Rome at Easter?
 

Is Rome at Easter-time too crazy or is it do-able? My husband and I and 2 kids (will be 15 and 12) were planning on visiting Italy summer 2004, but due to scheduling, wouldn't be able to leave until July 4th. If the summer is as hot next year as this year, we DO NOT want to go then--plus, it would be the peak of summer. So, we're considering Easter-time, since at most the kids would miss a only day or two of school then. The plan has been to spend about 9 days for this first trip to Italy: start in Rome for 2-3 days, then move on to Florence, day trip to Pisa, short day in Bologna, and then Venice. Rome first sounds good since it's bound to be more hectic than Venice, and we want a more relaxing end. Since we're Catholic, the idea of spending Easter in Rome is great, but . . would it be too crazy/expensive or would it be worth it? Even scheduling a trip to the Vatican museum that weekend would be a little tricky, since I believe it would be closed Easter Sunday and Monday. Would it be better to start out in Venice and then make Rome our last stop? Thoughts?

Hi michigandra,

I was in Florence Holy Week 2000 and it was mobbed as was Rome the week before but not as badly - mostly the major churches were very crowded. In Florence, the Ufizzi extended their hours and during the day the line to get in (w/o reservations) was 2.5 to 3 hours long. The Medici Chapel was also packed with people. However, there was almost no one at the Duomo Museum or the Bargello. The Duomo was allowing a limited number of people in at a time. There were large groups (30-50 at a time) of teenagers all over the town. They were well behaved but they certainly added to the normal amount of tourism.

This year I went to Paris the week after Easter and had to book the Wednesday after because airfares were too high on Easter Monday and Tuesday.

My thoughts are to see what kind of airfare you can get and book your reservations for hotels, museums, and tours early and you'll be fine. Do the popular things around dinner time when there are fewer people and the lines are shorter. Rome weather will be good then - shirt sleeve temps.

adrienne

I took my two daughters to Rome this past Easter. Here is a link to my trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...nisa&fid=2

I didn't find Easter in Rome to be much more crowded than usual; certainly not "crazy". We spent nine days in Rome with one long day trip to Padua. I think four stops in nine days might be a bit ambitious. The Vatican Museum will closed Easter Sunday and possibly Easter Monday, so if you are set on seeing them, and of course you should, then visit Rome last. Or add more days to Rome (2-3 days really isn't enough) and cut Venice since it's the most distant stop.

Sorry, wrong link. The trip report is at: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34416372

Just a little tip. The day after Easter Sunday is also a national Holiday in Italy. This may affect whats open or closed.

Lorenzi:

Thanks for the tip. Now that you mention it, I seem to recall that info (back when we were planning on a summer trip). We may be taking the train from Rome to Florence on Easter Monday, or, depending on scheduling, even on Easter Sunday. Do you know if the trains will be running those days?

Don't know. Ceck the web sites. All schedules are posted on the web. If I remeber right , one site is Trenitlia or trainitalia. Just do a search, for train schedules itaila.
Good Luck.

I also was in Rome in 2000 during Easter week and although it was crowded, it wasn't all that bad. I was actually surprised that it wasn't completely mobbed. Good luck, it's a great city whenever you go.