Palazzo Massimo
Rome, Italy
Baths of Diocletian, Rome
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Photo: Dguendel, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia CommonsFit in nearby today
The essentials in 10 seconds
- Entry
- Basilica free; museum ≈ €10–12
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Hours
- Museum Tue–Sun ≈ 9:30–19:00, closed Monday; basilica daily with a midday break
- Time on site
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A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes. - 1 h
- With kids
- Fine with kids
- Santa Maria degli Angeli
- Free
- Baths museum
- ≈ €10–12 combined National Roman Museum ticket
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Museum hours
- Tue–Sun ≈ 9:30–19:00
verifyingi
From reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go. - Museum closed
- Mondays
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours with museum and basilica
- Location
- Piazza della Repubblica; 5 minutes from Termini, Metro A Repubblica
Key facts
AD 298–306built under emperors Diocletian and Maximian
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English Wikipedia≈ 13 hathe complex — Rome's largest baths
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English Wikipedia≈ 3,000bathers at a time
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English Wikipedia1563Michelangelo converted the frigidarium into a basilica
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English Wikipedia1702Francesco Bianchini laid a meridian line in the floor
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English WikipediaPiazza della Repubblicafollows the curve of the baths' exedra
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English WikipediaTickets and hours
The basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli is free. The museum in the other halls uses the National Roman Museum combined ticket, valid for several days and covering Palazzo Massimo across the road, Palazzo Altemps and the Crypta Balbi — about €10–12 according to guides. The museum opens Tuesday to Sunday and closes on Mondays.
A short history
Emperors Diocletian and Maximian built the baths in 298–306 on the Viminal Hill — the largest bathing complex Rome ever had: about 13 hectares, up to 3,000 bathers, twice the Baths of Caracalla. There were hot and cold halls, a vast pool, exercise yards, libraries and gardens.
Later buildings grew inside the ruins: Piazza della Repubblica with its Naiad Fountain follows the curve of the baths' exedra, the round church of San Bernardo alle Terme sits in a corner tower, and even Termini station takes its name from the baths nearby.
Michelangelo's basilica and the meridian
In 1563 Pope Pius IV asked the 86-year-old Michelangelo to turn the ruins into a church. He destroyed almost nothing, reusing the vast frigidarium with its vaults and eight red granite columns over 13 metres tall. The result, Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, is one of Rome's most spacious churches — and from outside it's just a brick wall with a niche, with no façade at all.
Set into the floor is a bronze meridian laid by astronomer Francesco Bianchini in 1702: at solar noon a beam through a hole in the wall falls on the line, once used to fix time and date, with zodiac signs in coloured marble along it.
The museum
The National Roman Museum fills other halls. The highlight is Michelangelo's cloister, a huge Carthusian courtyard ringed by arcades of statues, sarcophagi and inscriptions. The galleries hold one of the world's great epigraphic collections — thousands of Latin inscriptions on Roman daily life — and displays on early Latium.
What to see
- Santa Maria degli Angeli — the frigidarium reworked by Michelangelo.
- Bianchini's meridian — the bronze line in the basilica floor.
- Granite columns — eight ancient columns of the frigidarium.
- Michelangelo's cloister — arcades filled with ancient sculpture.
- Epigraphic collection — thousands of Latin inscriptions.
- Piazza della Repubblica — the baths' exedra and the Naiad Fountain.
- San Bernardo alle Terme — the round church in a bath tower.
How to get there
Tap a route to highlight it on the map.
Where are you starting from?
We’ll draw it on the map on foot and by taxi; metro and buses open in your maps app. Your location isn’t stored.
On foot
- Palazzo Massimo is about 2 min away on foot.
- Santa Maria della Vittoria is about 6 min away on foot.
- Santa Maria Maggiore is about 11 min away on foot.
More tips
- From Termini station, 5 minutes on foot across Piazza dei Cinquecento.
- Metro line A to Repubblica — the exit is on Piazza della Repubblica.
