Jubilee 2025 in Rome: everything you need to know

The Jubilee originates from the Jewish tradition, which established a year of rest for the earth every 50 years. To signal the beginning of the Jubilee, a ram's horn, yobel, in Hebrew, was blown, from which the Christian term Jubilee derives. But what is the Jubilee for the Catholic Church? The Jubilee or Holy Year is the period during which the Pope grants plenary indulgence (absolution from all sins) to all the faithful who travel to Rome and participate in the planned religious initiatives.

The first Jubilee was announced in 1300 by Pope Boniface VIII. Currently, ordinary Jubilees take place every 25 years, so the next one will be in 2050, unless the extraordinary Jubilees take over, which are announced by the Pope on particular occasions. For the 2025 Jubilee, in addition to religious celebrations, cultural events, concerts and exhibitions will be organized to celebrate the rich history and art of Rome. There has been a lot of renovation and expansion work in the current year, which is why the eternal city will seem like a large construction site in motion to this year's visitors. For all specific information we recommend that you consult the official Jubilee 2025 website.

Tradition dictates that each Jubilee is proclaimed through the publication of a Papal Bull, the official document with the Pope's seal. For the 2025 Jubilee, the publication of the Papal Bull is expected on 9 May 2024. The 2025 Jubilee will be entitled Peregrinantes in Spem ( Pilgrims in Hope) and will officially begin on Christmas Eve, 24 December 2024 with the opening of the Holy Doors of the 4 Papal Basilicas of Rome: St. Peter's in the Vatican, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major and St. Paul Outside the Walls, are the most important churches in Rome and those where the most important celebrations will be held.

Tradition has it that the Pope is carried in a chair to the Holy Door of St. Peter, also called the walled door, the Pope will therefore pass first, holding a cross in his right hand and a lit candle in his left. The same ceremony will be carried out by cardinals in the other three basilicas.

There are many pilgrims, faithful and tourists who wish to go to Rome for the 2025 Jubilee, the events planned are countless and suitable places have been designed to welcome them. If you don't want to be unprepared you must know that the focal center of events will be St. Peter's Square and clearly St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and the other Papal Basilicas. Some events and celebrations will instead take place at the Circus Maximus, in the Centocelle park, in the area of the Nuova Fiera di Roma and that of Tor Vergata.

You should know that the Jubilee is divided into several Jubilees dedicated and addressed to different themes that will take place over the course of the year, with different dates and places and dedicated events. Among others, Jubilees are planned for: the world of communication (24 January) , Armed Forces (8 February), Artists (16 February), Jubilee of Deacons (21 February), World of Volunteering (8 March), Sick (5 April), Adolescents (25 April), People with disabilities (28 April), Workers (1 May), Children (24 May), Families, grandparents and elderly people (30 May), Sports (14 June), Young people (28 July), Migrants (5 October), Poor people (16 November).

The first event that marks the beginning of the Holy Year is the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter and as a domino effect the opening of the holy doors of the other Papal Basilicas. The wall that currently seals the door, hence the name walled door, was dismantled in the previous days. During these works, a box that had remained there since the last Jubilee was removed from the wall. The box contains the key that will open the door. From that moment on, the Holy Door remains open all year round for the passage of pilgrims.

Apart from the various Jubilees dedicated to the individual categories, which you can consult directly on the official Jubilee 2025 website, of extreme interest and importance are the Jubilee Walks, the pilgrimages planned for the Jubilee. Make sure you get the pilgrim card, a nominal and free card that will allow you to participate in all Jubilee events. The planned pilgrimages are: Pilgrimage of the Papal Basilicas, these Basilicas, in addition to the spiritual importance they have, are worthy of note for their artistic and historical value and are truly worth a visit.

Then there is the Pilgrimage of the Seven Churches, this is one of the most ancient Roman traditions, 25 km which wind along the entire city, also reaching the countryside where the catacombs are located. The 7 churches are: Basilica of San Pietro, Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, Basilica of San Paolo Outside the Walls, Basilica of San Lorenzo Outside the Walls, Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, Basilica of San Sebastiano out of the walls.

The Iter Europam journey is also planned, which includes stops in 28 churches and basilicas, each of which is linked to a European state. Lastly, the Women Patrons of Europe and Doctors of the Church journey is planned, this pilgrimage aims to bring the figures of European holy women to the attention of the faithful and tourists. For this particular pilgrimage, some significant churches were chosen that can recall these figures of sanctity, such as the church of Santa Brigida in Campo de' Fiori, or Santa Maria sopra Minerva, where the body of Santa Caterina da Siena is present.

Cultural and artistic events are also planned within the festive jubilee year. Remember that to participate in all events you will have to purchase a pilgrim's card, a free and nominal card.

During the 2025 Jubilee in Rome the city will certainly be crowded and the traffic could be intense, here we want to give you some advice on how to get around, remember that the Visit Rome Pass inside offers unlimited access to all public transport and would be of great advantage.

The metro underground is one of the most efficient and fastest ways to get around and during the 2025 Jubilee the journeys will be increased.

Buses, in Rome there are many lines for traveling above ground which connect all points of the city, during the expected crowding for the Jubilee it might be convenient for you to plan in advance the tours and journeys you want to make and already know which lines you intend to take .

Trams are interesting and curious ways to get around and also quite characteristic, unlike buses they do not cover the whole territory, but we still suggest you plan for at least one tram ride.

Electric bike rental is a suggestive option, we suggest electric ones because Rome is made up of 7 hills, so you will find yourself facing uphill and downhill slopes and it is much more comfortable to pedal without getting tired.

Considering the influx also regarding accommodation during the year 2025, we advise you act in time. The advice is therefore to plan well in advance, consider the best or most strategic location and finally read the reviews on the accommodation.

Rome is a metropolis that offers many different solutions in terms of accommodation, from apartments for rent, to B&B, through hostels and luxury hotels, but it is worth taking a look at the location. The Vatican and Prati area is highly recommended, from where it will be very easy to reach the Basilica and all the events that will be held in St. Peter's Square, secondly you can consider the historic center area such as Trastevere and Campo dei Fiori, if in addition to the jubilee events you want to stay close to most of the sites worth seeing, for the same reason we also recommend the Ancient Rome area such as the Colosseum and Fori Imperiali and Monti. The areas we have recommended are all well connected by public transport.

In summary, if you want to take advantage of the unique opportunity to see Rome during the 2025 Jubilee, an event that will only happen again in 25 years, it is good to remember that:

• The 2025 Jubilee will officially begin on December 24, 2024 with the opening of the Holy Door and will last throughout the year 2025.

• The focal point of all Jubilee activities will be St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and St. Peter's Square.

• Remember to register on the official Jubilee 2025 website to get the pilgrim card, a nominal and free card, to be updated and access all the scheduled events.

• Consider the Visit Rome Pass, which in addition to unlimited access to all public transport, includes access to more than 50 attractions.