This post will tell you everything you need to know about visiting Rome during the Covid-19 pandemic, including travel restrictions, museum reservations, and more.
This is the first time I have been back to Rome since the pandemic and though I am beyond excited to be here, I wasn’t sure how to anticipate the Covid-19 measures throughout the country. This past week, I spent four days in Rome, Italy.
Here is a link to the entry requirements for Americans traveling to Italy.
Over 80% of Italy’s population over the age of 12 years old is vaccinated. Masks are required indoors when entering shops, museums, and cafes. Masks are also required on all forms of public transportation.
A Green Pass or vaccination card is required for all museum entrances, train entrances, and entrances to some restaurants.
I find Italy’s regulatulations to be much like the regulations in the United States and had no issue adjusting at all here.
Check out my Rome itinerary HERE!
Visiting Rome during Covid-19 turned out to be absolutely amazing. I have never seen such small crowds in Rome before, or any major city in Europe for that matter. It is also October here, making it a shoulder season with lower travel rates.
Due to Covid-19, the number of travelers is so much lower than normal. A few travel companies told me that their bookings are still about 60% lower than 2019.
I noticed that most of the travelers I met were from other European countries. I usually meet tons of Americans, Canadians, and Australians when I travel and for obvious reasons that did not happen this time.
Museums
The one thing about visiting Italy during this time is that you absolutely MUST book your tickets in advance for museums and group tours. In the past, you could sometimes walk up to a museum, buy a ticket, and enter right away.
If you try to do this now, you will likely be laughed at like I was at the Capitoline Museums. Learn from me!
I visited three major museums while visiting Rome during Covid-19 and booked all three tickets in advance by about two or three days.
Again, due to the limited capacity in the museums, there was almost no one in the same room as me at the same time. Some of the more popular rooms in the Vatican Museums were more “crowded” but it all was pretty empty and quiet.
To put this in perspective, I have visited Rome before in the popular summer months, and the Vatican Museums would be completely packed shoulder to shoulder with tourists.
Visiting during this time was really a wonderful surprise and allowed me to have a whole new experience there.
Accomodations
While in Rome, I stayed in The Beehive Hostel. I typically always stay in hostels when I travel solo, but was a little nervous to do so during Covid-19.
This hostel is owned by the sweetest couple and they have a great story about how they started this hostel. The husband, Steve, is even from Colorado where I’m from! Small world.
Everything about staying in the hostel was the same as before, except that masks were required in the common areas. I checked in on a Thursday and there weren’t too many guests there that night. Though it did fill up quite a bit on the weekend.
There were a lot of travelers from the USA and Canada! We were all so excited to be traveling again. Many people were on months-long trips throughout Europe.
The Beehive Hostel is only steps away from the Termini Train Station which was so convenient. It’s walkable to the rest of Rome and is also right next to the Termini Metro Stop. Some days I walked and some days I took the metro. It was great!
Green Pass – Essential
Every time you take a public train or enter a museum, you will be asked for your Green Pass. Europeans all have a uniform pass showing that they have received an EU approved vaccination and received their second dose more than 14 days ago.
For Americans, you can show a photo of your vaccination card along with a government-issued ID. The ID proves that the vaccination card belongs to you. This has been sufficient for my entire trip.
Is it Worth it to Visit Rome During Covid-19?
Now is the perfect time to travel to Rome. Avoid large crowds and enjoy the mild weather of the shoulder months. Book your tickets in advance and enjoy Rome to the fullest!
