Night tour of Rome

A great thing to do in Rome at night is just to walk around the center (no driving needed). Lots of Romans will do this too - after dinner it seems like the whole city is strolling the area. You will see lots of great stuff this way. If you need a route, Rick's Italy and Rome books have a night walk, but you should feel free to deviate from this too - beautiful places are everywhere in the center.

As a former Texan, I had to say when I read this: "That sounds so Texan." and then I saw where you're from! Howdy! :-)

You're definitely on the right track about wanting to enjoy the scenery, but the LAST thing you want to do in Rome is take a drive around. Traffic is nuts and a lot of the coolest places don't allow cars.

You can certainly do this all yourself without a tour guide. The historic center of Rome is very compact. If you have the Rick Steves Rome book, he lays out a wonderful "Night Walk Across Rome" that is exactly what you're looking for. And you can take it at your own pace. Highly recommended.

Happy travels, y'all.

Thanks Harold and Michael. Should we have any concerns about walking around Rome after dark? Early evening before dark I wouldn't worry about, but definitely want it dark enough to see lights on all the sights.

Michael, I'm also a former Washingtonian! Lived in Pullman 5 years while getting my master's at WSU. Sure miss the Pacific Northwest!

" Should we have any concerns about walking around Rome after dark? Early evening before dark I wouldn't worry about, but definitely want it dark enough to see lights on all the sights."

After dinner, LOTS of people, Romans as well as visitors, will be strolling around the center. And everything is lit, so it's not like there are lots of dark alleys around. You will have plenty of company, and it's quite safe. Sometime between 11 PM and midnight, everyone heads home, so then the streets do thin out a lot, and you may feel uncomfortable walking in some places (not really dangerous - just uncomfortable).

Someone posted in another thread that the Campo dei Fiori is where teens go to get drunk in the evening, so it was not so pleasant. But the Piazza Navona, Piazza della Rotunda (where the Pantheon is), and lots of other places are great. Just wander around, and you'll find your own "scene."

Rome is very safe after dark. Do avoid rowdiness if you come across it, but you will be in LOTS of company as mentioned. It's one of the major charms of Rome.

A friend wanted to see Rome at night, but had a slight mobility problem. I negotiated with a cab driver to tour the monuments for about 90 minutes, He offered to stop so she could take photos. He threw in a couple of extra stops as well. Taxis can get closer to the monuments than buses or hired cars. We paid €50, the bus tours that I checked were over €40 per person, so it was a bargain for us. But a lot depends on the driver. Make sure you agree on a price, itinerary and length of trip. We just went into it blindly and got very lucky. He loved showing us his city.

My knees sometimes ache but I was able to follow Rick's Night Tour on the day we arrived from the U.S.! We are going back in September and we will be doing the same walking tour. The monuments are so beautiful and the people are amazing to watch too! The Trevi Fountain is under construction but like others have said, there is so much to see. We did end up taking a cab back from the Spanish Steps to Campo de' Fiori as we were plain old exhausted after a very long day of travel. Enjoy.

I would also do it by walking. A car service like www.tourservicemonti.it has a 3-hour minimum, which costs €120 or more.

Another vote for walking! Central Rome is very safe at night, and we walked all over the place after dark. It's a much richer experience than from behind a pane of glass.