Viterbo Christmas Village 2026, 21 November to 6 January: opening days, Santa's House, a free nativity scene and ice skating. One hour from Rome.
The Viterbo Christmas Village turns ten. The tenth edition opens on Saturday 21 November 2026 and runs until 6 January 2027, in the medieval streets of the San Pellegrino quarter. If you are looking for a weekend trip from Rome with children in December, it is the easiest choice in Tuscia: Viterbo is an hour from Rome, and 25 minutes from Villa Vacanze Valentina.
This is not a fair to rush through. It is themed houses inside medieval palaces and towers, wooden huts in the squares, a nativity scene in the courtyards of the town hall. Here is what is on this year, according to the official website, and how to plan your day.
When it is open: weekends, then every day from Christmas Eve
The one thing to know before you set off: until 23 December the village opens on Saturdays and Sundays and is closed on weekdays. The 2026 dates, all from 11am to 7pm:
- 21 and 22 November, the opening weekend
- 28 and 29 November
- 5, 6, 7 and 8 December, the Immaculate Conception long weekend
- 12 and 13 December
- 19 and 20 December
- every day from 24 December to 6 January
On 24 and 31 December it closes an hour earlier, at 6pm. The ticket office is in Piazza San Carluccio and opens at 10:45am.
What is there for children
The heart of it is Santa's House, in Palazzo degli Alessandri, a fifteenth-century residence where children meet him up close. In the same palace is the Children's Post Office, where letters to Santa are posted, and the same visit takes you into Rudolph's Stable and the Ice World, with its polar bears and penguins.
Then, around the quarter: the Befana's House on Via San Gemini, where the old Epiphany witch makes her sweets (beware of the coal); the Grinch, in the Torre Scacciaricci; the Sleigh Express VR, a sleigh ride with virtual-reality headsets; the Enchanted Carriage and the Wishing Tree. In Largo Benedetto Croce there is the Frozen Lake for ice skating: its ticket is bought separately.
New for the tenth year is Harry Christmas, an exhibition set up as a school of magic, in the Parco del Paradosso in the Pianoscarano quarter: wands, potions, talking hats. Older children who met their magic in books will like it more than the sleigh.
The nativity scene and the markets
For the first time in ten editions the nativity scene is free, in the courtyards of Viterbo's town hall, though its dates and times are still to be confirmed. For the Christmas markets, wooden huts have been announced in Piazza San Carluccio, Piazza della Morte and Piazza San Lorenzo. There is also the town council's market on Via Marconi, announced from early December to 6 January: the organisers themselves say its dates and times should be checked on the municipality's website.
Where to stay
Villa Vacanze Valentina is in Bassano in Teverina, in the green heart of Tuscia: two apartments in the villa and a cottage for two.
Tickets: a detail that matters if you stay a few days
The attractions are ticketed: single entries, themed routes or packages, including a family package for two adults and two children. The 2026-27 prices are on the official page. The detail that changes your day: tickets are open-dated. Each attraction can be visited once, but whatever you do not manage to see can wait for another day. With small children, two calm mornings beat one rushed afternoon.
Tips for a day with children
- Arrive at opening time. The village opens at 11am: the morning is the right moment for Santa's House, then lunch in the centre.
- Stay until dark. In December night falls early, and San Pellegrino with its lights on is another place.
- Expect people. Last year, the organisers say, almost 20,000 tickets were sold, and Rome was the province that bought the most. The packages also come with a skip-the-line option.
- Parking. The official website has a page on where to park.
If you have a free morning before the village, our guide to what to see in Viterbo in one day walks right through San Pellegrino.
The Immaculate Conception weekend and December weekends
This year the Immaculate Conception long weekend runs from Saturday 5 to Tuesday 8 December, and the village is open on all four days. Our article on the Immaculate Conception long weekend near Rome has a four-day plan for Tuscia, and the Christmas Village fits neatly into one of those days. For the rest of the season, between hot springs, quiet villages and evenings by the fire, see our guide to what to do in Tuscia in winter. All the festivals in the province are gathered on our Events and festivals in Tuscia page.
Where to stay
Villa Vacanze Valentina is in Bassano in Teverina, in the province of Viterbo: Viterbo is 25 minutes away, Rome an hour, the Orte exit of the A1 motorway 15 minutes. Two apartments in the villa, each for up to four guests: just right for a family. For couples there is the Lovers' Cottage, built of wood and heated, with its own garden.
In winter the house is lived indoors: heating and, in one of the two apartments, an open fireplace with firewood included. You come back from the village with tired children, light the fire, and outside there is only the quiet of the countryside. Everything is on our holiday home near Viterbo page.
Dates, times and attractions come from the official Viterbo Christmas Village website, updated in September 2026, and may change: check them before you set off.
