Rome at Easter?

Rome will be very crowded over Easter weekend (including Easter Monday), it's a combination of these things: 1) it's Easter and this (the Vatican) is ground zero for world Catholicism; 2) Italians get the time off and mob public transportation at this time; and 3) it's a popular time for "regular" (non-celebrant) tourists. People on this site don't like to rain on your parade and tend to avoid "negative" or non-supportive answers, or will say things like: oh well, you can do it. We'll have to let you decide whether it's a mistake. This is one of the most crowded times for Rome.

Kent, I appreciate your comment. We're flying out of Rome, so thought we'd end up there. Maybe we should do Rome in the middle of our trip and train to Rome one day before our flight. Doug

Glad to help. Since you have the flexibility, you'd want to strongly consider avoiding Rome on Easter weekend. Unfortunately, since so many locals have several days off, it will be busy many places in Italy. Some travelers schedule their country time for Easter weekend. But if renting a car to see the country, be prepared for congestion on the autostradas on days when locals are heading out or coming back. And expect heavier than normal use of public transportation by locals, as well. Or you could, alternatively, just decide to join the other hundreds of thousands at the Vatican to celebrate the central meaning of Christianity. Even non-Catholics have been known to get into it.

I was in Rome during Holy Week and in the Vatican on Good Friday (entirely coincidental, as I was on a school tour over our spring break in March), and we didn't have a problem getting around Rome or seeing anything on the agenda that day. Even being in St. Peter's wasn't THAT crazy - it was crowded, but not so much that you were pushed up against the wall or anything.

It'll definitely be crowded - but it's not that much more crowded than during, say, your average week in July. And few people think twice about coming during the summer! Perhaps switch your schedule up a bit to try to avoid Rome during the weekend itself, but don't despair; as crowded as Rome gets, there are always ways to skip lines at sites like the Colosseum and Vatican, and much of Rome's best hidden gems aren't ever frequented by tourists, Easter week or no. www.revealedrome.com

I was there in 2009 during Easter and it was busy... The flip side of the coin though is that it affords you an opportunity to see some things you otherwise may not. For example, we were able to go to the Holy Thursday service the was presided over by the pope. While I am not Catholic, it was quite an experience and one I will never forget.

I was in Rome on Easter 2009 as well! I thought it wasn't bad at all. It was crowded, but that was expected in Rome generally. You just need to plan more ahead, taking into account the additional closures. I was there from Sat to Wed, didn't have a problem seeing everything. <br>I was able to go to the Easter Mass (strongly recommended even if you're not a Catholic, as I'm not) on Sun morning, then head over to the Borghases in the afternoon. <br>Went to the Colloseum on Monday, when everything else was closed. That worked out great because I would have spent a whole day there regardless! All the churches were open on that day as well. <br>On Tue I went to the Vatican when it reopened for the Easter holidays. I had expected a large crowd but was totally fine. I made reservation for the Vatican Musuem and went in without waiting. <br>The experience was totally worth it being there during Easter.

The complication for 2011 is that Easter is late and coincides with the Liberation Day Holiday (25 April) which is the first major getaway holiday of the Italian year. Expect public transport, roads etc to coast and countryside to be v v busy. We were in Sorrento for the 2008 Lib Day holiday and the coast road and town was jammed with holidaying Italians. How this will affect inland cities I don't know.