Easter in Rome 2027: Holy Week at the Vatican

Palm Sunday is 21 March 2027, Holy Thursday 25 March, Good Friday 26 March, Holy Saturday 27 March, Easter Sunday 28 March and Easter Monday, a public holiday in Italy, 29 March. The Holy See publishes the official calendar of papal celebrations on vatican.va in the weeks before; the times below are those of 2026, a good guide to what to expect.

Palm Sunday opens the week with a procession and Mass in St Peter's Square, at 10:00 in 2026, followed by the Angelus. On Holy Thursday morning the Pope celebrates the Chrism Mass in St Peter's Basilica (9:30 in 2026), and in the evening the Mass of the Lord's Supper (in 2026 at the Basilica of St John Lateran, at 17:30).

On Good Friday there are two moments: the Celebration of the Lord's Passion in St Peter's in the afternoon (17:00 in 2026), and at night the Way of the Cross at the Colosseum (21:15 in 2026), one of the most striking sights of the Roman year. The Easter Vigil is held in St Peter's on Saturday night (21:00 in 2026). On Easter Sunday the Pope celebrates Mass in St Peter's Square (10:15 in 2026) and then gives the Urbi et Orbi blessing from the central balcony of the Basilica. On Easter Monday he leads the Regina Caeli at noon.

Tickets for the Pope's liturgical celebrations are always free. Never pay for them, and be wary of any website that sells them. Lay faithful request them online from the Prefecture of the Papal Household, through the booking link on the Holy See's page for audiences and celebrations (eventi.pontificalisdomus.va); priests and deacons use a separate system.

Request as early as you can, as soon as your dates are fixed, and read the confirmation carefully: it tells you how and where to collect the tickets. On the day, arrive early, because security checks around St Peter's Square take time on the big feasts.

Holy Week brings pilgrims from all over the world, and the area around St Peter's is at its busiest on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. Plan museum visits for the weekdays. The Vatican Museums are closed on Sundays and, going by the current official calendar, on Easter Monday and on 19 March; in 2027 the last Sunday of March is Easter itself, so there is no free Sunday opening that month. Book Vatican Museums tickets only on the official site.

On Good Friday evening, the streets around the Colosseum and Via dei Fori Imperiali fill up well before the Way of the Cross begins. If you want to watch, arrive early and dress warmly: late March evenings in Rome can be cool.

For the Vatican celebrations, our Vaticano apartment in Prati is ten minutes on foot from the Vatican Museums entrance and fifteen from St Peter's Square, a one-bedroom for up to four with a lift. For the Way of the Cross, our Colosseo apartment in Monti is ten minutes on foot from the Colosseum, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms for up to six.

In the historic centre, Pantheon (up to eight), Piazza di Spagna (up to six) and Fontana di Trevi (up to four) put you within walking distance of everything else, and metro line A from Barberini takes you towards the Vatican.

Easter is one of our busiest periods, and on some peak dates, Easter included, our minimum stay is three nights or more: the calendar on each apartment page shows it for every arrival date. When you book directly, a 30% deposit confirms the stay and cancellation is free up to 14 days before arrival, which makes it sensible to secure your dates now and finalise plans later.