Visiting the Vatican and Colosseum during Rome's Holy Jubilee Year in 2025
The city of Rome and The Vatican are expecting an influx of millions of visitors during the Holy Jubilee Year in 2025. Due to severe overcrowding, long wait times, unexpected closures, and unreliable availability for group reservations, our tours will not visit the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, or St. Peter's Basilica as a group.
If you would like to see inside the Colosseum, St. Peter's Basilica, and the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, we encourage you to make independent arrangements during your free time in Rome (or pre-/post-tour). Please note, a local guide walks each group around the outside of the Colosseum, explaining the significance and engineering of this ancient wonder.
Below you'll find our recommendations on when to visit and how to get reservations for each of the affected tours (this information is also available under Pre-tour Planning in your account).
Our free Rick Steves Audio Europe app also has great self-guided tours of the Colosseum, St. Peter's, Vatican Museums, and Sistine Chapel. Before you leave for your tour, we recommend downloading the app from the App Store (Apple phones) or Google Play (Android phones) and adding these self-guided audio tours to your playlist.
Thank you for your understanding as we navigate the Holy Jubilee Year crowds in Rome, We are always dedicated to bringing you the best experiences that Europe has to offer!
Select your tour for recommendations on when to visit.
Best of Europe in 14 Days
Visiting the Vatican and Colosseum
Tickets are available two months prior to the date you prefer to visit the Vatican Museums and one month prior for the Colosseum. Please note tickets may sell out quickly from the official site. Here are the best days and times to visit either or both sites based on your tour itinerary:
- Day 1 before noon (allowing you time to get to the Welcome Meeting at 3 p.m.)
- Day 2 at 1 p.m. or later
- Pre-tour if you're adding extra days
Official website: Vatican Museums Tickets
The basic ticket is called: Admission tickets – Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
If tickets are sold out at the official website, consider booking from another website, such as Omnia Vatican Rome.
Official website: Colosseum Tickets
The basic ticket is called: Ticket Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine_24
If tickets are sold out at the official website, consider booking from another website, such as Get Your Guide.
Best of Europe in 21 Days
Visiting the Vatican and Colosseum
Tickets are available two months prior to the date you prefer to visit for the Vatican Museums and one month prior for the Colosseum. Please note tickets may sell out quickly from the official site. Here are the best days and times to visit either or both sites based on your tour itinerary:
- Day 13 at 1 p.m. or later
Official website: Vatican Museums Tickets
The basic ticket is called: Admission tickets – Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
If tickets are sold out at the official website, consider booking from another website, such as Omnia Vatican Rome.
Official website: Colosseum Tickets
The basic ticket is called: Ticket Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine_24
If tickets are sold out at the official website, consider booking from another website, such as Get Your Guide.
Best of Italy in 17 Days
Visiting the Vatican and Colosseum
Tickets are available two months prior to the date you prefer to visit the Vatican Museums and one month prior for the Colosseum. Please note tickets may sell out quickly from the official site. Here are the best days and times to visit either or both sites based on your tour itinerary:
- Day 16 at 12:30 p.m. or later
- Day 17 when the tour is over after breakfast
- Post-tour if you're adding extra days
- Please note: The Vatican Museums is closed most Sundays and may also close for special events and holidays. It's a good idea to check The Vatican Museums calendar before making reservations.
Official website: Vatican Museums Tickets
The basic ticket is called: Admission tickets – Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
If tickets are sold out at the official website, consider booking from another website, such as Omnia Vatican Rome.
Official website: Colosseum Tickets
The basic ticket is called: Ticket Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine_24
If tickets are sold out at the official website, consider booking from another website, such as Get Your Guide.
Best of Rome in 7 Days
We'll be visiting other major sites on the Rome tour that may also be impacted by the Jubilee crowds requiring us to shift our planned reservation times for included sites. Because we need to be flexible with our schedule, if you want to see the Vatican we strongly recommend visiting either before or after the tour, so you don't miss any included group activities. If you're not able to schedule your visit to the Vatican pre- or post-tour, we suggest the following days and times as a secondary option.
Visiting the Vatican
Tickets are available for booking two months prior to the date of your visit. Please note tickets may sell out quickly from the official site. Here are the best days and times to visit based on your tour itinerary:
- Day 2 at 2 p.m. or later
- Day 3 at 4 p.m. or later
- Day 4 at 2:30 p.m. or later
- Day 7 when the tour is over after breakfast
- Please note: The Vatican Museums is closed most Sundays and may also close for special events and holidays. It's a good idea to check The Vatican Museums calendar before making reservations.
Official website: Vatican Museums Tickets
The basic ticket is called: Admission tickets – Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
If tickets are sold out at the official website, consider booking from another website, such as Omnia Vatican Rome.
*The Best of Rome includes a tour of the interior of the Colosseum.
Best of Venice, Florence and Rome in 10 Days
Visiting the Vatican and Colosseum
We recommend booking tickets two months prior to the date you prefer to visit. Please note tickets may sell out quickly from the official site. Here are the best days and times to visit either or both sites based on your tour itinerary:
- Day 8 at 11:30 a.m. or later for Vatican Museums
- Day 9 at 1:30 p.m. or later for the Colosseum
- Day 10 when the tour is over after breakfast
- Post-tour if you're adding extra days
- Please note: The Vatican Museums is closed most Sundays and may also close for special events and holidays. It's a good idea to check The Vatican Museums calendar before making reservations.
Official website: Vatican Museums Tickets
The basic ticket is called: Admission tickets – Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
If tickets are sold out at the official website, consider booking from another website, such as Omnia Vatican Rome.
Official website: Colosseum Tickets
The basic ticket is called: Ticket Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine_24
If tickets are sold out at the official website, consider booking from another website, such as Get Your Guide.
Heart of Italy in 9 Days
Visiting the Vatican and Colosseum
Tickets are available two months prior to the date you prefer to visit the Vatican Museums and one month prior for the Colosseum. Please note tickets may sell out quickly from the official site. Here are the best days and times to visit either or both sites based on your tour itinerary:
- Day 1 before noon (allowing you time to get to the Welcome Meeting at 3 p.m.)
- Day 2 at 11 a.m. or later
- Pre-tour if you're adding extra days
- Please note: The Vatican Museums is closed most Sundays and may also close for special events and holidays. It's a good idea to check The Vatican Museums calendar before making reservations.
Official website: Vatican Museums Tickets
The basic ticket is called: Admission tickets – Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
If tickets are sold out at the official website, consider booking from another website, such as Omnia Vatican Rome.
Official website: Colosseum Tickets
The basic ticket is called: Ticket Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine_24
If tickets are sold out at the official website, consider booking from another website, such as Get Your Guide.