In February in Rome enjoy the cultural offer and winter cuisine. From the middle of the month you can feel the coming spring.
What’s on?
Since few tourists are in Rome in February, you can enjoy the attractions in peace without large crowds. But even in February, some attractions require reservations and you can find all the information here.
Carnival is celebrated very little in Rome. Only on the last weekend before Ash Wednesday there is a little more movement. Perhaps this is because in Rome you can celebrate all year round even undisguised and even in the cold season there is a lot going on in the streets and squares.
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February in Rome
The capital of Italy has much to offer. It is full of treasures of art and culture. Famous performers give concerts. The center is a great shopping area and there is a wide gastronomic offer.
Accommodation is cheap in February and a room in the center is a good investment. You will experience the city first hand and hardly you will have to rely on public transportation. How to find a cheap room and which areas are good, read our information about Hotels in Rome.
Rome is a very green city. A walk in one of the Roman villas on a foggy February morning is a special experience. And of course you have to visit a lookout point. Die-hard people combine a visit to the excavations in Ostia Antica is with a trip to the sea. In the wintry Villa D’Este in Tivoli with its water features, there is an interesting atmosphere, especially in the evening. Located in the valley below Tivoli, Villa Adriana is the largest villa that a Roman emperor has ever built. In its ruins, the sun burns mercilessly from spring to autumn and winter is the best time for us to see it.
But you can also reach more distant destinations such as Pompei, Naples or Florence in one day with the high-speed train or with a guided tour.
How cold it is
The weather in February is very different in the years. The highest temperature ever measured is 23°C/73.4°F, the lowest -7°C/19.4°F. At the end of the month you begin to feel the spring.
In February it can rain occasionally. The rain usually does not last long and you can find a shelter. After 15 or 30 minutes it is usually all over again.
Climate data February
| Tmax Ø | 12°C/53.6°F |
| Tmin Ø | 4°C/39.2°F |
| Sunshine hours Ø | 4.8 |
| Days with rain Ø | 9 |
Source: www.wetter.com
It is memorable when there is snow or frost in Rome. That only happens once in three or four years. This special spectacle then goes through all the newspapers.
Since you spend a lot of time outdoors in Rome, you need warm clothing and rain protection. Comfortable shoes are also important in Rome, as you will be walking a lot and the sidewalks are often bumpy.
Rome for early risers
Of course it takes a certain effort to get up in the dark. Nevertheless, I would like to recommend that you set off early in the morning.
There is very little traffic in Rome until six in the morning and you can take beautiful photos of the illuminated monuments and squares undisturbed. If you are lucky, you will find a foggy morning that offers very beautiful and unique photo opportunities. The sunrise in Rome in February is between 7:22 and 6:46.
Early morning is also the best time to jog.
Mid season in Rome what you should consider
There are always many visitors in Rome. No matter whether you are interested in archeology, art, churches or culinary art, Rome has something to offer for everyone.
The European Union was founded in Rome; three UN organizations, FAO, WFP and IFAD, are based in Rome. Rome is the capital of Italy and, with the Vatican, the center of the world’s Catholic religion.
There is always a lot going on in Rome, but a little less in February than in other months.
If you want to visit the museums in Rome and the Vatican, February is a good month for you.
Rome is also interesting for shopping in February. You can stock up on spring fashion here.
The heavy Roman cuisine goes perfectly with the cold season. In our Food category you will find tips on street food, pizza, the best ice cream parlors that offer creations to match the winter, but also on very elegant restaurants.
Avoid queues
Keeping your distance is a necessary precaution. Avoid the queues and make a daily schedule. In our category 3 days in Rome you will find suggestions that you can combine with each other.
Since you have to reserve in advance at the most important museums, the risk of queues is low there. Queues are almost always at ticket offices in airports and at the ticket machines. Bookings on the Internet are therefore the best choice.
Arrival
Organize the journey from the airport to the hotel in advance and read our information about the metro and how you can get tickets quickly and easily.
Museums
Many museums can only be visited by reservation. These include the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Museums, the Colosseum, the Borghese Gallery and the museums of the Municipality of Rome. You can find information about the museums on our pages
Welcome to Rome Multimediashow
In the center of Rome, between the Vatican and Piazza Navona, a 30-minute multidimensional film show and an exhibition with interactive models await you.
Corso Vittorio Emanuele II 203 
Bus 46, 62, 64, 916 C.so Vittorio Emanuele / Navona
St. Peter’s Basilica
Entry to St. Peter’s Basilica is free.
Priority entry to St. Peter’s Basilica is unlikely to be offered in February. This imposing building is definitely worth a tour. For more information read our pages on St. Peter’s Basilica, St. Peter’s Square and the history of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Opening hours
St. Peter’s Basilica
Basilica 7 am – 6:30 pm – dome 8 am – 5 pm – treasure 9 am – 5:15 pm
More information about St. Peter’s Basilica>
Vatican Museums
Monday – Saturday 9 – 16 Closing 18, Closed Sundays and February 11. Free admission on Sunday 26 9 – 12:30 closing 14:00.
