Christmas in Rome

Fly to Rome and transfer to your hotel. Settle in to your room, then venture out to enjoy your first glimpse of this extraordinary city, and perhaps find somewhere for dinner – Rome is blessed with a vast number of restaurants, as well as a huge variety of bars.

This morning, our first included tour takes you across the River Tiber to the Vatican City. Here vast St Peter’s Square, overlooked by the great dome of St Peter's Basilica, is one of the world’s most recognisable sights. Step inside St Peter's to see Bernini’s towering bronze baldacchino above the high altar, Michelangelo’s exquisite Pieta, and the ancient bronze of St Peter himself - his right foot worn smooth by the hands and lips of centuries of visiting pilgrims. There will also be the opportunity to visit the Sistine Chapel to see Michelangelo’s frescoes and ceiling - some of Western art’s greatest masterpieces.

This afternoon, explore the city at your leisure. Why not climbing to the top of the Vittorio Emanuele monument to take in the views, or head to the Capitoline Hill to look down on the Forum and the Colosseum - a five-acre site from which the vast breadth of the Roman Empire was once controlled? Shoppers can head to the chic Via Condotti, the stores of the Via del Corso or the colourful stalls of Piazza Navona’s Christmas Market. Seek out Rome's current creative culture on the narrow, cobbled streets of bohemian Trastevere, where you'll also find some fantastic restaurants and bars.

Join this morning’s guided tour to discover the Eternal City’s major sights. Highlights may include the Capitoline Hill, the Colosseum and the Forum, the jaw-dropping Pantheon, Piazza Navona (Rome’s most famous square), the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, into which many a trio of coins have been thrown.

After another afternoon left free, begin your Christmas celebrations with a special meal in a local restaurant, and then perhaps even attend Midnight Mass at St Peter’s.

Although the city is largely quiet today, you will have the chance to join the crowds in St Peter’s Square for the Pope's annual Christmas Day address to Urbi et Orbi – the city and the world. You'll also have time for a stroll through Rome’s, less crowded than usual, streets and to enjoy a leisurely lunch – many establishments stay open to cater for visitors to the city.

You've one last day to explore Rome, today, as the city's major museums, such as the Musei Capitolini, which houses a treasure trove of ancient art and archaeology, re-open. But you'll also have the chance to join our excursion to the stunning Villa d’Este in hill-top Tivoli, a sumptuous 16th-century Renaissance villa surrounded by terraced gardens and beautiful fountains and water features.

Bid “Arrivederci, Roma”, as you transfer to the airport to catch your flight home, at the end of a wonderful Christmas break.