Is Rome & The Vatican Worth Visiting During the 2025 Papal Jubilee? 🇻🇦
A tour guide’s perspective based on previous Jubilees and frequent Italy travel
This year’s festivities for Christmas in Rome will be especially jubilant, as on Christmas Eve, the Pope will open the Holy Door of Saint Peter’s Basilica to inaugurate a Holy Year.
These special Holy Years are typically celebrated every 25 years, as they have been for over 500 years. The most recent was in 2000, and a special edition in 2016.
This will be the third Jubilee that I’ve participated in. As the city prepares for this huge event, you may be wondering what exactly a Jubilee is, if you should go or totally avoid Rome, and what this may mean for your travel planning.
As always, I’ve got some perspective from many years in the city as a tour guide. As a side note, I am Catholic but you don’t need to be Catholic to participate, and you don’t need to specifically avoid it if you are not religious. It’s interesting as a cultural event either way.