Halloween in Rome 2025: Best Events & Tours
- vitantoniosantoro
- Oct 3
- 13 min read
Halloween in Rome 2025: What’s On, What’s Actually Worth It
Rome isn’t Salem, but in October the city leans into shadows: bone-lined chapels, underground labyrinths, and theme parks that go full spooky. This guide to Halloween tours in Rome cuts the fluff and tells you what’s genuinely worth your time and money, with verified details and practical tips. Planning around kids, crowds, budgets, or accessibility? You’re covered below, plus curated tours on Viator/GetYourGuide.
🎯 Want the easy route? Browse here top-rated Ghosts, Catacombs & Capuchin Crypt tours and check availability for Halloween or any other date.
Top Halloween Events in Rome
Cinecittà World - Ottobre Mese di Halloween (Oct 4–Nov 2, 2025)
Movie theme park goes all-in: haunted mazes, shows, and “Halloween Nights” (Oct 31 & Nov 1) with late opening, DJ sets, and boosted scare factor.
📍 Location/Access: Via Irina Alberti (Castel Romano). Car via GRA exit 26 (Pontina); park’s “How to get here” page has directions. cinecittaworld.it
⏱️ Duration/Best Time: Half day to full day; best on event evenings.
💶 Cost/Tickets: Adult day tickets listed from €27 in 2025; special nights priced separately—check calendar.
🧭 Highlights: New 2025 content like Horror Hotel – The Awakening, Cinetour – Blackout, U-571 – Zombie Mission; “Villaggio Piccoli Brividi” for families.
♿ Accessibility: Park pathways largely step-free; ride access varies - verify per attraction.
👌 Best for: Families by day, teens/adults on Halloween Nights.
Zoomarine - Halloween a Zoomarine (Oct 4–Nov 2, 2025; special late night Oct 31)
Family-forward Halloween with themed villages, shows like Mezzanotte al Museo and Il Relitto Dimenticato; special evening 31/10 14:00–22:00.
📍 Location/Access: Via dei Romagnoli, Torvaianica (Pomezia). Car via GRA exit 26 (Pontina). zoomarine.it
⏱️ Duration/Best Time: 4–6 hours; weekends.
💶 Cost/Tickets: Halloween activities included with park entry; dynamic pricing—check site.
🧭 Highlights: Three Halloween “villages,” daytime shows, and kids’ activities; late closing on Oct 31.
♿ Accessibility: Level grounds; individual attractions may restrict access.
👌 Best for: Kids under 12; multigenerational groups.
MagicLand (Valmontone) - Halloween 2025 (Oct 4–Nov 2, 2025)
Regional park south of Rome with heavy theming, 7 horror houses, shows, and selected late openings.
📍 Location/Access: Via della Pace, Valmontone. Rail to Valmontone + shuttle/Link bus. magicland.it
⏱️ Duration/Best Time: Afternoon into evening; check calendar for late nights.
💶 Cost/Tickets: Variable; see official calendar.
🧭 Highlights: Seasonal mazes, shows; frequent evening programming.
♿ Accessibility: Mixed - contact park for specifics.
👌 Best for: Teens and thrill-seekers.
Quick Comparison of Halloween Parks near Rome
Place | Vibe | Time Needed | Typical Cost |
Cinecittà World | Big-show scares + family zone | 6–8h | €27 online (2025 season) / €37 at the gate |
Zoomarine | Gentle, family Halloween | 4–6h | from €14 online (dynamic pricing) / €34 at the gate. |
MagicLand | Mazes & teens’ thrills | 5–7h | from €19.90 online (fixed date) • from €24.90 online (open date) • €37.90 at the gate. |
*If you’re wondering which Halloween park near Rome is right for you, this quick breakdown makes it easy. I’ve lined up Cinecittà World, Zoomarine, and MagicLand so you can see the vibe, time needed, and ticket costs for 2025 at a glance. Want a full day of big-show scares but still a safe space for kids? Cinecittà World nails it. Looking for a gentle, family-first Halloween with shows and themed villages? Zoomarine is your pick. Craving haunted houses, mazes, and teen-friendly thrills? MagicLand is where you’ll end up. Check the prices, plan your hours, and choose the Halloween experience in Rome that actually fits your style.
