Cheapest flight routes to the Vatican City to see Pope Francis before funeral (2025)

Pope Francis' funeral has now been confirmed and mourners are set to travel from all over to see him lying in state before he is laid to rest - this is the cheapest way to get there

Pope Francis shocked the Catholic world after passing away on Easter Monday, with his funeral now confirmed to be held later this week.

The pontiff died at the age of 88 after fighting double pneumonia for a number of weeks, the Vatican shared that he succumbed to a stroke and heart failure from this.

As 1.39billion Catholics mourn the sad passing of the leader of the Church, plans are being formed for the funeral on Saturday 26th April, at 10am (9am BST). It will be held in St. Peter's Square, Vatican City.

For now, his body will remain in the Vatican's St Peter’s Basilica in an open coffin so certain procedures and rituals can be performed. The public then can pay their respects by visiting Pope Francis who will be lying in state - a tradition where the deceased are displayed for a short amount of time before they are laid to rest.

This means you can go and visit Pope Francis - but you'll only have three days to see the pontiff lying in state before the funeral.

Huge crowds are expected to flock to the Vatican City and Rome to pay their respects, along with wanting to be part of a monumental historical and holy event.

Travel and accommodation are suspected to surge in prices. So, to give you a helping hand, we've had a look into how you can get to Vatican City - on a budget.

The closest airport to the Vatican City, or the 'Holy See', is Rome Ciampino just 10 miles (16.3 km). Rome Fiumicino, also known as Leonardo da Vinci Airport, is 12 miles (20.6 km) away.

With a search on real-time flight comparison site, Sky Scanner, we found the cheapest way to get from English locations to the Vatican City. We put the dates as Wednesday 23 April to Sunday 27 April, as if you were leaving tomorrow for the lying in state and returning back home after the funeral.

Of course, dates can be moved around for cheaper alternatives and prices can change due to demand. But, have a look below for our pocket flight guide.

London

At time of writing, the cheapest return flight from London to the Vatican City is £156, with Ryanair. You would fly from London Stansted in the morning on a 2hr 33minute flight to land in Rome Ciampino. The return is early on Sunday morning from the same airport, arriving back in Stansted just before 8:00.

There are more airline and location options if choosing to fly to the slightly further afield Rome Fiumicino. If flying tomorrow (Wednesday), the cheapest return ticket is with WizzAir on the way and Vueling on the way back - costing £141.

The cheapest flight is at 21:20 from London Gatwick, which gets you to Rome just after midnight. This would be ideal to see the Pope lying in state first thing Thursday morning.

The return flight is with Vueling, the budget Spanish airline, that leaves Rome Fiumicino on the Sunday morning and lands back at Gatwick before 9:00.

Manchester

If you're flying from Manchester to Rome Fiumicino, then the cheapest return flight is with Jet 2 coming in at £142. The 2hr 55minute flight at 7:15 gets you to Italy at 11:10 on the Wednesday.

On the Sunday, you'll leave at 13:00 and return back to Manchester at 15:05. If you're wanting to fly into Rome Ciampino, then expect to fork out a bit more.

The cheapest direct return ticket, flying on Wednesday and coming back on Sunday, is £234 with Ryanair. There are several flight options for this price, either leaving early in the morning or later in the evening to Rome - with the same early 6:00 flight back home on the Sunday.

Liverpool

This is where things start to get a bit more pricey and tricky as there are no direct flights from Liverpool to either of the Rome airports on the chosen days.

If you're wanting to fly to Liverpool to visit the Pope lying in state in time then expect to have to stop over - and pay out a pretty penny for it too.

Cheapest flights start from £190, but you'll have to change over in Cork and Manchester before another flight to Rome Ciampino. This will bring the travel time up to 17 hours - or you could just drive to Manchester and skip all the hassle...

But if you're committed to flying to and from Liverpool, the way back features one stopover at Budapest - but you'll be waiting 22 hours until your next flight to Liverpool.

For a flight with less hassle, then expect to fork out anywhere upwards of £263 for two stops on the way and a direct flight back.

Flight prices can change at anytime, check here for the latest price and for more cities to travel from.