Details on the Vatican Museums>
City museums and national museums
In Rome, some of the museums belong to the municipality and some to the state.
The city’s museums include the Capitoline Museums, Trajan’s Markets, Imperial Forums and numerous other museums. National museums include the Colosseum, Castel Sant’Angelo, Borghese Gallery and many more. For the full list of museums, opening times and tickets, see our Rome Museums page.
Free entry
All museums run by the Municipality of Rome, such as the Capitoline Museums and the Trajan’s Markets, have free admission on February 5. The entry time must be reserved by telephone +39060608. Admission is also free at the national museums, most of which do not require reservations.
Exhibitions
Cinecittà si mostra Visit the dream factory of Roman cinema, Metro A Station Cinecittà Tickets
Galleria Colonna – one of the largest ancient private palaces in Rome. The most beautiful rooms of the palace and the art collection of the family with artists from the 15th and 16th centuries such as Pinturicchio, Cosmè Tura, Carracci, Guido Reni, Tintoretto, Salvator Rosa, Bronzino, Guercino, Veronese, Vanvitelli
Via della Pilotta 17 (near Piazza Venezia) Bus 51, 60, 63, 80, 83, 85, 160, 170, H, n5, n8, n11, n90, n543, n716 (Piazza Venezia) Tickets
Capuchin Crypt – Museum and Crypt of the Capuchins
Via Vittorio Veneto 27 Bus 52, 53, 61, 63, 80, 83, 160, n90, nMA (Barberini) Tickets
The Colosseum tells of itself, permanent exhibition in the Colosseum – with the support of Heinz Beste, DAI Rom
Piazza del Colosseo Metro B Colosseo Tickets
Pasolini Painter
Pasolini Pittore is an exclusive exhibition project, completely new in its kind, conceived on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Pier Paolo Pasolini. It aims, more than forty years after the last complete publication on Pasolini the painter in 1978, to bring back attention to an important artistic aspect, often neglected by critics, in the overall context of the work of the writer and director.
The exhibition includes about two hundred works, most of which come from the Gabinetto Scientifico Letterario G.P. Vieusseux in Florence. They reconstruct Pasolini’s artistic career since the early 1940s and document the continuity of Pasolini’s painterly practice and his technical tenacity. In the end, the artist was always more interested in the “composition” – with its contours – than in the material, in line with that painterly phase of Italian art that, especially between the 1960s and 1970s, was increasingly defined also by its civic commitment.
Gallery of Modern Art, Via Francesco Crispi 24 – until April 16, 2023
La Movida. Spain 1980-1990
La Movida. Spain 1980-1990, the first exhibition in Italy by photographer and artist Miguel Trillo, through more than 60 photographs, chronicles the 1980s, the cultural movement known as La Movida and its social and political consequences.
Through April 30, Museo di Roma in Trastevere
VAN GOGH – Masterpieces from the Kröller-Müller Museum
In the run-up to the 170th anniversary of his birth, this exhibition and emotional journey, through an exceptional loan of 50 works – including his famous Self-Portrait (1887) – tells of his human and artistic life.
Special attention is given to the period of stay in Paris, in which Van Gogh devotes himself to an accurate color research in the wake of Impressionism and a new freedom in the choice of subjects, with the conquest of a more immediate and chromatically vivid language.
Palazzo Bonaparte, Piazza Venezia 5 – until March 26, 2023 Tickets
Raoul Dufy – The painter of joy
The exhibition is divided into 13 thematic sections and narrates the entire artistic career of the French painter.
Palazzo Cipolla, Via del Corso 320 – until Feb. 26, 2023 Tickets
Medieval Rome – The Lost Face of the City
The exhibition traces the appearance of Rome between the sixth and fourteenth centuries and its central role for simple pilgrims as well as for kings and emperors.
Put yourself in the shoes of a medieval pilgrim who wanted to see the first witnesses of Christianity and the relics of the martyrs.
Museo di Roma, Piazza Navona
Riccardo Venturi. Childhood conditions – journey in the growing country
With over 80 photographs, the exhibition presents the reportage of the important mission of the social enterprise “Con i Bambini”, addressing inequality and exclusion, social exclusion and school dropout.
Riccardo Venturi, twice Word Press Photo, makes the theme visible with his work.
Museo di Roma in Trastevere, Piazza di San Egidio, until 26 February 2023
Technoscape – The Architecture of Engineering
The exhibition highlights the relationship between structural or avant-garde engineering and the omnipresence of technology in the contemporary world.
The exhibition is divided into technological innovation and structural engineering.