Halloween Guided Tours & Tickets in Rome 2025
Night access, storytelling, and transfers make these worth it, especially with kids or limited time.
Rome Capuchin Crypts and Catacombs Tour with Transfers
The Crypts & Catacombs Underground Tour with Transfers (click here for more info on GetYourGuide) strings together three of Rome’s most atmospheric sites: the Capuchin Crypt, where the bones of around 4,000 friars form ornate chapels; one of the ancient Christian catacomb networks, with frescoed burial chambers and long tunnels once used for secret worship; and the hidden Basilica of San Martino ai Monti into a seamless 3-hour experience with skip-the-line entry and coach transport between stops. Local guides weave history with just enough eerie detail to keep the underground setting alive, and travelers consistently praise the mix: “educational and creepy at the same time” and “Maria was so terrific. Her personality made the trip”. The tour starts at about €55 per person, runs daily, and is best if you want a hassle-free way to see Rome’s darker layers without worrying about transport or tickets, just be ready for cool air, narrow stairways, and a strict no-photos rule underground.
Rome Paranormal Night Walking Tour and Secret Backstreets
This walking tour kicks off at the statue of Giordano Bruno in Campo de’ Fiori and leads you for about 2 hours through Rome’s quieter streets after dark, diving into legends of murders, papal intrigue, curse whispers, haunted bridges, and macabre chapels all while avoiding the daytime crowds. You’ll pass by Ponte Sisto, Piazza Farnese, Santa Maria dell’Orazione e Morte, Via Giulia, and other back alleys rarely seen at night. The tour is led by a local who mixes historical fact and ghost lore: one reviewer raved, “Yousef was fantastic! … very informative … spooky stories about the underbelly of Roman history.” Another said, “Amazing Tour, Domenica was amazing. I recommend 100%.” It’s priced from about €25 per person, and because it’s highly rated (4.9/5 from 1,765 reviews) it tends to sell out, especially on Halloween night. 👉 Check if Rome paranormal night walking tour is available here.
The Original Haunted Rome Ghost Tour
The Haunted Rome Ghost Tour (Viator) is a 1.5- to 2-hour evening walk through Rome’s backstreets and piazzas where guides unravel tales of executions, papal secrets, witches, and restless spirits, sometimes even handing out dowsing rods for ghost-hunting fun. It doesn’t include interior crypts or skip-the-line sites, but instead focuses on atmospheric streets and legends, keeping the pace easy and the stories sharp. Travelers love the quality of the guides:“Lara was brilliant … you really saw and heard about a side of Rome that you don’t on other experiences!” and “Ali was a fabulous guide … sensible academia laced with whoohoo!”, while others call it “an excellent tour, especially for those interested in the macabre … Price is okay (25.99 euro)”. With prices starting around €25.99, it’s a straightforward and engaging way to explore the city’s darker side without the hassle of transfers or tickets. Click here to book The Original Haunted Rome Tour.
The Original Roman Crypts and Catacombs Tour with Transfers
The Skip-the-Line Crypts & Roman Catacombs Small-Group Tour with Transfers on Viator takes you behind the scenes of Rome’s subterranean history: first to the Capuchin Crypt, where walls are sculpted from the bones of ~4,000 monks, then into Christian catacombs lined with frescoed tombs, all while avoiding long waits thanks to skip-the-line access and included transport by coach. Your guide weaves in stories of underground worship, early Christians, and hidden relics. One traveler said, “This was the best tour I took in Rome!! I saw both the Cappuchin crypts and the catacombs… it gave me shivers,” while another praised “Excellent guide. … Well worth the price: small group, loaded with information and unusual sites.” Both comments underscore what makes this tour unique: you’ll visit haunting spaces, learn from passionate guides, and get to see a side of Rome most people never do. The balance of transport, narration, and access makes it a strong pick if you want depth with convenience, and yes, expect cool air, staircases, and a no-photos rule underground.
