Rome in spring - a wonderful time to visit

Is Rome in spring the best time to visit Rome?

It's (nearly) perfect sight-seeing weather, flowers bloom and cover the city in delicious scents, the days are longer and longer, and there is so much to do!

Visiting Rome in spring and what to expect

Spring is one of my favorite seasons in Rome.

The main reasons I love spring in Rome are the flowers, the longer days, and the stirring of the city out of its chilly winter lethargy.

Spring in Rome is full of promise of months of fun-filled beautiful days ahead.

On this page, you'll find:

• Is spring a good time to visit Rome? Is spring shoulder season or high season?
• What's the weather like in Rome in spring?
• What to pack and what to wear in Rome during spring?
• What are some spring events/holidays to look out for in Rome?
• What are the best things to do in Rome in spring?
• What foods are in season in Rome in spring?

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Rome in Spring
A Romewise Photo Book

Travel to the Eternal City in spring from the comfort of your home with our beautifully designed photo book.

This book comes as a hardback, with a glossy cover finish, ensuring it will look stunning on your coffee table, desk or bookshelf.

Produced in, and dispatched from the United States, this book is available now for worldwide shipping*.

$19.99

*This product is produced in, and dispatched from the United States. Please consider that delivery timeframes may fluctuate based on where you are in the world, particularly while COVID-related disruptions persist. Deliveries outside of the United States may be subject to custom or import fees, which Romewise bears no responsibility for - if you are unsure, please check with your national authorities before ordering.

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Is spring a good time to visit Rome?

Yes!

Spring is a wonderful time to visit Rome (but you should know I think every season is a great time to visit Rome.)

What makes spring so special in Rome?

Flowers, lots of flowers.

The air smells lovely and it feels warm but not too hot.

And the light starts changing from that low winter glaze into a crispy sparkly glow.

I suppose most places in the world have flowers blooming in spring.

But in Rome, the backdrop makes the flowers even lovelier.

Is spring shoulder season or high season in Rome?

I find when people ask if it's a good time to visit Rome, they are usually concerned with two things - crowds and weather.

We'll go over the weather in the next section.

As for whether spring in Rome is considered shoulder or high season, I would say it's both, but mostly it's high season.

Typically spring begins on March 20 and ends on June 20 or 21.

You might think that March is too early for most people.

After all, it's still chilly, the days are still kind of short, and most kids are in school.

But in all my years running a B&B in Rome, I knew when the season was about to get really busy when I saw Rome fill up with large parked tour buses with non-Roman plates all over the place.

This typically happened sometime in mid-March.

Many kids are in school, yes.

But there is spring break, and it's often at different times around the world, which means we get spring-breakers all month long.

Then you have families without kids or whose kids are not in school - maybe they are infants/toddlers, or maybe they are between semesters.

And in recent years, as people tried to find a less busy time to visit Rome, they began coming in late February.

And this means even March, and certainly the part of March where spring begins, is starting to be a busy, or high season in Rome.

As we move into May and June (most of June is still a spring month), Rome just gets busier and busier as schools let out and people come looking for sunny weather.

At this point, people often start going to the beach.

Booking.com

What's the weather like in Rome in spring?

Spring goes from late March to late June, so obviously, the weather in Rome at the beginning of spring is quite different from the weather in Rome in late spring.

As we come out of winter towards the end of March (and even before then), you can definitely feel the chill in the air become less biting and the (already low) chance of snow and bad weather reduces.

The daytime temps in early spring are usually in the high teens Celsius / mid 60's and 70's Fahrenheit.

But the nights are still cold and you will need a jacket.

March and April can be pretty rainy whereas we get less rain in May and June.

We move to Daylight Saving Time at the end of March and because of the longer days and more sunshine, April starts to really feel like spring.

Temps are still really comfortable, usually just a bit warmer than in March.

May is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful months of the year in Rome, weather-wise, so it's no wonder it's typically also one of the busiest.

People always argue with me about this, but I'm telling you May is the busiest month of the year in Rome along with late September/early October.

But May is usually a bit chillier than you might expect, especially at the beginning of the month.

You will still need long pants and a jacket when you visit Rome in May.

While June is mostly a spring month, even at the beginning, it starts feeling like summer.

Typical of spring, nights are still comfortable but can be slightly chilly.

Daytime temps are in the high 20's Celsius / high 70's - low 80s Fahrenheit.

What to pack and what to wear in Rome in spring?

No matter when you visit Rome, there are five things you should always bring:

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Besides the above, when you visit Rome in spring, what you pack may be slightly different at the beginning of spring (March) than towards the end (June). 

A few easy rules of thumb:

• Bring clothes for layering as the evenings can be chilly but the days can get warm, even hot sometimes.
• Bring breathable comfortable clothes. Cotton pants, skirts, dresses, shorts, tees, cardigans, and a light jacket are all a good idea.
• Bring two pairs of super comfortable shoes. Make sure one pair is close-toed.
• Allow some space in your luggage for shopping acquisitions!
• Come prepared for rain. A travel umbrella, waterproof jacket or shell, and waterproof shoes are ideal. And of course a rain hat as I said above.

For more details about what to pack for Rome visit my page here.

