The Spanish Steps opening hours are simple: there are none. The staircase is an open public space, Google Maps lists no hours for it, and it costs nothing to climb. This guide covers the Spanish Steps opening hours, the address, the rules, the best time of year and how to get there. For the Spanish Steps opening hours of tours, see each product page; if you want a guide or a class on top, my page on Spanish Steps tickets compares all 10 tours I found on GetYourGuide.
Spanish Steps Opening Hours
Today, Saturday 7 November 2026, the Spanish Steps opening hours per Google Maps are not given, because Google lists the place without a schedule. The Rome tourism board’s page does not list opening hours either; it describes the staircase as a place for passing through and for meeting. I could not find an official statement that the Spanish Steps opening hours end at night, and there is no gate in the descriptions I read.
Day
Hours per Google Maps
Monday
not listed
Tuesday
not listed
Wednesday
not listed
Thursday
not listed
Friday
not listed
Saturday
not listed
Sunday
not listed
So the opening hours that matter for the Spanish Steps are the ones around them. The Trinita dei Monti church at the top and the shops of Via dei Condotti nearby keep their own times, and I have not checked them. For tours with fixed start times, the booking page of each product shows the slots.
Spanish Steps Rome Opening Hours and Closures
The Spanish Steps in Rome are open every day, and the Rome opening hours of the Spanish Steps have few exceptions. The one long closure I found was a restoration funded by Bulgari: Wikipedia says work began on 8 October 2015 and the steps reopened on 21 September 2016, and the Rome tourism board gives 22 September 2016, so I’d say September 2016 (Wikipedia). That was an earlier project, and I found no announced closure for the steps this winter, but works and events can change access, so I’d check Roma Capitale’s news pages before a trip that depends on it.
Why Are the Spanish Steps Famous
The Spanish Steps opening hours are only half the story: the Spanish Steps are famous because they turn a steep slope into a stage. They climb from Piazza di Spagna to the Trinita dei Monti church, and the Wikidata record gives 1725 as the opening year and Francesco de Sanctis as the architect (Wikidata). The Rome tourism board says they were inaugurated for the Jubilee of 1725 under Pope Benedict XIII.
Beyond the Spanish Steps opening hours, Wikipedia lists the details that make a visit memorable: the Barcaccia fountain at the base, built in 1627 to 1629 and often credited to Pietro Bernini, and the corner house where the poet John Keats lived and died in 1821, now a museum. In spring azaleas cover part of the steps until early May, and at Christmas a 19th-century crib stands on the first landing. The English name comes from the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See in Piazza di Spagna.
How Many Steps in the Spanish Steps
Wikipedia gives 135 steps on a slope 29 metres high. The Rome tourism board describes 11 flights, each with 12 travertine steps, which comes to 132, so I’d call it about 135 and not promise a figure. The difference is probably how landings and the top approach are counted, though neither source says so.
If you want to know how tiring it is, the landings between flights are made for stopping, and the tourism board calls the balustrade landings places to pause and take in the view. You can climb at your own pace.
Can You Walk on the Spanish Steps
The Spanish Steps opening hours are all day, so you can walk on them, and that is all you are meant to do. Rome’s police regulation, approved by the Capitoline Assembly in June 2019, bans sitting on monuments such as fountains and their stairs and names the Trinita dei Monti staircase among the listed places, per the Roma Capitale regulation. Wikipedia reports a fine of 250 euros for sitting and up to 400 for dirtying or damaging the steps, including by eating on them. The city’s own news page on the sanctions, dated 8 July 2019, gives a minimum of 400 euros for defacing or damaging historic property (Roma Capitale), but does not name the steps, and it is seven years old, so I’d treat all these figures as guides.
Spanish Steps Address
Alongside the Spanish Steps opening hours, the Spanish Steps address is Piazza di Spagna, 00187 Rome, per Google Maps. The foot of the staircase is on the piazza, next to the Barcaccia fountain, and the top is at Piazza Trinita dei Monti, by the church. The Spanish Steps rank 4.6 on Google Maps from 115,167 reviews.
Tour meeting points differ by product. The PhotoStorica photographer waits in front of Babington’s Tea Rooms at Piazza di Spagna 23. The Live Virtual Guide underground tour lists Piazza di Spagna as its first stop, though the listing says the meeting point varies by option. The cooking classes meet inside Trattoria Amici at Via della Croce 34, and the walking tours of Rome meet near Piazza Navona, Piazza della Minerva or Piazza del Popolo and reach the steps later. If you book, go to the listed meeting point and not to the steps.
