Rome safety

Not particularly. Some folks feel the area around Termini train station is a little dodgy. The #64 bus is also well-known as a pickpocket haven.

Wear a money belt, keep an eye on your luggage, and use common sense, and you will be fine wherever you go.

Years ago there were bad neighborhoods in Rome but you don't find them anymore. As long as you don't walk the streets alone at 2 or 3 in the morning you should be fine. There really is no violent crime in Rome. It is all petty crime like pick pocketing. As the above poster said, get a money belt and keep your eye (and hands) on all your belongings and you will be fine.

Donna

michelle,

I've found most areas of Rome to be quite safe, even at night. I've walked around all kinds of neighborhoods carrying expensive Camera gear and never any problems. The sidewalk Cafes are usually packed well into the evening, so there's lots of people around.

I haven't found the Termini area to be any more risky than any other areas, and in fact I plan on staying in that part of the city again this year. However, there are usually lots of "scammers" active in Termini station, on the Metro and of course the #64 Bus as someone else mentioned. Always wear a Money Belt!

You might have a look in the applicable 2010 Guidebooks to see if there are any "cautions" listed in there regarding Rome.

Happy travels!

Just echoing what others have said around Termini--I've traveled to Rome for many years as a single woman and with small groups of other travelers and Termini is the only area in which I've ever felt uncomfortable (and only at 1:30 AM--most of the time it's fine). Tons of other people have never had a problem, however, and it has a lot of budget hotels. The area right around the Vatican tends to sometimes have a lot of people sleeping on the streets late at night/early in the morning but I've never actually had any problems with anyone there and it's where I usually stay nonetheless.

Thanks All! We traveled to London/Paris a couple of yrs ago and after reading posts I was very concerned about the Paris subway. What I realized was that the same rules apply for most major cities, you need to be conscious of your surroundings and smart. It was no different than being in Boston or NY. I think the people who get themselves into trouble are the ones who are not used to being in a city and are so overwhlemed that they leave themselves vulnerable.