Hidden Gems (Where Locals Go on Halloween in Rome)
Basilica di San Clemente (Underground Levels)
San Clemente is less a church and more an archaeological layer cake: a 12th-century basilica sits on top of a 4th-century church, which itself hides 1st-century Roman buildings and a Mithraic temple where cult rituals once took place. Walking down feels like traveling backward through time: each level colder, darker, and stranger. The underground passages echo with dripping water and the smell of damp stone, a reminder that Rome was built over its own ruins.
📍 Piazza San Clemente (5-min walk from Colosseum)
💶Tickets from €10 (for the excavations). No wheelchair access. basilicasanclemente.com
💡 Local Tip: Last entry is 17:30. Visit late in the day, then step into the streetlights of Monti for dinner or roll straight into a ghost walk around the Colosseum.
📝 Real reviews: One visitor on Tripadvisor described entering the underground layers as “really spooky” and noted you can’t take photos in some sections. It’s about a 5-minute walk from the Colosseum. Tickets start at €10 for the excavations, though there’s no wheelchair access. (Tripadvisor) The last entry is usually 17:30, so plan your descent late afternoon, then head out into the evening streets for dinner or a ghost walk.
👻 Want to make your visit really memorable? Click here to join a guided tour that takes you 14 meters under the Basilica of San Clemente, where you’ll walk through an ancient Mithraic temple, an early Christian church, and Roman houses hidden beneath the main basilica. Travelers love it - rated 4.8/5 from over 200 reviews, one guest said the guide’s “detailed knowledge made a big difference,” while another called Lorenzo “my favorite guide… his way of describing the history was a highlight.”
Capuchin Crypt (Museo e Cripta dei Cappuccini)
Here the friars literally built art from their dead. Around 4,000 Capuchin monks’ bones decorate six small chapels—skeletons posed as grim reminders, chandeliers made of vertebrae, and walls covered in skull mosaics. A modest museum upstairs explains the order’s history, but the crypt itself is what people remember. The experience is quick—about an hour—but it stays with you. Modest dress is required, and tickets are sold on site (an audio guide is included). For something special, you can arrange a private evening opening if you book at least two weeks ahead.
📍 Via Vittorio Veneto 27
💶 Tickets sold direct. Private evening tours on request. Museo e Cripta dei Cappuccini
💡 Local Tip: The crypt is compact, so pair it with an aperitivo or dinner along Via Veneto—you’ll need something cheerful after.
📝 Real reviews: Stepping into the Capuchin Crypt is less about jump scares and more about a chilling reminder of time itself: walls, ceilings, even chandeliers made of bones from thousands of friars. Visitors often describe the space as unforgettable: one wrote it was “one of the most interesting and unique things I’ve ever experienced; a reminder that time flies and to enjoy the life we have,” while another admitted, “I’ve been there, it was nuts… a pretty morbid trip haha.” The quiet and dim light make it feel part church, part memento mori - perfectly eerie if you’re in Rome around Halloween.
👻 Want to explore this Rome’s creepiest yet most fascinating stop with a local? Take a look at this Capuchin Crypts Skip-the-Line Tour, where you’ll step into chapels decorated with the bones of nearly 4,000 friars and explore the small but moving Capuchin Museum on Via Veneto. It’s efficient - about an hour with a guide who brings the symbolism and history alive, and you skip the usual wait at the entrance. Travelers rate it highly, with one reviewer saying it was “informative and interesting… not too long and not hard to walk around,” while another called it “a perfect blend of history, spirituality, and the macabre.”
