Day-by-day closures, December 2026 to January 2027
Each row comes from the venue's own page. "Open" means no closure is listed for that date, so the venue's normal hours for that weekday apply.
| Venue | Tue 8 Dec | Fri 25 Dec | Sat 26 Dec | Fri 1 Jan | Wed 6 Jan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vatican Museums | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Colosseum, Forum, Palatine | Open | Closed | Open | Closed | Open |
| Pantheon | Open | Closed | Open | Closed* | Open |
| Borghese Gallery | Open | Closed | Open | Closed | Open |
| Castel Sant'Angelo | Open | Closed | Open | Closed* | Open |
| Capitoline Museums | Open | Closed | Open | Check | Open |
*Unless the Ministry of Culture orders an extraordinary opening.
The Capitoline Museums list only 1 May and 25 December as closing days on their hours page, and they gave special hours of 11:00 to 20:00 for 1 January 2026. No 2027 New Year's Day hours were listed when we checked. Their daily hours are 9:30 to 19:30, cut to 9:30 to 14:00 on 24 and 31 December, with last admission an hour before closing.
How to use each holiday
8 December (Tuesday). Of the six, only the Vatican Museums close. It is a good day for the Colosseum or the Borghese, which are both on normal hours.
24 December (Thursday). No venue in this guide lists a closure. The Capitoline Museums close at 14:00, and the Colosseum park closes at 16:30 all winter, so do outdoor sites in the morning. In 2025 the papal Christmas Eve Mass was at 22:00 in St Peter's; see our Christmas Mass tickets guide.
25 December (Friday). Plan a day without museums. St Peter's Basilica's hours page lists 07:00 to 19:00 every day from 26 October 2026 to 28 March 2027 and no Christmas change, but the day belongs to the papal liturgies.
26 December (Saturday). The Vatican Museums stay closed for St Stephen's Day. The state sites reopen, so this is the day to put the Colosseum or Castel Sant'Angelo.
27 December (Sunday). By the rule on the Vatican Museums hours page, the museums open free on the last Sunday of each month from 9:00 to 14:00, with last entry at 12:30. The rule skips a last Sunday that falls on 25, 26 or 31 December, Easter or 29 June; 27 December 2026 is none of these, so it qualifies. The page does not mark the individual date, so confirm it in the museums' 2026–27 calendar before you plan around it, and allow time for a queue.
31 December (Thursday). Normal hours at the state sites; the Capitoline Museums close at 14:00. The Vatican Museums list no special hours.
1 January (Friday). The quietest museum day of the season: the Vatican, Colosseum park, Pantheon, Borghese and Castel Sant'Angelo are all listed as closed.
6 January (Wednesday). Epiphany closes the Vatican Museums again. The state sites open.
Hours and booking rules that matter in winter
Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine. From 25 October 2026 to 28 February 2027 the park closes at 16:30, with last admission at 15:30 (page last modified 1 October 2026). The Colosseum opens at 8:30 and the Forum-Palatine at 9:00. Our Colosseum ticket guide explains which ticket covers what.
Pantheon. The Ministry page gives daily hours of 9:00 to 19:00, last entry 18:30, and closure on 25 December and 1 January "unless extraordinary openings" are set by the Ministry. Because it is a church, Mass is at 10:30 on Sundays and holidays and at 17:00 on Saturdays and the eve of holidays, and ticket sales stop one hour before each service. On holidays such as 8 December and 6 January, buy before 9:30 or arrive after the 10:30 Mass. The Pantheon tickets guide covers prices.
Borghese Gallery. The visit page (modified 21 October 2026) lists Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 to 19:00, last entrance 17:45, closed on 25 December and 1 January, and reservation required for every ticket. Our Borghese booking guide covers time slots.
Castel Sant'Angelo. Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 to 19:30, last admission 18:30; closed Mondays, 25 December and 1 January. A decree of 27 July 2026 opens it on the first Monday of each month from 14:00 to 20:00 with a €5 ticket, valid to December 2026, so Monday 7 December 2026 is an extra afternoon option. The museum page says those tickets are sold only on site.
Getting around on the holidays
We could not confirm the 2026 Christmas and New Year service of ATAC, Rome's bus and metro operator, when we checked on 22 October 2026, so check ATAC's site before 24 and 31 December for any evening cut-backs. Paying by contactless card at the gates (Tap & Go) avoids depending on a tobacconist that may be shut on the holiday; the Rome metro and bus tickets guide explains how it works and what it costs.
