Christmas in Rome? Florence? Venice?

Your order is as good as any. Rome will be crowded around Christmas just because it is Rome. Venice could be chilly and little on the miserable side weatherwise. At that time of year I would drop Venice and stay in one of the smaller Tuscan towns or village just for a change of pace from Florence and Rome. You better off coming home from Rome because of greater flight options.

Are you aware that many things will be closed on Xmas day and probably the next day? And perhaps shutting down early Dec 24?

We did a similar trip in December 2019 - flew into Naples December 20 - Rome for Xmas - flew to Venice for a few days and flew home. We are a family of five - kids were 21, 18, 15. It was great - so pretty with all the Xmas lights! I would start by figuring out flights (can you fly into Rome and out of Venice or vice versa)? Rome and Naples were warm (we are from Massachusetts so maybe that’s all relative), but Venice was a bit chilly (but still very pretty and totally walkable).

Many things are closed (like museums and the Coliseum), but we never had trouble finding restaurants open. We scheduled the trip so that we had downtime in Rome the 24th to 26th since so much of Rome you can see anytime (eg, the Spanish Steps). And the kids enjoyed those more relaxed days in which they could sleep in and we just walked around and enjoyed the city.

I highly recommend Rome for Christmas - we saw the Pope Xmas Eve and again Xmas day and that was very cool (and we aren’t Catholic). We did make dinner reservations for Xmas and Xmas day (and found a great local place we’ve recommended to many - Pizzeria San Marco).

I’m sure you’ll have a great trip!

Our trip in 2012 was Sicily agriturismo for Christmas (everything else was closed after 6pm Christmas Eve, and all Day, but they had a big - no, huge lunch and lots of locals showed up), and Sorrento /Naples/Pompeii for New Year’s. It was all magical. Keep in mind that “Christmas” in Italy lasts until Epiphany, on January 6.

We were in Rome the week before Christmas, and the approaching holiday was in the air, but it wasn’t yet super crowded. As Frank says, even if you want to see Venice, the conditions will be less than ideal, high water and likely flooding. Can you go there on another trip?

In 2013, my husband and I did a three week trip to Italy from December 29 - January 21. We visited Rome, Florence, and Venice, and were in Rome for NYE. It was a great experience, with fireworks all over the city, people out celebrating in the streets, and the Christmas decorations/nativity scene were still set up in the Vatican. When we were in Venice, the weather was cold and damp, but still magical. I think it was a great time to be there, as I'd always rather be too cold than too hot, and getting to see Venice without the hoards of cruise ship tourists was great.

As someone else mentioned, I think it makes more sense to figure out your flights first. Flying into Venice and out of Rome could be significantly cheaper than vice versa, or maybe flying into and out of Florence is most cost-effective. Moving your dates by a few days in either directions could also result in cost differences. I like to use Google Flights when my dates and airports are flexible, because you can compare several options at once.

We spent Christmas in Venice a few years ago and wouldn't do it again. It was gray, cold, damp, and boring. Hardly anything will be open. We found an American bar open, and that is how we spent our Christmas day night. The biggest deal was the weather. It just wasn't enjoyable on the canals.

I spent Christmas in Rome last year and was surprised at how much was open on Christmas Day--everyone was out and about, it seemed, and restaurants were doing a brisk business everywhere I went. (I hadn't remembered that from when I lived in the city.) I spent New Year's in Venice. There were some fireworks and many restaurants closed early on New Year's Eve. The weather was cold and rainy. I probably wouldn't go back that time of year, but that was what I had to work with last year. I agree that skipping Venice at that time of year is a good idea.

I did Venice, Florence, and Rome around Christmas. I was in Rome on Christmas day. This was a trip in 2019 with my teenage daughter. Venice was our favorite. Something so magical about riding a water bus down the grand canal at night, with all of the lights. Loved it, so much so, that I will be returning, once again, but spending Christmas there with my husband so that he can experience it.

I didn't find it too wet or cold. But then, I'm from the Pacific Northwest, so a bit of drizzle doesn't impact me. And to see Venice without the crowds, well, I'm not sure what words to use, but it was wonderful. And it was fun jumping on and off the raised sidewalks and seeing St Marks reflected in the pools of water.

I didn't find that we were impacted on Christmas day. Places were closed, but then there were lots of things to see outside. Christmas Eve, places closed early, but we just planned around it. I'd fly into Venice and out of Rome since flying out of Rome, especially if an early morning flight, would probably be easier. Also, Venice is a nice place to get over jet lag, not having to worry about cars and being able to just wander around.

We went to Rome for Christmas and New Year’s in 2012. All the churches had elaborate nativity scenes (presepes) and a lot of vendors were roasting chestnuts on street corners. It wasn’t super busy. Most of the tourists seemed to be Italians with very few Americans. As a result, there were a lot less touts and scammers than we were expecting. I really enjoyed the atmosphere. The Pope does some annual outdoor addresses Christmas week so that is something unique for that time of year. Benedict was Pope when we were there so I wasn’t interested in making that long hike for him but our friend went.
We went to Piazza del Popolo for NYE which was crowded. People were throwing fireworks (explosives) into the streets (with the crowds). It resembled more of a war zone than a celebratory occasion so we returned to our hotel at 12:30 am. I also didn’t want to be walking around the narrow streets when people started throwing their empty champagne bottles from their balconies (an Italian tradition, which started with tossing crockery from balconies—out with the old…).