What is open in Rome on Christmas Day 2026?
What is open in Rome on Christmas Day 2026, a Friday? None of the three big ticketed sights: the Colosseum with the Roman Forum and Palatine, the Vatican Museums and the Galleria Borghese all list December 25 as a closing day. The one that catches people is the Vatican, because it also closes on Saturday, December 26, so the first day to see it is Sunday, December 27 for a free morning or Monday, December 28.
Spend Christmas Day outdoors and at church, and book the Colosseum and the Borghese for Saturday, December 26, when both reopen. Each line below comes from the place's own page.
Which Rome museums and sights are open on December 25, 2026?
| Place | Friday, December 25, 2026 | Hours | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine | Closed | None. Open Saturday, December 26, 8:30am to 4:30pm, last entry 3:30pm | Colosseum opening times and tickets | November 13, 2026 |
| Vatican Museums | Closed, and closed again on December 26 | None. Open Sunday, December 27, 9am to 2pm, free, last entry 12:30pm (the last Sunday of the month); Monday, December 28 onward, 8am to 8pm | Vatican Museums hours and closures | November 13, 2026 |
| Galleria Borghese | Closed (closed December 25 and January 1) | None. Open Saturday, December 26, 9am to 7pm. Named tickets, time slot required | Galleria Borghese tickets | November 13, 2026 |
The Borghese lets you stay two hours in most slots and does not allow ticket name changes within three days of the visit, so book December 26 as soon as slots show. The Vatican's December 27 hours follow its last-Sunday rule; the Rome on a Sunday guide has the details.
Is public transport running in Rome on Christmas Day?
Rome's mobility agency had not posted its December 25, 2026 service when I checked on November 13, so I am not giving hours for it. Look it up on Roma Servizi per la Mobilità in the first week of December, and plan the day around places you can walk between, such as the centro storico.
Where should you eat in Rome on Christmas Day?
Book before you land, starting with your hotel's dining room. No restaurant I checked had posted a December 25, 2026 line on its own page on November 13, so I am not naming one; the first place to ask is your own hotel's restaurant.
What opens on December 26 in Rome?
Saturday, December 26: the Colosseum and the Borghese reopen; the Vatican Museums do not. Take the Colosseum first thing at 8:30am, since winter hours end at 4:30pm, and the Borghese in the afternoon. The Rome in December guide has the nativity scenes and December 8, and the Rome museums open on Monday guide covers the next closing day. The Paris on Christmas Day guide makes the same call for Paris.