Is Rome safe for tourists?

Each government writes for its own citizens and uses its own scale, so the wording differs. These pages cover Italy as a whole, and none tells visitors to stay away from Rome.

Americans. The State Department keeps Italy at Level 2, exercise increased caution, because of the risk of terrorist attacks, and asks US citizens to enrol in its Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) for alerts. The US embassy adds that tourists can be fined or detained for buying counterfeit goods, defacing historic monuments or flying drones. The embassy is at Via Vittorio Veneto 121 in Rome, on +39 06 4674 1, also after hours.

British travellers. The UK travel advice says terrorist attacks in Italy cannot be ruled out, and that Italian authorities have increased security around some Jewish community sites. It asks travellers to stay away from demonstrations and to carry photo ID at all times, as police can check it whenever they choose.

Europeans. Germany (in German) and France (in French) name the bus and metro lines in Rome where theft is reported, listed in the next section.

How safe Rome is for tourists comes down mostly to theft. Police recorded 31,991 cases of pickpocketing in the city of Rome in 2024, out of 217,536 crimes of all kinds, in the figures from ISTAT, Italy's statistics institute. That is 14.7% of the total, and 73.5% more than the 18,440 cases of 2019.

These figures count residents and visitors together and only what was reported, so they do not show a visitor's own risk. ISTAT has no figures by neighbourhood, so the places below come from the travel advisories.

Against seven other big Italian cities, Rome sits in the middle: 1,163 pickpocketing reports per 100,000 residents in 2024, compared with 2,829 in Florence, 2,071 in Venice and 1,557 in Milan. The rate divides by residents, so a city with many visitors per resident scores higher.

How to make theft harder

• Keep belongings in sight at all times, and do not carry all valuables together in one bag or pocket (United Kingdom).
• Leave spare cash and valuables in a hotel safe (United Kingdom), and carry only the cash needed for the day (Germany (in German)).
• Keep passports and travel documents in a secure place (Canada), with electronic copies saved (Germany (in German)).
• Be wary of anyone who spills something, starts a long conversation or keeps offering help (Canada).

None of the travel advisories above names a neighbourhood of Rome to avoid. What does exist is an order from the Prefect of Rome (in Italian), in force from 24 August 2026 for four months, that sets two reinforced-control zones, often called red zones. Inside them, police can move on people reported in the last five years who act in a violent, threatening or persistently harassing way. The order is aimed at those people: it does not tell visitors to stay out.

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The outlines on the map follow the streets listed in the order and are approximate. A third zone, at Valle Aurelia, was dropped in the same order. Map: World Tourist Office, CC BY 4.0, from the order of the Prefect of Rome. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, tiles © OpenFreeMap.

Termini sits inside the Esquilino zone. The Prefect's order (in Italian) calls the station a favoured destination for people engaged in illegal activity, because of the constant flow of passengers. Piazza dei Cinquecento, in front of the station, and Via Giolitti, along its side, are on the zone's perimeter.

The United Kingdom asks travellers to take care in main train and metro stations, and Australia warns of pickpockets and bag snatchers above all at central train stations. Australia also names the area around Termini among the places in Rome where many drink-spiking incidents, followed by robbery or assault, have taken place. France (in French) says many of its citizens report being robbed as soon as they arrive in Italy, at airports and stations. None of these sources says the area is off limits, and none gives a figure for the station alone.

No advisory on this page tells visitors to stay in at night in Rome, and ISTAT's figures do not split day from night, so there is no number for it. Australia advises avoiding quiet and poorly lit streets, especially at night, to reduce the risk of theft. The Prefect's zones apply at any hour.

The warnings that matter most after dark are about drinks. Australia says tourists have been robbed and assaulted after spiked food or drinks in Rome, with many incidents around Termini station, in tourist areas such as the Colosseum and in bars and restaurants in the centre. The United Kingdom says victims of spiked drinks have been robbed and sometimes assaulted, and Canada says never to leave food or drinks unattended and to be wary of accepting them from new acquaintances. Australia also warns about methanol, which can be added to drinks or formed in poorly made alcohol and can kill in a single shot, and advises drinking only branded, sealed drinks.

For the way back, Canada advises licensed taxis only, from a stand or called by phone or app, with the white TAXI sign on the roof, and agreeing the fare or checking the meter is on. Rome's own taxi line is 060609 (in Italian).

For solo female travellers, the sources offer warnings rather than a verdict. Canada says sexual assaults have occurred in Italy, including against foreign women, and ISTAT recorded 381 cases of sexual violence in Rome in 2024, among residents and visitors together. Neither separates solo travellers.

Italy's 1522 line answers 24 hours a day, with operators in several languages, for victims of gender-based violence and stalking. Spiked drinks, covered in the section on the night, are the other warning in the UK advice, and Australia says some victims have been sexually assaulted.

These warnings come from advice for Italy as a whole, not for Rome alone.

• Distraction. A stranger bumps into someone or stains their clothes with ice cream or pizza while an accomplice takes the bag (Germany (in German), Canada). Groups also stage street performances, and on trains they ask for directions at a stop, drop things on the floor or block the view of the luggage racks while others steal (Australia).
• Flat tyre or damaged mirror. Drivers are told about a fault with the car, and something is stolen while they look (Germany (in German), France (in French)). Thieves also slash tyres or stage roadside emergencies to make drivers stop (Australia).
• Card skimming. Compromised cash machines and card readers, above all in popular tourist areas (Canada, Australia).
• Street sellers. Buying from unlicensed traders is illegal and can bring a fine for the buyer (United Kingdom), and buying counterfeit goods can also lead to detention (United States).

Five advisories updated since October mention demonstrations in Italy, and none of them places them in Rome. The United Kingdom says those in northern cities led to violent riots and looting, with more police and military in Milan, and that more may take place in major cities. New Zealand adds that local curfews are possible, and Australia that even peaceful demonstrations can escalate quickly and become violent. Germany (in German) says the protests are against the high cost of living.

All of them say the same thing: keep away from demonstrations and follow local authorities. The UK advice adds that transport services may be cancelled at short notice.

Australia says strikes are common across Italy, regularly disrupt public transport, including trains, buses, trams and taxis, and can close buildings in tourist areas. It advises confirming travel plans and allowing plenty of time to reach airports and stations.

1. Report it. Go to the nearest police station, of the Carabinieri or the Polizia di Stato (where to find one (in Italian)), or call 112 (Canada).
2. Report a theft online. The Carabinieri take a preliminary complaint online (in Italian) for some minor crimes, theft included.
3. Passport. Contact the embassy or consulate. The United Kingdom warns that a police report cannot be used to leave Italy.
4. Lost, not stolen. Rome's lost property office (in Italian) is at Circonvallazione Ostiense 191. It returns items (in Italian) on showing an identity document and any theft or loss report, gives identity documents back free, and sends lists of foreign visitors' items to their embassies.

Sources: United Kingdom for 112, 115 and 118; Australia for 113; Canada for 1522; Roma Capitale for taxis (in Italian), tourist information (in Italian) and lost property (in Italian).

The map on this page is © 2026 World Tourist Office and free to copy, share, print and adapt, also commercially, under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. The only condition is a credit to World Tourist Office with a link to this page.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), tiles © OpenFreeMap, and the zones are drawn from the order of the Prefect of Rome: keep those credits too. Crime figures: ISTAT, under CC BY 4.0. The World Tourist Office name and logo are trademarks and are not licensed.

Plain text: Rome Safety Zones Map by World Tourist Office, touristoffice.org/is-rome-safe-for-tourists/, CC BY 4.0. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Zones: Prefect of Rome order, drawn by World Tourist Office.