Live Virtual Guide
Trevi Fountain Underground Aqueduct and Spanish Steps Tour
★4.8 (581 reviews)
2 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: The one tour that starts and ends in Piazza di Spagna: 2 hours, up to 12 people, underground aqueduct entry included, 4.8 from 581 reviews.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Small group tour (max. 12 people guaranteed)
✓ Knowledgeable and friendly local guide
✓ Entry tickets to the Underground Aqueduct
✓ Direct contact via phone or WhatsApp for any questions you may have about the tour
Not included / not suitable
✕ Pickup from/to the hotel
Meeting point: Meeting point may vary depending on the option you select. Check availability for more details.
Languages: English
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“Valeria was an excellent guide! She was extremely knowledgeable and easy to understand. She looked after the group at a very comfortable pace and was very helpful and engaging. I highly recommend this tour with Valeria.” – GetYourGuide review
The best time to visit, whatever the Spanish Steps opening hours, depends on what you want from the Spanish Steps, and I found no official crowd data, so I won’t name a quiet hour as a fact. The steps face a busy shopping district, and the sitting ban means nobody lingers on them, so crowds mostly move. The light and the season are what I can support. Open-Meteo’s 2025 weather record for Rome gives these figures (Open-Meteo).
Month
Sunrise
Sunset
Sunshine hours
Rainy days
January
7:35
5:04 pm
6.2
12
March
6:22
6:16 pm
8.3
17
June
5:34
8:47 pm
14
2
September
6:50
7:19 pm
11
7
November
7:00
4:49 pm
7.8
10
December
7:31
4:39 pm
6.7
9
For flowers, Wikipedia says azaleas cover part of the steps in spring until early May. For the Christmas crib on the first landing, go in December. June has the longest days and fewest rainy days in this record, and March the most rain.
How to Get to the Spanish Steps
Since the Spanish Steps opening hours never limit you, the easiest way to reach the Spanish Steps is by metro to Spagna station, which Google Maps places about 1 minute from the foot of the steps. Barberini is about 9 minutes away and Flaminio about 14, and Termini, the main railway station, is about 26 minutes. These are my estimates from straight-line distance, multiplied by 1.3 and walked at 4.8 km/h. I haven’t named metro lines, because I did not check them on the transit operator’s site.
From the steps, the Trevi Fountain is about 9 minutes away, and I cover it on my Trevi Fountain tickets page. The Pantheon is roughly 15 minutes and has its own Pantheon tickets comparison. Uphill, the Pincio and Villa Borghese are a short climb past the church, and the Colosseum is about 31 minutes on foot, with its own Colosseum tickets guide.
What to Know Before You Go
There is no entrance, no bag check that I could find and no time limit beyond the Spanish Steps opening hours of all day, but the rules above apply. Don’t sit, don’t eat on the steps and don’t drag luggage or a stroller over them; the regulation is described as barring that, and I have not read the clause myself. Allow 15 to 30 minutes if you just climb and look back, and 1 to 2 hours if you add the church and the streets around. Wear shoes with grip, because travertine can be slippery when wet, which is my own caution and not an official rule.
None of that costs anything, but if you want a guide, a class or a photoshoot, I compared every option in my Spanish Steps tickets guide, and the home page shows the other attractions on the site.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Spanish Steps opening hours?+
I found none. Google Maps lists no hours for the Spanish Steps, and the Rome tourism board page describes a place for passing through and meeting without naming a closing time. They are an open public staircase, so you can walk up at any hour. Shops, cafes and the church at the top keep their own hours.
Is it free to climb the Spanish Steps?+
Yes, climbing the Spanish Steps costs nothing and needs no ticket or booking. The paid products around them are guided walks, classes and photoshoots. The only money question the city raises is the fine for sitting, which Wikipedia reports as 250 euros, so check the current figure with Roma Capitale.
How many steps are there in the Spanish Steps?+
Wikipedia gives 135 steps on a 29-metre slope. The Rome tourism board describes 11 flights of 12 steps, which makes 132, so the two counts differ. I'd say about 135 and not promise an exact number, because landings and the top approach can be counted in different ways.
Can you sit on the Spanish Steps?+
No. Rome's police regulation, approved in June 2019, bans sitting on listed monuments and names the Trinita dei Monti staircase among them. Wikipedia reports fines of 250 euros for sitting and up to 400 for soiling or damage. Stop on the landings for photos and keep moving.
Why are the Spanish Steps famous?+
They are a baroque staircase of 1725, designed by Francesco de Sanctis, that links Piazza di Spagna with the Trinita dei Monti church above it. They are famous for the view over Rome, the Barcaccia fountain at the base and the house where Keats died, which is now a museum.
