Maximum security in Rome for Pope Francis funeral.

The funeral procession of Pope Francis will weave its way through the streets of the Italian capital on Saturday morning, as Rome bids a final farewell to its late bishop.

The pope's funeral will take place in St Peter's Square in the Vatican, starting at 10.00, in the presence of dozens of world leaders and up to a quarter of a million people.

Following the service in Piazza San Pietro, which will be presided over by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the pope's coffin will be transferred inside St Peter's Basilica for the final commendation and valediction.

The funeral procession will then leave St Peter's through the Porta del Perugino and cross over the river Tiber on the Principe Amedeo Savoia Aosta bridge.

• What to know about Pope Francis funeral

It will then continue along Corso Vittorio, through Piazza Venezia, passing along Via dei Fori Imperiali and the Colosseum, before continuing along Via Labicana and onto Via Merulana for the final stretch to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore where Francis will be buried.

The procession will be held at a walking pace however the public will not be able to walk behind.

The streets involved in the procession will be closed to traffic and pedestrians, with the public allowed to watch from behind barriers along the route.

The distance between St Peter's and the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, or St Mary Major, is six kilometres and the procession is expected to take about an hour.

Francis will be the first pope since 1903 to be buried outside St Peter's, when Pope Leo XIII was entombed in the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano or St John Lateran.

Francis's choice to be buried outside St Peter's has imposed additional logistical challenges and security measures on Rome including anti-drone systems and police helicopters.

The burial of Pope Francis will not be open to the public however visitors will be able to visit his simple tomb in Santa Maria Maggiore from Sunday 26 April.