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Christmas Day in Italy 2026: What’s Open December 25 and 26
Christmas Day in Italy 2026: what's open and closed on December 25 and 26, the Pope's Mass, public transport hours, shops and restaurants.
Christmas Day in Italy brings closures you need to plan around: December 25 and 26 are both national holidays, and many museums, shops and transport services close or run reduced hours. In 2026, Christmas falls on a Friday and Santo Stefano (St. Stephen’s Day) on Saturday, December 26. Here is what’s open and closed, with the official hours we could confirm.
Last updated: October 21, 2026. We checked the museum hours below on the official sites of the Vatican Museums, the Colosseum, the Uffizi, the Galleria dell’Accademia and the Last Supper, Italy’s Ministry of Culture page on Pompeii, and the 2025 Christmas schedules of the Vatican and ATAC, on that date.
Christmas Day in Italy 2026 at a glance
| Place | December 25 | December 26 |
|---|---|---|
| Vatican Museums | Closed | Closed |
| Colosseum | Closed | Open |
| Uffizi, Florence | Closed | Open |
| Accademia, Florence | Closed | Open |
| Last Supper, Milan | Closed | Open |
| Pompeii | Closed | Check before you go |
Is Christmas a public holiday in Italy?
Yes. Both December 25 and December 26 are national holidays under Italy’s law on public holidays. In 2026, that makes a long weekend: Christmas Eve is Thursday, Christmas is Friday and Santo Stefano is Saturday. So plan the Vatican Museums for December 23 or the morning of December 24, and use Saturday, December 26 for the Colosseum, the Uffizi, the Accademia or the Last Supper, which are all open that day.
What’s open on Christmas Day in Italy and December 26
Rome and the Vatican
The Vatican Museums close on both December 25 and 26, 2026, according to their official calendar. On December 24, the official calendar lists reduced hours: entry from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm, with the museums closing at 3:00 pm. On Sunday, December 27, the last Sunday of the month, entry is free from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm, and visitors must leave by 2:00 pm. See our guide to Vatican Museums tickets.
The Colosseum closes only on December 25 and January 1, so it’s open on December 26. From late October to December 31 it opens from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, with last entry at 3:30 pm, according to its official site. Read our guide to Colosseum tickets.
Florence, Milan and Pompeii
In Florence, the Uffizi closes on Mondays, January 1 and December 25, so it’s open on Saturday, December 26, with regular hours of 8:15 am to 6:30 pm. The Galleria dell’Accademia, home of Michelangelo’s David, follows the same rule and opens from 8:15 am to 6:50 pm, with last entry at 6:20 pm. In Milan, Leonardo’s Last Supper closes on Mondays, January 1 and December 25, so it’s open on December 26 from 8:15 am to 7:00 pm, with last entry at 6:45 pm, according to its official site.
Pompeii’s archaeological park closes on December 25, according to Italy’s Ministry of Culture. However, we couldn’t confirm its hours for December 26, so check the park’s site before you go. For Venice, the Doge’s Palace official page doesn’t list its Christmas closures, so check its announcements too.
Christmas Mass with the Pope
The Vatican hadn’t announced the 2026 Christmas schedule when we checked. For reference, in 2025 the Pope celebrated Midnight Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at 10:00 pm on December 24. On December 25, the Christmas Day Mass was at 10:00 am, followed by the Urbi et Orbi blessing from the central balcony at noon, according to the Vatican’s liturgical office. On December 26, 2025, the Pope led the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square at noon. Read our guide to Christmas at the Vatican for tickets and tips.
Public transport on Christmas Day in Italy
City transport runs reduced hours over Christmas. In Rome, ATAC’s 2025 plan ran the last trips on the whole network at 9:00 pm on December 24, and night buses started at 11:30 pm. On December 25, the network ran from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm and again from 4:30 pm to 9:00 pm, with a break in the afternoon. In Milan, the metro ran from 7:00 am to 7:30 pm on December 25, 2025, according to the Milan news site Mentelocale.
The 2026 timetables usually come out in December, so check ATAC and ATM before you travel. We couldn’t confirm how many trains run on Christmas Day, so book long-distance trains early and check the timetable on the day.
Shops and restaurants at Christmas
Many supermarket chains close on December 25, and opening on December 26 varies from store to store, according to the Italian consumer group Altroconsumo in December 2025. On December 24, many stores close early. Restaurants, by contrast, are busy: the restaurant association Fipe expected about 5.5 million people to eat out for Christmas lunch in 2025, as Gambero Rosso reported. So if you want a table on December 25, book ahead.
Plan your Christmas Day in Italy
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Base yourself somewhere walkable, since transport is limited on the day. Compare places to stay in Rome on Expedia. If you’ll be in Rome in the days before Christmas, check which dates this semi-private Christmas walking tour of Rome runs.
For city guides, read Christmas in Rome, Christmas in Florence, Christmas in Milan, Christmas in Venice and Christmas in Naples. For the other holidays, see December 8 in Italy, New Year’s Eve in Italy and Epiphany in Italy.
Sources and verification
On October 21, 2026, we checked the Vatican Museums’ 2026–27 opening calendar and the official opening pages of the Colosseum, the Uffizi, the Galleria dell’Accademia and the Last Supper, plus the Ministry of Culture’s page on Pompeii. The 2025 Christmas schedules come from the Vatican’s Office of Liturgical Celebrations and Press Office and from ATAC; Milan’s metro hours from Mentelocale; shops from Altroconsumo; and restaurants from Gambero Rosso’s report on Fipe. We’ll update this page when the 2026 schedules are published.
Frequently asked questions
Is Christmas Day in Italy a public holiday?
Yes. December 25 and December 26 (Santo Stefano) are both national public holidays in Italy. In 2026 they fall on a Friday and a Saturday.
Are the Vatican Museums open on Christmas Day 2026?
No. According to their official calendar, the Vatican Museums are closed on both December 25 and 26, 2026.
Is the Colosseum open on December 25?
No. The Colosseum closes on December 25 and January 1. It’s open on December 26, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, with last entry at 3:30 pm.
Does public transport run on Christmas Day in Rome?
It did in 2025, with reduced hours: ATAC ran service from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm and from 4:30 pm to 9:00 pm on December 25. The 2026 plan hadn’t been published when we checked, so look for it in December.
What time is the Pope’s Christmas Mass?
The 2026 times hadn’t been announced when we checked. In 2025, Midnight Mass was at 10:00 pm on December 24 and the Urbi et Orbi blessing at noon on December 25.
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