Traveling to Rome in December

I think December would be an excellent time to go to Rome.

I visited Rome in November 1994 and September 2022. I preferred the November visit in part because the Mediterranean city had cooled a bit, whereas in September it was as hot as hades. Also, December would be a chance to see how another society prepares for Christmas. And the number of tourists would be a bit lower the most other times of the year.

A negative is that the sun will be down early in December, but that won't matter greatly in a city of 3.5 million people. And some popular tourist sites might have limited hours in December.

March would also be a good time to visit Rome -- and might be a bit better. There might be slightly fewer tourists there in early March than December, which will get visitors with time off for the holidays.

Days are just shorter but you see Xmas light decoration. December is still a very busy time to go there. Everything is open. Some factor in weather conditions in travel decisions ; expect daytime temps in the upper 40's to low 50's farenheit.

I love traveling in Europe that time of year. I have been to Rome many times in December. The weather isn't too bad and the Christmas decorations are beautiful. Also, there was a big Christmas carnival in Piazza Navona which was really nice. There isn't much open on Jan 1 either but there were plenty of places to eat at least.

I was in Rome for a total of 20 days between mid-February and mid-March last year. I preferred the time in March because the days were noticeably longer, and December would be even darker than February. I felt totally comfortable wandering around Rome after dark from the crime standpoint. The uneven, sometimes unlit, sidewalks were a different story.

I was just there in December, two months ago. It was fine, not too crowded. We were up and out the door by 8 every morning and had enough daylight to get back to the hotel for a rest before 8 pm dinner.

Either will not be as crowded as the summer. Most recently, I was there over Christmas in 2021 and lived there 2013-2015 and always found December pleasant. Springtime is my favorite, though, so I'd choose March for the longer days and (usually) warmer weather.