Non-Catholic (Protestant) Cemetery by Piramide
Tucked beside the Pyramid of Cestius, this leafy corner holds the graves of poets John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley, along with painters, scholars, and more recent expats. Cats wander the stones, and tall cypress trees keep the place quiet. It’s not a staged scare, but there’s something unsettling about how silent it is compared to the chaos just outside the gate. Many Romans come here for reflection rather than fear, but at twilight the shadows stretch long enough to change the mood.
📍 Via Caio Cestio (by Pyramid of Cestius)
💶 Entry is by donation; check official hours before visiting.
💡 Local Tip: Come before dusk, then walk the nearby Aurelian Walls - one of Rome’s most atmospheric twilight strolls.
📝 Real reviews: The Non-Catholic Cemetery is quiet, green, and a place of reflection, yet the presence of poets, tombs, and cypresses gives it a quiet tension. Percy Shelley and John Keats lie among the tombs. A Reddit user recalled visiting during grief, saying: “It is incredibly calming, peaceful and serene.” (Reddit) The atmosphere shifts at dusk: shadows lengthen and the silence deepens. Entry is by donation; confirm hours before you go. The cemetery sits adjacent to the Pyramid of Cestius and shares walls with the Aurelian fortifications.
Museo delle Anime del Purgatorio (Museum of the Holy Souls)
This is one of Rome’s strangest small stops: a single room hidden in the sacristy of Sacro Cuore del Suffragio church, lined with “proof” that souls reach out from Purgatory. On display are prayer books and fabrics marked with unexplained burn prints, said to have been left by the dead asking for prayers. The collection began in 1897 after a fire in the church revealed a scorched face on a wall; it grew into a mini-museum of ghostly evidence. Opening hours are irregular, so it’s best to call ahead or ask at the sacristy door.
📍 Lungotevere Prati 12 (Prati)
💶 Usually free; donations welcome. Hours vary. Turismo Roma
💡 Local Tip: Stop here before sunset, then cross the river for a night walk to Castel Sant’Angelo - Rome’s own fortress with centuries of ghost stories.
📝 Real reviews: The Museo delle Anime del Purgatorio isn’t a grand museum, it’s a single dim room tucked behind the Sacro Cuore del Suffragio, filled with scorch-marked books, handprint whispers, and artifacts said to bear contact from souls in purgatory. One guest on Tripadvisor called it “eerie” and described seeing “traces of apparitions,” while another noted it’s “a small room with some strange artifacts” but powerfully unsettling. Knowing the backstory, that in 1897 a fire revealed a ghostly face on the wall, only deepens the chill you feel standing among relics believers claim were touched by the departed.
🎃 Halloween in Rome Survival Checklist
✅ Book ahead: Buy theme park tickets online; Colosseum night tours release exactly 7 days before and sell out fast.
✅ Arrive early: Parks get crowded, security and maze queues are longest on Oct 31 & Nov 1.
✅ Check hours: Nov 1 (All Saints’ Day) is a holiday - expect reduced or Sunday-style schedules.
✅ Dress smart: Modest clothing for the Capuchin Crypt; comfortable shoes for cobblestones; light jacket for cool nights.
✅ Mobility notes: Catacombs have 50+ stairs and no lifts. The Capuchin Crypt is stroller-friendly.
✅ No photos: Most catacombs ban photography underground - respect the rules.
✅ Weather gear: Expect mild days (~66–73 °F / 19–23 °C) with a chance of rain. Carry a compact umbrella.
✅ Stay safe: Central Rome is safe, but watch for pickpockets in crowds. Use registered taxis or apps at night.
🕯️ Mini Itinerary: One Smart Halloween Evening in Rome
Start your night underground and end it with a drink by the river - this route squeezes a lot of spooky Rome into just a few hours.
