Planning a Trip to Rome

I am currently planning a trip to Italy for July 2025 with my sister and her family. This will be my third time to Rome and I am so excited! While I enjoy visiting new places, traveling back to a city that you have fallen in love with is a special kind of experience. You get to relive the joy that that city brings but also continue to explore the depths of the city. Since I have been a couple of times, I want to share some tips on how I plan my trip to Rome.

Trevi Fountain

Rome Skyline from the Vatican

During the 2025 Jubilee

2025 marks a Jubilee year in Italy. This special Catholic holy year, taking place in Rome, Vatican City, and throughout the country, begins on Christmas Eve 2024 and concludes on January 6, 2026, coinciding with the Epiphany festival. For travelers heading to Rome, this means the city will be even busier than usual, adding to its vibrant energy but also to the crowds.

Here is my advice for planning a trip to Rome during the Jubilee.

Crowds at the Spanish Steps

Flights: I look at purchasing my plane tickets 6-8 months in advance for an international trip. The trick for getting cheap flights is to be flexible with your dates. I subscribe to the email service Going to receive emails for cheap flights and mistake fares. I have the premium subscription, so I can put a location on my watchlist to have Going focus my emails on that destination. If I am flexible with my dates, then I can wait until I receive a notification for a flight that is a price I think is low enough. In addition to Going, I also set up a Google Flight Alert, especially if I have specific dates that I am looking at. It is harder to get the cheapest flights when you are restricted to specific dates, but using a Google Flight Alert can potentially save you a little bit of money.

Pantheon

Accommodations: I would anticipate that most of the pilgrims for the Jubilee will be traveling in groups and would most likely book accommodations outside the city center to accommodate the large number of people, however, they may still book within the city center. So book your accommodations well in advance. Hotels, Airbnb’s, and other lodging options will fill up quickly due to the influx of visitors. We just booked all of our accommodations for July 2025 in October 2024 because the Summer is already a high tourism season.

Transportation: Public transportation can be busy. Consider walking when possible, as many key sites are close together. Familiarize yourself with Rome’s metro and bus systems. Reminder: Validate your ticket at the validation box to stamp your ticket with the current time before boarding a train or upon entering a bus.

From Fiumicino Airport to Roma Termini Train Station (city center)

While there are a few transportation options, I prefer to take the Leonardo Express train from Rome’s Fiumicino airport to Roma Termini train station. It is a direct train (about 32 minutes) and is super affordable at approximately 14 Euros. You can purchase tickets at a kiosk or Trenitalia ticket booth at the airport. I prefer the kiosk; you can select your language and follow the prompts. You do not need to validate your ticket when you pass through the scanner coming from Fuimicino heading to Roma Termini if you purchased a ticket from the kiosk that already has the day/time stamped on it. However, you will need to validate your ticket the opposite way coming from Roma Termini to Fiumicino Airport.

White City Taxi - Fixed rates into Rome (currently 55 Euros) Important to note that the fixed rate is within the Aurelian walls (the border surrounding the historic city center). Traveling from the airport to anywhere outside the aurelian walls, would be a different price. 

Outside the Vatican Museum

Inside the Vatican Museum

Pilgrimage Sites: Major sites that will see an increase in visits include St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums, and other important churches like Santa Maria Maggiore and San Giovanni in Laterano. Expect larger crowds than usual. This doesn’t mean you should avoid these places, but plan accordingly by purchasing tickets in advance and arriving early.

St. Peter’s Basilica

Skip the line Tickets: There are a wide variety of third party websites that advertise skip the line tickets, specifically for the Colosseum. It is important to note that the line you would be skipping is the same day ticket purchase line. All individuals and groups with pre-purchased tickets will still have to wait in the line to enter the Colosseum at the time of entry selected. I do not recommend purchasing same day tickets to any site as there are long lines and can sell out in high season. Therefore, I strongly recommend planning ahead and purchasing your ticket before your trip. The Colosseum will open up tickets at the official website up to 30 days in advance. Other popular attractions may open up their tickets earlier than that.

You can still purchase your tickets through a third party reseller, if you prefer. Typically, there are no issues with purchasing a standard ticket through these websites. However, if you want a speciality ticket to the Colosseum, such as the underground or a night visit, then just note that they purchase these tickets at the official website. They are held to the same time frame as the public. During popular times, these may sell out causing the third party vendor to cancel your booking. Something to be aware of.

Roman Forum

Colosseum

Ruins in the Jewish Ghetto

Tours: Even though I do not like purchasing entry tickets to a site or museum through a third party reseller, I do like going through other companies for tours that do not require an entry ticket, such as food tours, ghost tours, and historic walking tours. I like using Get Your Guide to book those kinds of tours.

My favorite tour to book is a food tour, especially on the very first day of my trip. A food tour is a great option to get you acclimated to the city, see some sites, and taste the local cuisine. It is also great to not have to worry about planning what to eat for your first day of the trip. You can sample different foods, and then potentially return to those restaurants later in your trip for future meals.

Those are some of the tips that I am using while I am plan my trip to Rome, Italy for Summer 2025. I hope you found these tips helpful. Happy trip planning!

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