12-Hour Layover In Rome on Christmas Eve
 

I'm in the process of redeeming frequent flier miles to visit friends in Israel this winter and one of the only itineraries the airlines could find for me involves a 12-hour layover in Rome on Christmas Eve (11am-11pm. I've never been to Italy before and would love to spend the day in Rome, but, I'm wondering if anything will be open? Also do you have any suggestions for a first-time Rome visitor on how to spend the day there? Thanks!

There were a bunch of "Christmas Eve in Rome" posts back in December! Maybe you can find them, because it sounded like people had a great time going to church services & eating out. If I come across the old posts, I'll let you know.

Thanks so much! I'll do that search as well and see what I can come up with. I also have the option of doing the day in Paris instead, but, since I'm planning on a Paris/London trip in '08, I thought I'd take the chance to see Rome.

I'm assuming that you are Jewish and that Catholic church services might not be high on your list of things to do on your one day in Rome. Christmas Eve is on a Monday this year. Many museums are closed, whether or not it's a holiday, but you'll still be able to find things open. The Vatican museum and Sistine chapel are open that day. The Forum and Colosseum are open and the Pantheon as well. There may be a Mass in the Pantheon at some point in the day, but you'll still be able to see it. Of course, the Jewish Ghetto has many interesting sights and the restaurants will be open if you want to stop for lunch.

Thanks, Grinisa. You're right, I am Jewish, and while seeing a church service isn't so important for this trip, I'd still love to see the Sistine Chapel and it's great to know that some of the major sites will still be open. I really appreciate your help!