## The essentials {#the-essentials}
Christmas in Rome runs from the Immaculate Conception, on 8 December, to the Befana, on 6 January. On that day the Pope prays before the column of the Immaculate Conception in Piazza di Spagna (at 4 pm in 2026, according to the Vatican) and, for years now, the city has switched on its tree and the lights of Via del Corso. The Piazza Navona market lasts until the Befana, and the Colosseum is closed on 25 December and 1 January. The Jubilee ended on 6 January 2026: this winter there is no Holy Door and none of last year’s crowds.
It is cool with spells of rain, but it rarely freezes. In December, the average temperature in Rome ranges from 4.7 °C to 12.7 °C, it rains (1 mm or more) on about 9 days and there are about 147 hours of sunshine in the whole month; in January, 3.4 °C to 12 °C, about 7 rainy days and 156 hours of sunshine. These are the 1991-2020 averages for the Rome Ciampino station (NOAA climate normals).
Official weather warnings and recent earthquakes in Italy are on [Alerts in Italy](/alerts/italy).
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## Getting there and what you need to enter {#getting-there-and-what-you-need-to-enter}
- **Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland:** a valid national identity card or passport.
- **Other travellers, for short stays:** since 10 April 2026 the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) has been fully operational. When you enter the Schengen area your fingerprints and a photo are taken, and passports are no longer stamped.
- **ETIAS**, the online travel authorisation, is not yet in operation: the EU will announce the date months in advance. The planned fee is €20.
- **From Fiumicino:** the Leonardo Express train reaches Termini station in 32 minutes, every 15 minutes (every 30 in some time slots), for €14 according to Trenitalia. Children under 4 travel free and, for each adult, so does one child aged 4 to 12.
- **Taxis:** Spain points out that Rome’s airports have compulsory fixed fares to the city; check them before getting in.
> **Watch out:** The United Kingdom warns that if your passport is stolen, a police report is not enough to leave Italy: you need an emergency travel document from your consulate.
## Getting around {#getting-around}
- **Metro and bus:** the BIT single ticket costs €1.50 and is valid for 100 minutes; the Roma 24h, 48h and 72h passes cost €8.50, €15 and €22, according to ATAC. Metro line A takes you to Piazza di Spagna (Spagna) and the Vatican (Ottaviano–San Pietro); line B to the Colosseum (Colosseo).
- **Strikes:** in Italy transport strikes are announced days in advance; the United Kingdom warns that services may be cancelled at short notice. Check your train or flight the day before.
- **Carry an identity document:** Colosseum tickets are nominative and you are asked for it at the entrance.
> **Watch out:** The United Kingdom asks for particular care with your belongings on public transport, in crowded areas and at the main train and metro stations, and warns of thieves using distraction techniques.
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## What to see and do {#what-to-see-and-do}
### See the city’s tree and lights {#see-the-city-s-tree-and-lights}
Since 2023 Rome’s tree has stood in Piazza del Popolo, because metro works continue in Piazza Venezia. The 2025 tree, over 20 metres tall with 100,000 lights, shone from 8 December to 12 January, and the 1.8 kilometres of light spheres along Via del Corso were switched on with it. Roma Capitale announces the place and the switch-on day for 2026 in December; we will add it here as soon as it is published.
> **Watch out:** The United Kingdom and the United States agree: pickpockets and bag-snatchers concentrate in the centre and at the most touristy spots. Carry your bag across your body and do not take your phone out in the middle of the crowd.
### Visit the Christmas markets {#visit-the-christmas-markets}
Piazza Navona, with the Befana and her sweets, is the classic. These are the planned dates for 2026-2027 according to the municipal calendar and the organisers; confirm before you go.
| Market | Where | Planned dates |
|---|---|---|
| Piazza Navona | historic centre | 1 Dec 2026 – 6 Jan 2027 (in 2025 it opened on 6 December) |
| Christmas World | Villa Borghese, ticketed | 28 Nov 2026 – 10 Jan 2027 |
| Christmas Garden | Botanical Garden, ticketed, 5 pm–11 pm | 19 Nov 2026 – 10 Jan 2027 |
| Piazza Mazzini | Prati district | 1 Dec 2026 – 6 Jan 2027 |
| Christmas Rome | EUR | from 27 Nov 2026 |
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> **Watch out:** The United States points out that most crimes against foreigners are crimes of opportunity: bag-snatching, pickpocketing and car break-ins. At the markets, your wallet goes in an inside pocket.
