Safety of walking 11:30 at night in Rome

So why not take a taxi from the station to your hotel?

I think it is perfectly safe to make this walk at night. It might feel a little sketchy since it will be dark and some interesting characters tend to hang out near/in Termini at night. But it is safe. But I agree with Nancy- that time of night, new city, a little harder to navigate in the dark. It seems easier to just take a taxi from the airport.

Most cabs at Termini will be reluctant to make a 2-block run but you may have a better chance at that hour. You should be fine walking, but you could also just take a cab from FCO and not worry about it. Does your B&B know you are arriving so late?

Anne - are you coming directly from the west coast and is this your first time in Rome? We'll usually opt for a taxi on the way in and then the cheaper route out anytime it's an unfamiliar city. But, if you want to use the train, just walk the rest of the way. The only possibly iffy part would be right outside the station and it's not dangerous. Once you get out to the street, it's busier. One of the RS tour hotels is in that area, if that's any help.

We stay in the Termini area all the time - five trips about four weeks total. Walked that area many times around those hours with no second thoughts. It is a busy area, lot of restaurants, and lots of people moving about. Just make sure you have a good map or directions. What is the hotel?

Hi Anne, most all tourist areas are safe except for pickpockets and petty crime but probably little of that by that time of night. It was safe enough I let my 14 year old daughter roam the area from Trevi to the Pantheon on her own until midnight with no worries. Walking will be fine but beware that you could be disoriented leaving Termini depending what door you take so ask directions from two people to see if you get the same answer. I found directions from locals to be useful for other locals but not as much for a first time tourist to Rome.

The "interesting characters" you will see in the evening at Termini are mainly African and Asian expatriates living in Rome who have traditionally used that area as a meet up point for as far back as I can remember. If you are not bothered by their presence, the place is safer than most. Inside the station there are more policemen and Carabinieri in plain clothes than most people can fathom. They all sport a man's purse across their shoulder (I served at Florence Santa Maria Novella station). Inside the purse is a beretta 9mm long and a pair of handcuffs.
Post here the address you need to go and will give you exact direction. The biggest risk is that you get lost.

Anne, I imagine you will be perfectly safe walking from Termini late at night, especially if your husband walks on his tiptoes and flaps his arms wildly, appearing even larger and more fierce than 6 foot 5. However, especially if this your first time going to this inn, be really careful to not get lost. Last year three of us got wildly lost the first time we tried to walk from Termini to the Hotel Sonya a few blocks away, as many blocks looked quite the same. It took us 40 minutes that first time, although it got much easier with time.

But why? As you will be arriving by air (right? but maybe by rental car), perhaps after a long flight, and likely having to pass through immigration and customs, you will probably be tired. A taxi will take you quickly and directly to your door. By public transportation, you will be seeking out and waiting for a train, lugging your bags onto, in and then off the train, and then finding your way through Termini and in the right direction, then lugging your bags another several blocks to arrive considerably later at night. Tires me out just writing about it.

If you arrive at your inn by cab, check in, and then feel like going out for a walk, or go dancing, or seek out a late night pizza slice or hit of vino, go for it at that point!

And, of course, certainly be sure your B & B is expecting your arrival at that late hour. Hotels may have all-night staff, B & B's not so much.

When we flew into Rome, we had been going to try and navigate the subway and find our accoms. There were a lot of kiosks set up in the airport with shuttle vans to take you right to the door where you were staying. Now, we were in the van with other folks and I think we were the 2nd or 3rd stop, but I'm sure the price was fairly comparable to getting subway tickets in and wandering around lost. (This was 2008, so memories are vague on cost, but I remember thinking it was a good deal). Mind you, we arrived mid-afternoon, so not sure how late these shuttles run.

By the way, there is a bus, Terravision, which runs from the airport to Termini. Google for their schedule. €4 if you book on line, €6 otherwise. We plan on using it in May.

Use GoogleMaps Streetview to check out the walking path for yourself and see how you feel about it. Personally, I would feel perfectly safe walking those few blocks at night. I think you'll feel silly taking a cab that only goes four short blocks.

11:30 isn't really all that late, you know, in Rome. Most folks don't start dinner until 8:30 or 9:00.

I haven't walked around that area at night but there aren't many parts of tourist Rome I would really worry a lot about at night. There are usually plenty of folk around.

Nigel is right. 11:30pm is when the night starts in Rome. From the description you give you might be on or near Via del Viminale, near the Teatro dell'Opera. Piazza del Viminale is right there, and since that is where the Ministry of the Interior is (The Italian State Police and the Carabinieri report to that ministry). You can only imagine how many surveillance cameras are around there.

Wow, this is great! Thanks, everyone! We will stay at B&B Giovy on Via Principe Amedeo, literally just 4 1/5 blocks from the upper left corner of Termini. I think we might have farther to walk in Termini to the exit. Thank you for your input.