Assisi

Assisi is a very popular destination and will definitely be very busy.

We were in Assisi in mid October 2025 and it was packed!
Brad

I'll tell you what worked well for me when I day-tripped to Assisi in 2015 (yes, I'm sure it will be busier this year): I started at the top of the town. The historic district there had few visitors. I slowly wandered downhill, enjoying the atmosphere and not really encountering much I'd call "very touristy" until I got quite close to the Basilica. That area was bad--full of junky shops selling tacky souvenirs, etc. The large Basilica itself is gorgeous and totally worth passing through the surroundings.

I'm not religious and didn't go to the other religious sites that many others would want to see.

Not only has Assissi become a popular tourist spot, it has always been a major pilgrimage site for Roman Catholics. You would be hard pressed to find any day when it isn't crowded near the Basilica. The Jubilee (with its pilgrims) lasts all year, not just around the anniversary of his death. Note that late Sept or early Oct are arguably still high season.

However, to be clear, it is not a Jubilee for Assissi. It is a Jubilee Year for St Francis. It is much more than just making a visit to a church (any church worldwide that is associated with St Francis, not just Assissi). But that wont be your concern if you are just visiting as a tourist.

I have been singing with the Assisi Performing Arts Festival (July) for over a decade. I'm there for 2 weeks each year. Yes, Assisi is crowded especially around the Basilica San Francesco. That's where most of the tourist shops are too. If you go up (Assisi is built on the side of a mountain) to the next level there are very good restaurants, hotels, the Piazza del Comune (great place in the evening for a relaxing drink), the Baslicia Santa Chiara, Chiesa Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, ancient Roman ruins. Go up another level and there is the Cathedral San Rufino, ancient Roman ruins, delightful residential areas. Go up yet another level and there is a Roman ampitheater, plenty of parking. Go up another level and you are at the Rocco Maggiore with spectacular views of the valley. In between each level are very interesting museums, churches (Santa Maria Maggiore is my favorite with Roman and Etruscan ruins underneath). It's amazing how many tourists don't seem to find these levels. Darn, did I just ruin my favorite quiet spaces?

I think a day trip to Assisi would take around 3+ hours each way, which is long for a day trip. I think it might be worth spending the night there, even if you don’t check out of your Rome hotel, since Assisi hotels are not expensive. In addition to what @Robert mentioned, San Damiano, just below town, and Santa Maria degli Angeli, down by the train station, are both worthwhile to visit.

It is definitely doable from Rome in a day. I've done it at least 10 times. When I've gone in the summer, it's been busy, but not unbearable. The fall is much better. No one can really guess how busy it will be the day that you want to go, of course. Enjoy your time there. It's a lovely place.

Having visited Assisi probably five times, most recently as a day trip from Gubbio this spring, here's a suggestion for how to manage your time there most efficiently: When you exit the train station, get a cab to take you to the "top" of the town, Piazza Matteotti. Yes, there is also a bus but it's faster and inexpensive to get a cab. Ask the cab driver for their card so you can call them if you can't find another cab later. From Piazza Matteotti, you can walk all the way down, stopping at Santa Chiara, and other beautiful and meaningful sites. You may well want to make a lunch reservation in the middle of the town, and then after lunch walk on down to the Basilica. As you exit the Basilica and walk through the large piazza below the Basilica, turn right and go through the Porta San Francisco all the way down to the piazza at the bottom with lots of transportation options. There is a bus that runs back to the train station and a taxi stand there.