Any Concerns About Walking Near the Roman Forum and Colosseum After Dark in Winter?

I would have no worries. Lived there for almost 5 years and never felt unsafe walking, especially as a couple. I used to walk lone through Villa Borghese after work in the dark.

Without knowing you, your parents, or where you'll be, why risk it? I wouldn't walk in the dark in my own town, much less Rome. We got pickpocketed last year, and I had thought we were careful. People bump, jostle, another comes along, and bingo. Spend the money on an Uber or a taxi and call it a safe day.

if your family never walks on damp cobblestone or has to pay attention to traffic then maybe there is some cause for concern.

I have a buddy who was warned over and over that in England he needs to look the other way before stepping off the curb and yet he nearly got clipped every day he was there. Habits are hard to adjust!

We were in Rome for ten days over Christmas in 2023 and walked at night with no worries. It’s a well-lit, vibrant city. Along the Forum and Coliseum you have wide, paved pedestrian street with no crowds to jostle, especially after dark. We’re a tad older than your parents, so just be sure they can see well in the dark or if pesky cataracts interfere. The first poster, Laurel, lived there nearly three years and says she had no worries.

Safety shouldn’t be a concern at all, even at night. The concern is that the specific hotel you mention is fairly close to the Colosseum but quite a long walk from the Centro Storico where you will probably want to spend the evenings, and if your parents are in their 70s they may not appreciate having to walk a lot, especially after a long day of touring the city.

If there are 3 of you, sharing the price of a taxi will not be particularly expensive. You could take the 51 or the 85 bus to/from the city center, but at night, when buses are less frequent I would spend the 10€+ to take me back to the hotel.

Part of the walk will be along Via dei Fori Imperiali, where the ruins are illuminated at night almost to the equivalent of daylight. The Colosseum is also illuminated, and you will find other tourists milling around these sites, which are actually quite dramatic at night. So I would not be overly concerned about safety.

But I do agree with Roberto that you are proposing what could be a VERY long walk, in chilly weather, and you may find yourself running out of steam.

We were there in February. Absolutely no worries. Also, there is a lot of activity to there would be plenty of people around.

There are plenty of people out at night in Rome, so no worries. And yes, Rome does have pickpockets, and yes, people have tried it with me on occasion, but I certainly wouldn't be worried about my personal safety.

There won't be many people about and pickpockets are generally a lazy bunch.

That's my favorite time to walk around the Forum and Colosseum. Even as late as midnight there are always plenty of people around.

Assuming your parents are physically capable of walking on cobblestones there’s no problem with that at night. We walked and took buses all over Rome at night and we are mid to late 70s. We stayed at Hotel Lancelot and it is amazing.

Walking in the area around the Forum and Colosseum at night on your way back to Hotel Lancelot is magical. The lights on the ruins are amazing. You might consider walking from the hotel to dinner elsewhere in the city and take a taxi back to the hotel if everyone is tired. Walking in the daytime on the cobblestones that are everywhere in Rome is more challenging than walking near the Forum at night. Also people perceive “safety” differently depending upon where they live and how much they have traveled. If you live in a small town you might think walking in downtown in any city at night is unsafe.

During my Rome visit of mid-Feb to mid-Mar of 2023, I never felt threatened in any way, but I didn't find all streets well lit and all sidewalks well maintained. That would be my concern about walking after dark, but it may be that the streets and sidewalks you'll be using will be fine.

Rome is a hilly city, and there are places where a substantial detour from the as-the-crow-flies path is required because you need to skirt inaccessible areas like the Forum. I do not normally pay any attention to Google's walking routes; I'm a use-the-blue-dot navigator. In Rome, though--especially after a long day on one's feet--it might be smart to see what Google suggests as a walking route and compare the estimated time to what the indicated distance would require at 20 minutes per mile. If the Google walking-time estimate is longer than 20 minutes per mile, you should assume challenging terrain is involved.

Thanks so much to everyone for your feedback! It has been so helpful to hear from people who know the area and have been around at that time of year.