this place. Allow 3-4 hours- unless you're just going to speed through it. I didn't pay much attention to the religious paintings and the porcelain and it still took me 3 hours.
Make sure to visit the Tabularium while you are here- great view on the forum and the ruins (it's down a little alley between buildings). Also, if you go up the steps you'll see in the back of building 2 (the one without the gift shop) you'll get a great view, and at the top is a very lovely church (and they've got a preserved saint up there!)
Not all the guards speak English- but we're guests in this country, so it is what it is. There are wonderful stands explaining every room and identifying the works- so we didn't need the handout they give you. There are also maps all over the place on the walls. They do sort of hide the elevator away, but trust me, it's there!