### Experience Christmas at the Vatican {#experience-christmas-at-the-vatican}
- **On 8 December at 4 pm**, Pope Leo XIV pays homage to the Immaculate Conception in Piazza di Spagna, according to the calendar published by the Vatican.
- **The tree and nativity in St Peter’s Square:** the 2026 fir comes from Terranova di Pollino (Basilicata) and is decorated by children in hospital; the nativity is offered by the Archdiocese of Chieti-Vasto. The Vatican has not yet announced the inauguration day (in 2025 it was 15 December).
- **Christmas and New Year Masses:** the Vatican publishes the calendar in the coming weeks. In 2025 they were Christmas Eve Mass at 10 pm, Christmas Day Mass at 10 am with the Urbi et Orbi blessing at noon, the Te Deum on the 31st at 5 pm, Mass on 1 January at 10 am and the Epiphany Mass at 9:30 am. Tickets are free and are requested from the Prefecture of the Papal Household.
- **St Peter’s Basilica** opens in winter (from 26 October 2026 to 28 March 2027) from 7 am to 7 pm; the dome, from 7:30 am to 5 pm. Guided visits and the dome are booked at basilicasanpietro.va.
> **Watch out:** St Peter’s Square fills up for every celebration: find the exits through the colonnade and agree a fixed meeting point with your group.
### Go inside the Colosseum {#go-inside-the-colosseum}
- **Winter hours** (from 25 October 2026 to 28 February 2027): 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, last entry at 3:30 pm. The Roman Forum and the Palatine open at 9 am.
- **Closed** on 25 December and 1 January.
- **Admission:** €18 for the standard 24-hour ticket (Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine); €2 for EU citizens aged 18 to 25; free for under-18s, as in all Italian state museums. The first Sunday of the month is free for everyone, with no booking.
- **You must book a time slot** at ticketing.colosseo.it; tickets go on sale 30 days ahead and are nominative.
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> **Watch out:** The Colosseum and its surroundings are among the “tourist sites” where the United Kingdom places pickpockets; watch the crowds at the entrance and at the Colosseo metro station.
### Look up at the sky in the Pantheon {#look-up-at-the-sky-in-the-pantheon}
It opens every day from 9 am to 7 pm, with last entry at 6:30 pm. Admission is paid (free on the first Sunday of the month) and tickets are bought on the official website, pantheonroma.com, which also offers the audio guide.
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### Toss a coin in the Trevi Fountain {#toss-a-coin-in-the-trevi-fountain}
Since 2 February 2026, going down to the area next to the water costs €2 for visitors; Rome residents, children under 5 and people with disabilities enter free. Access is open from 9 am to 10 pm and tickets are bought at fontanaditrevi.roma.it or, by card, at the entrance itself, according to Turismo Roma.
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> **Watch out:** Spain asks you to stay very alert to any distraction in especially busy squares and streets, to avoid being robbed by pickpockets.
### See the year out at the Circus Maximus {#see-the-year-out-at-the-circus-maximus}
Rome celebrates New Year’s Eve with a free concert at the Circus Maximus. On 31 December 2025 it started at 9 pm with Alessandra Amoroso, Fabri Fibra and Tananai. The line-up for 31 December 2026 has not been announced yet; we will add it here when it is published.
> **Watch out:** The United Kingdom asks you to follow the instructions of the police and local authorities at crowded events.
## Shopping {#shopping}
The winter sales are set by each region: in Lazio, the 2026 sales ran from 3 January to 16 February; the Lazio Region announces the 2027 dates in December. Via del Corso, Via Condotti and the Galleria Alberto Sordi concentrate the Christmas shopping.