- Buses 40, 64, 70 and 170 to Piazza della Repubblica.
- Santa Maria della Vittoria is 5 minutes' walk away.
Is it worth visiting?
Yes: Michelangelo's basilica is free and astonishing in scale, and the meridian is a rare astronomical curiosity — catch it around noon on a sunny day. The museum is good value, especially on the combined ticket. It's the best way to spend an hour near Termini before a train.
Before you go
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Rome's museums: compare and choose
Museums in Rome rated by YesGo. Click a column header to sort.
| Sistine Chapel | 64 | 30 min | Vatican Museums ticket ≈ €25 | 3.6 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castel Sant'Angelo | 57 | 1 h 30 min | ≈ €15–20 | 2.7 km |
| Domus Aurea | 49 | 1 h 15 min | ≈ €18, with VR ≈ €26 | 22 min walk |
| Ara Pacis | 47 | 1 h | ≈ €13–15 | 33 min walk |
| San Luigi dei Francesi | 47 | 20 min | Free | 34 min walk |
| Galleria Borghese | 45 | 2 h | ≈ €18 | 24 min walk |
| Vatican Museums | 44 | 3 h | ≈ €25 | 3.7 km |
| Capitoline Museums | 43 | 2 h 30 min | ≈ €15–19.50 | 29 min walk |
| Baths of Diocletianyou are here | 42 | 1 h | Basilica free; museum ≈ €10–12 | — |
| Galleria Doria Pamphilj | 39 | 1 h 30 min | ≈ €16–18 | 27 min walk |
| Palazzo Farnese | 39 | 1 h 15 min | Paid, booking only | 42 min walk |
| Imperial Fora | 38 | 1 h | Free from the street; museum ≈ €13–15 | 24 min walk |
| Palazzo Barberini | 37 | 2 h | ≈ €15 | 12 min walk |
| Villa Farnesina | 37 | 1 h | ≈ €12 | 2.7 km |
| Palazzo Massimo | 34 | 2 h | ≈ €10–12 combined ticket | 3 min walk |
| MAXXI | 32 | 2 h | ≈ €12–15 | 3.9 km |
| Ostia Antica | 31 | 3 h | ≈ €12–18 | 24.0 km |
Baroque around Repubblica
Palazzo Barberini, Borromini's San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, Bernini at Santa Maria della Vittoria and the Baths of Diocletian.
- Palazzo Barberini2 h · ≈ €15
- 3 min walk from the previous stopSan Carlo alle Quattro Fontane20 min · Free
- 8 min walk from the previous stopSanta Maria della Vittoria20 min · Free
- 7 min walk from the previous stopBaths of Diocletianyou are here1 h · Basilica free; museum ≈ €10–12
4 places · about 3 h 58 min with walks · 18 min on foot in total
Nearby and on the way
Santa Maria della Vittoria
Rome, Italy
Santa Maria Maggiore
Rome, Italy
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane
Rome, Italy
How to do it right
- Michelangelo's basilica is free.
- The meridian is best around noon.
- One ticket covers four museums.
- The museum closes on Mondays.
Questions
How much are the Baths of Diocletian?
The basilica is free; the museum uses the National Roman Museum ticket, about €10–12.
What are the opening hours?
The museum opens Tuesday–Sunday around 9:30–19:00; closed Monday.
What did Michelangelo do at the Baths of Diocletian?
In 1563 he turned the cold hall into the basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli.
What is the line in the basilica floor?
Bianchini's 1702 meridian, struck by a sunbeam at solar noon.
Where are the Baths of Diocletian?
On Piazza della Repubblica, 5 minutes from Termini.
How long do you need?
1–1.5 hours with museum and basilica.
Have you been? Was it worth your time?
1 — no, 5 — absolutely
Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.
Sources and fact-check
- National Roman Museum (Museo Nazionale Romano, Italian Ministry of Culture)
- English Wikipedia, Baths of Diocletian and Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri
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