Seasonal guide
From Christmas Eve to Epiphany (January 6) Rome fills with visitors, and the big sights close on different days: the Vatican Museums on December 25 and 26, January 1 and January 6, and the Colosseum and Castel Sant'Angelo on December 25 and January 1. This guide estimates, for the key days, how busy eight sights get compared with a normal mid-December weekday, which ones are closed, and the calmest hour to go. It is an estimate from typical visitor patterns, opening hours, Italian holidays and known events, not a headcount.
Change in visitors vs a normal mid-December weekday (estimate), and the calmest hour to go. Closures included.
| Sight | 24 Thu | 25 Fri | 26 Sat | 31 Thu | 1 Fri | 2 Sat | 6 Wed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel | −3%best 8 AM | Closed | Closed | −3%best 8 AM | Closed | −6%best 8 AM | Closed |
| Roman Colosseum | +48%best 4 PM | Closed | +114%best 4 PM | +48%best 4 PM | Closed | +34%best 4 PM | +34%best 4 PM |
| Roman Forum | +48%best 4 PM | Closed | +114%best 4 PM | +48%best 4 PM | Closed | +34%best 4 PM | +34%best 4 PM |
| Trevi Fountain | +48%best 8 AM | +94%best 8 AM | +94%best 8 AM | +48%best 8 AM | +22%best 8 AM | +22%best 8 AM | +22%best 8 AM |
| Pantheon — Rome | +48%best 9 AM | +114%best 9 AM | +114%best 9 AM | +48%best 9 AM | +34%best 9 AM | +34%best 9 AM | +34%best 9 AM |
| Piazza Navona Rome | +48%best 7 AM | +114%best 7 AM | +114%best 7 AM | +48%best 7 AM | +34%best 7 AM | +34%best 7 AM | +34%best 7 AM |
| Castel Sant Angelo | +48%best 7 AM | Closed | +114%best 7 AM | +48%best 7 AM | Closed | +34%best 7 AM | +34%best 7 AM |
| Borghese Gallery — Rome | +48%best 5 PM | +114%best 5 PM | +114%best 5 PM | +48%best 5 PM | +34%best 5 PM | +34%best 5 PM | +34%best 5 PM |
Christmas Eve: about 48% above a normal December day at the Colosseum, Trevi and the Pantheon. The Vatican Museums are open and close to a normal day, so it is a good day for them, early. Many places close early in the afternoon.
Christmas Day: the Vatican Museums, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum and Castel Sant'Angelo are closed. What stays open fills up, more than double a normal day at the Pantheon and Piazza Navona; the Pope's blessing at noon packs St Peter's Square. Trevi is calmest early in the morning.
Santo Stefano is a holiday in Italy: the busiest day of the period (+111% on average), with the Colosseum open again but the Vatican Museums still closed. Book the Colosseum for the first slot.
Around +48% during the day. In the evening, crowds move to the squares and to Circo Massimo for New Year's Eve. Museums and monuments in the morning are the best plan.
The Vatican Museums, the Colosseum and Castel Sant'Angelo are closed. The squares and the Pantheon are about a third above normal and quiet until late morning, after the long night.
The calmest day of the period in our estimate (+28%), with almost everything open again. A good day for the Vatican Museums or the Colosseum, at opening.
Epiphany is a holiday: the Vatican Museums are closed, and the Befana fair in Piazza Navona has its last and busiest day. The Colosseum and the Pantheon are about a third above normal.
They are closed on December 25 and 26, January 1 and January 6. December 24 and January 2 are good days to go, early, with a timed ticket.
No. The Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine are closed on December 25 and January 1. On December 26 they reopen and it is one of the busiest days of the year.
In our estimate, January 2, with almost everything open. December 26 is the busiest.
Pick any date in the planner to see the hourly estimate for every sight in the city.
Open the Rome plannerEstimate based on typical visitor patterns, opening hours, holidays and known events. Not a headcount: confirm hours and closures with each venue. Updated: 2026-11-10.