If you’ve booked a trip to Italy this year, congratulations! (And if you’ve booked with Villaggio Tours, grazie mille!) Or if you’ve got Italy on your 2025 radar, you’re certainly not alone. This promises to be another record-breaking year for visitors to Italy, in no small part due to the Papal Jubilee, the pilgrimage event in Rome held every quarter century.
The Jubilee, plus some new travel visa regulations, means planning a trip to Italy in 2025 is just a wee bit more complicated than usual. I’ve pulled together this list of things to know about visiting this year, and how you can plan now to not be disappointed later.
>> The Jubilee will bring millions of additional visitors to Rome.
>> You’ll need to book flights early, even if you’re not planning to stay in Rome.
Whether you plan to spend time in Rome or not, all those millions of extra people flying into Italy means flights are going to be in high demand, especially to Rome. I am no expert on the science of snagging the best airfares, but my spidey sense tells me that if you find a reasonably priced flight to Italy, don’t wait for prices to go lower, as they probably won’t.
>> Book your Rome tours now, too.
Our Rome tours and extensions include lesser-known points of interest, but I’ve even booked those ahead of time. If you’ve got your heart set on seeing the Vatican Museums or the Colosseum, book those tours now, to ensure you snag a spot on your preferred day. And if you do plan to visit the Vatican Museums or St. Peter’s, avoid dates when there are major Jubilee events taking place.
I’m simplifying things a bit here, but the big deal of the Jubilee is the granting of plenary indulgences, or forgiveness of sins that might lead to one languishing in hell or purgatory, to all those who pass through the Holy Doors of a Papal Basilica during a Jubilee Year. To participate, you must register in advance at https://register.iubilaeum2025.va/home.
>> A new visa is on the horizon
Though the date keeps getting kicked down the road, sometime in 2025, the new ETIAS travel visa program will launch. Like the ESTA visa required for Europeans visiting the US, ETIAS will require that US visitors to Europe register in advance for a travel visa that’s good for three years. Once the visa program is operative, applications should process in minutes — but I’d play it safe and apply as soon as it’s up and running.
>> You need a transit visa to travel through the UK
Anyone traveling to Italy via the United Kingdom (virtually all British Airways flights to Italy include layovers in London) is now required to have an ETA, or Electronic Travel Authorisation, which costs £10 and is good for two years. Even if you are just changing planes in a UK airport and not exiting onto UK soil, you still need the ETA. I don’t know yet how bumpy the rollout will be on this, but I expect that British authorities are going to be very rigid about the ETA requirement.
>> Italy is cracking down on Airbnbs and their ilk
A new law passed in late 2024 bans lockboxes on short term rentals across Italy. Ostensibly an anti-terrorism measure, the law also takes aim at the scourge (yep, I said it) of short-term rentals in Italy’s touristic areas, which are driving out local residents and negatively affecting the character of city centers. The no-lockbox law means that property owners or managers have to be physically present to check in guests — so no more just sending a lockbox code. They have to take photos of all guest passports or official ID, and send those to local authorities. So in addition to tracking who’s entering and leaving cities, this new regulation will crack down on unreported earnings…hello, Mr. Taxman.
>> And Villaggio Tours is ringing in 2025 with a price freeze
To celebrate 2025, we’re sticking to our 2024 prices! That means the sale price you see on all tours is valid for the entirety of 2025. Here’s where things stand right now with our 2025 itineraries:
Travel to Italy in 2025 may be a little more complicated than usual. But you should just be prepared, rather than discouraged! Rome will be crazy crowded, but still manageable with the right amount of planning. The rest of Italy may be more crowded than usual thanks to Jubilee overflow, but few if any of those crowds will reach Allerona. If you time your trip right, you can still have a wonderful time in Italy, whether your sins are forgiven or not!
