Ducal Palace and Camera degli Sposi in Mantua: tickets, times, tips

Golden Suites Italy editorial team · Updated on 27 October 2026 · 4 min read

The Ducal Palace is the palace of the Gonzaga, lords of Mantua from 1328 to 1707: not a single building but a complex of palaces, courtyards, gardens and a castle built over three centuries. Inside is Andrea Mantegna's Camera degli Sposi (Bridal Chamber), one of the supreme masterpieces of the Renaissance. Here is how to plan your visit.

The Camera degli Sposi

Mantegna painted it between 1465 and 1474 in a room of San Giorgio Castle, and it was originally called the Camera Picta, “the painted chamber”. On the walls is the court of Marquis Ludovico Gonzaga with his wife Barbara of Brandenburg, caught at the moment a letter arrives; on another wall, Ludovico's meeting with his son Francesco, newly appointed cardinal. At the centre of the ceiling opens the famous oculus, a painted hole onto the sky from which figures and putti look down. The best place to view it is the centre of the room.

The Ducal Palace

Besides San Giorgio Castle you visit the Corte Nuova and the Corte Vecchia, with frescoed rooms, apartments, courtyards and hanging gardens, and the National Archaeological Museum. The route is long: to see everything at leisure you need at least two hours.

Tickets

• Ducal Palace with San Giorgio Castle (Camera degli Sposi) and the Archaeological Museum: full price €18; €2 for young people from the European Union aged 18 to 25.
• Ducal Palace without San Giorgio Castle: €11.
• Free: under-18s; for everyone on the first Sunday of the month (with optional booking for €1) and on 25 April, 2 June and 4 November.
• The ticket for the Corte Vecchia, Corte Nuova and Archaeological Museum is valid for one month from the date of purchase.

How to book

Tickets are bought at the ticket office at Piazza Sordello 40 or online. Booking is not compulsory, but it is recommended on public holidays, long weekends and the first Sunday of the month. Note: the time you book is the entry time to San Giorgio Castle, from piazza Castello; the tour then continues inside the palace, with the exit on piazza Sordello. Arrive at least 15 minutes early; with an online ticket you go straight to the start of the route.

Opening times

The Ducal Palace and Archaeological Museum are open Tuesday to Sunday from 8.15am to 7.15pm, with last entry at 6.20pm; the ticket office closes at 6.15pm. They are closed on Mondays and 25 December. On some dates there are special evening openings, announced on the museum's website.

Tips for your visit

• Arrive at opening time: early in the morning the rooms are quieter.
• If you are short of time, choose the shorter Corte Vecchia route, without the castle.
• The Camera degli Sposi is in a small room, with limited numbers admitted: stick to your time slot.
• After the visit you are in Piazza Sordello, a short walk from Piazza delle Erbe: it is the right moment for lunch.
• If you are staying several days, consider the Mantua and Sabbioneta Card (€48 for 72 hours), which also includes Palazzo Te.

To combine the Ducal Palace with the rest of the city, follow the one-day itinerary in Mantua.