MAXXI – Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI secolo, Via Guido Reni 4a – until April 10, 2023
The Colors of Antiquity. Santarelli Marbles at the Capitoline Museums
In two rooms of Palazzo Clementino at the Capitoline Museums, there is on display a broad overview of the use of colored marbles, from their origins to the 20th century, through a fine selection of pieces from the Santarelli Foundation.
The World of Banksy – The immersive experience
Be captivated by the masterpieces of one of the most enigmatic artists of our time!
Tiburtina station – Shop gallery – until 28 May Tickets
The Rome of the Republic. The narrative of archaeology
At Palazzo Caffarelli, the exhibition of some 1,800 works illustrates, through a series of archaeological themes and contexts, the characteristics and changes in Roman society from the 5th to the middle of the first century BC.
Events
Papal audiences and masses in February
General audiences of the Holy Father take place on Wednesdays at 9:00 am.
The Pope’s Angelus prayer takes place on Sundays at noon in St. Peter’s Square.
There is traditionally a mass of the Pope on the afternoon of Ash Wednesday February 22 on the Aventine. 16:30 Procession from San Anselmo to the Basilica of Santa Sabina, 17:00 Mass
Traffic-calmed Sunday
February 26, Traffic-calmed Sunday – driving ban for private vehicles with combustion engines in the city center
7:30 am – 12:30 pm, 4:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Fairs
Canapa Mundi
Feb. 17-19 Fiera di Roma Regional train FL1 direction Fiumicino airport
Sport
Rugby Six Nations Olympic stadium
5.2. Italy – France
25.2. Italy – Ireland
Concerts
Rome has a lively music scene. Many pubs and music venues offer live music, especially on weekends. Classical music can be found in many churches and palaces.
Rome’s Music Park
A jewel is the Parco della Musica, built by the internationally known architect Renzo Piano, in northern Rome on Via Flaminia. See all events here. Events and tickets
Tram 2
There are several auditoriums and an open-air stage in the Parco della Musica. There are performances in all styles.
Some events are also organized together with the Casa del Jazz. Events and Tickets Casa del Jazz
Bus 160, 671, 714, 792
Atlantico
Atlantico is a concert hall in the EUR neighborhood. You take Metro B to EUR Fermi and then bus 705 or 706 to Colombo / Atlantico.
Viale dell’Oceano Atlantico, 271D
Metro B EUR Fermi -> 705, 706
Palazzo dello Sport
The Palazzo dello Sport is a multifunctional hall where concerts are held regularly. It is located in Quartier EUR and is easily accessible by Metro B station Palasport.
Metro B EUR Palasport
Largo Venue
Largo Venue is a cultural center on Via Prenestina.
Largo Venue, Via Biordo Michelotti 2
Tram 5, 14, 19 Bus 81, 412, n5, n543, nMC Prenestina/Gattamelata
Teatro Brancaccio
The Teatro Brancaccio on Via Merulana also hosts musical events.
Via Merulana 244 Bus 16, 75, 714
Amusement parks
In Rome and the surrounding area there are a few parks that offer a welcome change.
Luneur
The Luneur Park offers many rides. It is located in the south of the city in the EUR district on Via Cristoforo Colombo. The opening times in winter are irregular, mostly Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., in summer daily until midnight. On the Luneur website you can see the calendar with the opening days. Bus connections are lines 30, 170, 714 and 791, Colombo / Agricoltura stop. From there it is 750m to the entrance on Via delle Tre Fontane 100.
Cinecittà World
Cinecittà World is a theme park about cinema and television. It is located next to the Castel Romano outlet center on Via Pontina between Rome and Pomezia. A shuttle bus runs from the Termini main station. Tickets
Excursions around Rome
Rome has beautiful surroundings. The Romans go to the seaside or the mountains for a good meal on weekends.
The seafood restaurants by the sea are also well attended in February. There is a rustic kitchen in the mountains that goes well with the cooler temperatures. When there is snow, the Romans ski in the nearby Appenines.
You can reach many destinations by public transport.
Excursions to the sea
If you want to see the sea, just go to Ostia Lido. A ticket for city traffic is sufficient for the journey and on the way you can visit the excavations of the old port city of Ostia Antica.
Excursions in the mountains
The most famous summer residence of the Romans in Castel Gandolfo. The popes spent the summer here at an altitude of around 400 m. Pope Francis, however, remains in Rome and the palace and gardens at Castel Gandolfo can be visited.
You can get to Castel Gandolfo by train from Roma Termini or from Ciampino with a 3-zone ticket. The train station is located on the volcanic hill between Lake Albano and the village.
Day trips
With the high-speed trains that are punctual to the minute, Florence and Naples are only around 1 ½ hours away. With our tips you can put together your own day tour or book an organized tour. Take a day to stroll around Florence and see the world famous Uffizi Gallery. Or visit the excavations in Pompeii and see Vesuvius, which is still active today and buried the city under its ashes.
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