Christmas Concerts in Rome

What you hear

Rome: St. Paul's Within the Walls Church Christmas Concert is 80 minutes of Christmas songs, Strauss and opera arias sung by a soprano and tenor with a string quartet. It is a concert in a church nave, not a staged production. The ticket is $33 and it runs in December only.

• Price: $33
• Length: 80 minutes
• When: December only
• Where: St Paul's Within the Walls, Via Nazionale 16a

The venue

St Paul's Within the Walls is the American Church in Rome, the first Protestant church built inside the city, finished in 1880 in striped brick and stone by George Edmund Street. The apse mosaics are by Edward Burne-Jones. Seating is in rows of chairs by price category, and the dress code is smart casual.

It is a working church, so concerts start after the last service. Via Nazionale is about five minutes on foot from the Repubblica metro stop.

Why pick it

The combination of price, length and setting is hard to beat for christmas concerts in Rome. You are out before 22:00, you are central enough to walk home or to dinner, and you get Christmas music under Burne-Jones mosaics. If you want opera rather than carols in the same church the rest of the year, see La Traviata at St Paul's.

The evening

Rome: Christmas Opera Concert with Arias, Duets & Aperitivo runs 75 minutes with singers and piano: arias, duets and Christmas songs, followed by an aperitivo. The ticket costs $47 and includes the concert, one drink and snacks. It plays in December only.

• Price: $47
• Length: 75 minutes
• Included: concert ticket, one drink, snacks
• When: December only

Finding the door

The venue is the Methodist church on Via Firenze, and this matters. The public entrance is at Via XX Settembre 122 C, on the corner of Via Firenze, not on Via Firenze itself. Arrive a little early and you will not be the only person circling the block.

Why pick it

This is the social one. The aperitivo turns the concert into a full evening without a separate dinner booking, and the format is the same friendly arias-and-piano mix that makes opera concerts in Rome so easy for visitors. If you like the idea of singers, piano and a glass of wine, this is the festive version.

The concert and the visit

Capuchins Crypt: Christmas Baroque Concert costs $98 and lasts 1.5 hours. The Schola Romana Ensemble plays Roman baroque Christmas music, and the ticket also includes entry to the Capuchin Museum and the bone crypt on Via Veneto, plus the tour. It runs in December only.

The church visit depends on services, so treat that part as a bonus rather than a promise.

• Price: $98
• Length: 1.5 hours
• Included: concert, Capuchin Museum and Crypt entry, tour
• When: December only

The setting

The Capuchin Convent on Via Vittorio Veneto 21 holds the museum and the crypt decorated with the bones of Capuchin friars. Hearing baroque music here, after the day crowds have gone, is a very Roman way to spend a December evening. Via Veneto sits above Piazza Barberini, so the metro and plenty of restaurants are close.

Why pick it

This is the one to choose if you want more than an hour of arias. You get a museum, the crypt, a guided element and a baroque programme in one ticket. Among the classical concerts in Rome it is the most complete evening, and the December-only framing makes it feel like an occasion.

Two dates only

Rome: St. Paul's Within the Walls New Year's Concert Ticket plays on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day, two dates only each year. A soprano and tenor join I Virtuosi dell'Opera di Roma for arias and waltzes over two hours. The ticket is $39.

Of all the church's concerts, this one sells out first, so book as soon as you know your dates.

• Price: $39
• Length: 2 hours
• When: New Year's Eve or 1 January, two dates only
• Note: sells out first of the church's concerts

Planning the night

On New Year's Eve, think about how you get home. Buses and the metro thin out during the night, and the centre fills with crowds and fireworks around the river and Piazza del Popolo. St Paul's is on Via Nazionale, so if you are staying near Repubblica or Termini you can walk back.

Our page on where to stay in Rome for the opera covers exactly this corner of the city.

Why pick it

Two hours of arias and waltzes with a small orchestra is a calmer start to the night than fighting for a restaurant table, and you can still be at midnight celebrations afterwards. It is the classic new year concert Rome choice for visitors who want music without an all-inclusive gala price.

The concert

New Year's Day Concert: The Three Tenors starts at 20:30 on 1 January only and runs 80 minutes. The Opera e Lirica Three Tenors sing opera arias, Christmas songs and New Year waltzes in the Methodist church on Via XX Settembre 122 C. The ticket is $45 with unnumbered seats, so seating is first come, first served: arrive early for a good chair.

• Price: $45
• Length: 80 minutes
• When: 1 January only, 20:30
• Seats: unnumbered, first come first served

What the Three Tenors are

These are tribute concerts by today's singers, not Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras. The Rome Three Tenors evenings echo the famous 1990 programme, and our page on the Three Tenors in Rome explains the different companies and venues. If you want the arias people expect, with a festive twist, this delivers.

Why pick it

New Year's Day is quiet in Rome: many shops are shut and dinner options need booking. A 20:30 concert gives the day a shape. It also pairs well with the New Year's concert at St Paul's if you are in town for both nights, since they are different programmes in different rooms.

Arias, tributes and La Traviata

St Paul's Within the Walls keeps its regular programme going in the evenings around the festive dates: opera arias concerts, the Three Tenors programme and the concert staging of La Traviata by I Virtuosi dell'Opera di Roma. The same goes for the arias concerts at the Palazzo della Cancelleria, where the evening concert is the only way inside a Renaissance palace otherwise closed to visitors. Check dates for the exact nights you are in town.

Classical evenings

Vivaldi's Four Seasons, candlelit Chopin piano recitals and the after-hours Pantheon concert with Bach and Mozart all continue through winter among the classical concerts in Rome. The Chopin recital at 18:00 in the Waldensian church is handy in December because it finishes early, leaving the evening free and warm layers still needed.

The opera house itself

The Teatro dell'Opera's season runs autumn to early summer, so December sits inside it. We sell none of the theatre's seats: its own season tickets are sold only through the theatre and its box office. For how its programme and prices work, see Rome opera tickets and our page on the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma.

If you want a comparison of concert formats across the city, our opera concert in Rome and theatres in Rome guides cover the rest.

Cold evenings, cool churches

December evenings in Rome are cold, and historic churches are not heated to theatre levels. Wear the coat you would wear outside and add a layer you can keep on. The listed dress code for church and palace concerts is smart casual, and for churches in general shoulders and knees covered.

Our Rome opera dress code page has the full picture.

Cloakroom and arrival

Arrive at least 20 to 30 minutes early. Church concerts seat you in rows by ticket category, and the Three Tenors New Year's Day concert has unnumbered seats, so early arrivals choose better chairs. Bring small bags rather than luggage, and be ready to leave large items behind or with staff where a cloakroom is offered.

Piazza Navona and getting home

Piazza Navona's Christmas market runs each year from the first week of December to the first week of January, with stalls and street performers around Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers. It is an easy walk from several concert venues and a good stop before or after. On New Year's Eve, plan your route home in advance: walking back to central hotels is often simpler than waiting for sparse late transport.

For every venue and every evening, start from our guide to opera in Rome.