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> **Watch out:** The United Kingdom advises not carrying all your valuables together in handbags or pockets and leaving spare cash in the hotel safe.
## Safety {#safety}
### What governments say {#what-governments-say}
Checked on 12 November 2026.
- **The United States** asks for “increased caution” because of the risk of terrorism (level 2 of 4). Petty crime is common at tourist sites and on public transport, including trains; most crimes against foreigners are bag-snatching, pickpocketing and car break-ins.
- **The United Kingdom** does not advise against travel. It describes crime levels as generally low, but with more petty crime (bag-snatching and pickpocketing) in city centres and at major tourist attractions, with distraction techniques; it warns that demonstrations can be called with little warning and that transport may be cancelled at short notice; and, in bars, not to take drinks from strangers.
- **Spain** sets no restrictions on travel to Italy. It asks for maximum attention at airports, stations, on the metro and buses and in busy squares and streets, because of pickpockets.
- **Germany** has no travel warning for Italy; it notes that petty theft occurs above all in tourist centres, at stations and at busy metro stops.
### Documents and theft {#documents-and-theft}
- **Report it at a police station** (Polizia di Stato or Carabinieri). Your insurer and consulate will ask for the report.
- **Stolen passport:** the United Kingdom insists that the report is not enough to leave the country; ask your consulate for an emergency travel document. See which one serves you, according to your passport, in the [Italy safety guide](/travel-safety/italy).
## Health and emergencies {#health-and-emergencies}
- **Phone number:** 112 is the single emergency number in Italy.
- **In bars and clubs**, the United Kingdom warns of robberies and assaults on people whose drinks had been spiked: do not take drinks from strangers or leave them unattended.
## Staying connected {#staying-connected}
- **With a mobile plan from an EU country**, in Italy you use your data at no extra cost (roam like at home). In the Vatican, the network is the Italian one.
- **With a plan from outside the EU** (United Kingdom, United States, Latin America…), check the roaming price first. A data eSIM for Italy connects you as soon as you land and you keep your usual number: [see plans for Italy](/pricing?country=IT).
## Travellers’ questions about Rome at Christmas {#travellers-questions-about-rome-at-christmas}
### When does the Piazza Navona Christmas market open in 2026?
The planned dates run from 1 December 2026 to 6 January 2027; in 2025 it opened on 6 December. The City confirms the exact date in the days before.
### When is Rome’s Christmas tree switched on?
Traditionally on 8 December, the day of the Immaculate Conception. Since 2023 it has stood in Piazza del Popolo because of the metro works in Piazza Venezia; the place and time for 2026 are announced by Roma Capitale.
### Is the Colosseum open at Christmas?
It opens every day from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm in winter, except on 25 December and 1 January. You must book a time slot; the standard ticket costs €18.
### Do you have to pay to see the Trevi Fountain?
Looking at it from the square, no; going down to the area next to the water costs €2 since 2 February 2026, from 9 am to 10 pm. Rome residents, children under 5 and people with disabilities enter free.
### What time is the Pope’s Christmas Eve Mass?
The Vatican publishes the Christmas calendar in the coming weeks. In 2025, Christmas Eve Mass was at 10 pm and the Urbi et Orbi blessing on the 25th at noon.
### What is the weather like in Rome in December?
Cool with spells of rain: between 4.7 °C and 12.7 °C on average, about 9 rainy days and about 147 hours of sunshine in the whole month (1991-2020 normals for Rome Ciampino).
### What do I need to enter Italy?
If you are from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, an identity card or passport. If not, since 10 April 2026 you are registered in the Entry/Exit System (fingerprints and photo) when you enter the Schengen area. ETIAS is not working yet.
## Where next {#where-next}
- [Paris at Christmas and in winter 2026-2027: what to do, dates and safety](/blog/paris-christmas-winter-2026-what-to-do-dates-safety)
- [Safety in Italy: what governments say today](/travel-safety/italy)
- [eSIM for Italy: prices and networks](/esim/italy)
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