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Visit my dedicated pages about what to pack for Rome for every spring month:

• Packing for Rome in March
  
• Packing for Rome in April
  
• Packing for Rome in May
• Packing for Rome in June

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When are you coming to Rome?
Be sure to grab one of our monthly eBook guides to the Eternal City:

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What are some events/holidays to look out for in Rome in spring?

Spring in Rome is chock-full of holidays and events.

Some of the below are in early March so they are technically in winter but just in case you are here then, I include them:

• March (and February) - Six Nations' Rugby. Usually there are at least 2 matches in Rome.
• March (sometimes February) - Carnival. You will likely see kids in costumes and confetti all over the ground.
• March 8 - International Women's Day. You will see mimosa flowers everywhere as it's customary to give them to women to mark this day.
• March 9 - Feast Day of St. Frances of Rome. If you are in Rome this day, you can visit the monastery dedicated to her, which is open only on this day each year.

• March 15 - the Ides of March. There is a re-enactment at Largo Argentina of the assassination of Julius Caesar.
  
• March 17 - Saint Patrick's Day. The Colosseum turns green!

• March 19 - San Giuseppe (Father's Day). Look out for tasty cream-filled pastries called bignet di San Giuseppe.
  
• End of March - The last Sunday of March is the beginning of Daylight Saving Time.
• March/April - Rome marathon
• March/April - Easter. Usually Easter Week is very busy in Rome and Easter itself is slightly less busy. Visit my pages about Easter celebrations, March events, and April events, for more details.

• April 21 - Rome's birthday (753 BCE). Nothing will be closed. On the contrary, some sights begin their season on this day, such as the Roseto Rose Garden overlooking the Palatine Hill (Open through the first week of June), and the light shows on the Fori Imperiali. There will be some other interesting events such as a parade, a small concert at Capitoline Hill, and a re-enactment of the battle for Rome in the Circus Maximus.

• April/May - Azaleas on the Spanish Steps. This usually lasts 2-3 weeks from mid-late April through the first week or so of May.

• April 25 - Liberation Day. This is an important national holiday in Rome and in Italy - it celebrates the end of Nazi occupation during WWII, and the end of Fascist rule in Italy.
  
• May 1 - Labor Day. This is an important holiday in Europe and is almost always a national holiday where it's celebrated. Some sites and monuments close this day.
• June - Roma estate lungotevere. The summerfest along the Tiber usually runs from June - September.
• June 2 - The Festa della Repubblica celebrates the day the monarchy was abolished, and Italy became a republic, on June 2, 1946. There is a parade to mark the occasion.
• June 29 - Saints Peter and Paul, patron saints of Rome. This holiday is specific to Rome. 
  

What are the best things to do in Rome in spring?

Typically in March and April, many sites start to extend their hours, with the notable exception of the Colosseum and Palatine Hill/Roman Forum, which begin extending their hours in late March/early April.

Usually from April, many sites begin offering night visits - from the Vatican Museums to the Colosseum to the light shows along the via dei Fori Imperiali.

Rome in spring has perfect sight-seeing weather, almost never too hot.

This is a great time to enjoy the outdoors and warmer and lighter evenings.

You may want to spend some time in the Villa Borghese park and even take a spin on the little swan lake in a rowboat.

Consider a visit to Rome's Botanical Gardens when so many flowers will be in bloom.

Springtime is also an excellent time for taking a food tour because so many things are still in season or coming into season.

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Rome in Spring
A Romewise Photo Book

Travel to the Eternal City in spring from the comfort of your home with our beautifully designed photo book.

This book comes as a hardback, with a glossy cover finish, ensuring it will look stunning on your coffee table, desk or bookshelf.

Produced in, and dispatched from the United States, this book is available now for worldwide shipping*.

$19.99

*This product is produced in, and dispatched from the United States. Please consider that delivery timeframes may fluctuate based on where you are in the world, particularly while COVID-related disruptions persist. Deliveries outside of the United States may be subject to custom or import fees, which Romewise bears no responsibility for - if you are unsure, please check with your national authorities before ordering.

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What foods are in season in Rome in spring?

There are a few specific desserts in early spring.

Frappe, castagnole are special only to Carnevale which usually happens in February (obviously this is actually winter, but it makes us feel like spring is just around the corner.)

You might see some of these still around in early March but then they make way for Bignet di San Giuseppe, a cream-filled pastry made for Father's Day on March 19.

Besides those human-made seasonal foods, the seasonal fruits and vegetables in Rome in spring include:

• Puntarelle - a cold and crunchy chicory salad served with an anchovy garlic dressing.
• Agretti - a very season vegetable that looks like grass and tastes like spinach. Usually boiled and served with olive oil, salt, and lemon.
• Artichokes - You can find artichokes in Rome now nearly year-round, but early spring is when the big globe artichokes are in season. March and April are the best times to eat Roman artichokes, whether you like them alla Giudia (twice fried) or alla Romana (braised with garlic and herbs).

• Vignarola - This is another very Roman, very seasonal dish. It's typically a mixture of artichokes, peas, and fava beans. It may also be made with guanciale (pork cheeks). You can eat it alone as a side dish or appetizer, on pasta, or on bruschetta.
• Fava beans (typically from May 1, and on that day eaten with Pecorino cheese.)