At 4:00 pm, head to the Basilica of San Clemente (last entry is 5:30 pm) and descend through its layers: a 12th-century basilica built over a 4th-century church and, further below, Roman houses and a Mithraic temple. It’s one of the most atmospheric places to see Rome’s underground past.
By 6:30 pm, walk over to Monti, one of the city’s liveliest neighborhoods, for dinner. You’ll find trattorias, wine bars, and cozy restaurants perfect for fueling up before your evening walk. 🍷 Check out Monti’s best bars and pizza spots here!🍕
At 8:30 pm, join a ghost tour in the historic center. Both GetYourGuide and Viator offer night walks that start from major squares, mixing legends, executions, and haunted stories as you explore Rome after dark.
Wrap up around 10:30 pm with a nightcap by Ponte Sisto or in Trastevere. Grab a glass of wine or a cocktail in one of the late-night bars, watch the lights reflecting on the Tiber, and let the day’s eerie stories sink in.
👉 See the full Halloween evening route on Google Maps and follow it step by step during your trip.
🕷️ Halloween in Rome: Most Common Questions
Is Halloween a big deal in Rome?
Not really. You’ll see decorations in bars, clubs, and a few shops, but it’s nothing like the U.S. The atmosphere is more low-key and mostly aimed at young people, expats, and tourists.
Should I bring a costume?
Only if you plan to go to a party or club. Most locals don’t dress up for Halloween, so you won’t feel out of place without one.
Is there trick-or-treating for kids?
Not in the American sense. Some private parties, expat communities, or international schools may organize it, but you won’t find kids going door-to-door in the streets of Rome.
Where can I find Halloween parties or events?
Look for themed nights in bars and clubs, or head to the big theme parks just outside the city, like Cinecittà World, MagicLand, and Zoomarine all run Halloween festivals through late October.
What happens on November 1 (All Saints’ Day)?
It’s a national holiday in Italy. Many museums and attractions operate on reduced or Sunday schedules, while churches will be full for services. Plan ahead, especially if your trip overlaps this date.
What are the best Rome Halloween events for kids?
Zoomarine’s daytime villages and shows are purpose-built for families; Cinecittà World adds “Villaggio Piccoli Brividi.” Both run most weekends in October 2025, with dressing-up encouraged. MagicLand is a good teen pick.
Are the catacombs open on October 31?
Most catacombs keep regular daytime hours; select after-hours access only via guided experiences. If mobility is limited, skip the catacombs, stairs and narrow tunnels are unavoidable.
How do I book Colosseum night tours without overpaying?
Use the official Parco archeologico del Colosseo page for A Night at the Colosseum (tickets drop 7 days before, Tue/Thu evenings). Avoid third-party markups for this specific product.
What’s the dress code for the Capuchin Crypt and similar sites?
Shoulders and knees covered; respectful behavior. Photos are restricted; staff may check tickets and enforce one-way flow.
Is Rome’s Halloween good for budget travelers?
Yes. Ghost walks are among the cheapest guided activities; theme parks cost more but offer full-day value. Look for $–$$ night tours on GetYourGuide or on Viator.
What’s the weather like around Halloween?
Mild: daytime highs around 19–23 °C; evenings cooler (10–15 °C). Rain is possible—pack a light waterproof. Sunset is ~17:00–17:15 by Oct 31.
Any accessibility-friendly spooky options?
Skip the catacombs; try the Capuchin Museum (surface-level museum + crypt) and outdoor evening walks with frequent rests. Always confirm with your operator.
Will things be open on Nov 1 (All Saints’ Day)?
It’s a public holiday. Major attractions may open on holiday/Sunday schedules; expect reduced office hours and heavier local travel. Plan and book in advance.
Where do Halloween parties happen in the city?
Expect pub crawls and themed nights in Centro/Trastevere and around the Colosseum area (check current listings). Theme parks also host late-night events on Oct 31.
🎟️ Ready to experience Rome’s spooky side without the stress?
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