Rome
April to June and September to October.
April, May, June, September and October give the best mix of mild weather and manageable queues. Highs run from 20 to 30 degrees in those months and rain falls on six or seven days a month at most. July and August reach 33 degrees and are the busiest months, and Easter week fills the centre in spring. November and December are the wettest, with about nine rain days a month.
Data checked on October 4, 2026
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13 °C | 3 °C | 8 | · |
| February | 14 °C | 3 °C | 7 | · |
| March | 17 °C | 6 °C | 7 | · |
| April | 20 °C | 8 °C | 7 | Best |
| May | 25 °C | 13 °C | 6 | Best |
| June | 30 °C | 17 °C | 3 | Best |
| July | 33 °C | 19 °C | 2 | Busy |
| August | 33 °C | 20 °C | 2 | Busy |
| September | 28 °C | 16 °C | 6 | Best |
| October | 23 °C | 12 °C | 7 | Best |
| November | 17 °C | 8 °C | 9 | · |
| December | 13 °C | 4 °C | 9 | · |
Climate averages: ISPRA SCIA.
9 to 21 °C · about 7 rainy days a month
March is still cool, with a high of 17 degrees, April reaches 20 and May is warm at 25. Rain days fall from seven in April to six in May. Easter week and the long weekends around 25 April and 1 May are busy.
What to wear: Layers, a light waterproof for March and April, and comfortable shoes for the cobbles.
19 to 32 °C · about 2 rainy days a month
Hot and dry, with highs of 30 to 33 degrees from June to August and only two or three rain days a month. Midday is hard going on the open sites, and the main sights are crowded. Some small local businesses close for a week or two around mid August.
What to wear: Light cotton, a hat, sunscreen and a refillable bottle, with shoulders and knees covered for churches.
12 to 23 °C · about 7 rainy days a month
September is still warm, with a high of 28 degrees, and October eases to 23. Rain days rise from six in September to seven in October and nine in November. The crowds ease from October.
What to wear: Layers, a folding umbrella from October and shoes that grip on wet stone.
3 to 13 °C · about 8 rainy days a month
Cool and damp, with highs of 13 or 14 degrees and lows of 3 or 4. December has nine rain days and January eight. Queues are at their shortest and the ruins are quiet, but daylight ends before 17:00 in December.
What to wear: A warm coat, a waterproof layer and closed shoes, because stone churches and museums stay cold inside.
Rain days reach nine a month in November and December, and the stone paving turns slick. The Vatican Museums, the Capitoline Museums, the Borghese Gallery and Castel Sant'Angelo are all indoors, and the Pantheon and St Peter's give shelter too. Keep the Forum, the Palatine and the parks for the dry spells, since they have almost no cover.
From June to August highs reach 30 to 33 degrees, and the Forum, the Palatine and the upper levels of the Colosseum have little shade. Do the open air ruins in the first hours after opening, move into museums and churches from noon to 16:00, and come back to the squares in the evening. Public drinking fountains, called nasoni, run all over the centre, so carry a bottle and refill it.