Is Rome Safe? Pickpockets, Scams, Taxis and 112 (2026)

Rome safety in six lines

• Crime: generally low; petty theft is the main risk, in crowds, on public transport and at the big sights (FCDO).
• Pickpockets: keep valuables zipped away and split up; beware of anyone who crowds or distracts you.
• Taxis: official white taxis only, from a rank or 060609; fixed fares from the airports (€55 Fiumicino, €40 Ciampino, inside the walls).
• Tickets: buy sights only from their official sites; validate paper transport tickets.
• Fines: no sitting on the Spanish Steps (€250), no paddling in fountains, no buying from unlicensed street sellers.
• Emergencies: 112.

Pickpockets and bag-snatching: where and how

The FCDO's advice for Italy is to take care on public transport, in crowded areas and in city centres, including main train and metro stations, and to be particularly careful with your belongings on public transport, at airports, and at tourist sites and local bars, cafés and restaurants.

The FCDO's four tips:

• keep sight of your belongings at all times
• beware of thieves using distraction techniques
• don't carry all your valuables together in a handbag or pocket
• leave spare cash and valuables in a safe place, such as a hotel safe

In practice: carry a bag that zips and wear it in front of you on the Metro, keep your phone in a front pocket or in your hand rather than on a café table, and be wary of anyone who crowds you, bumps into you or tries to distract you. None of this is cause for alarm; it's the same care you'd take in any big tourist city.

The scams and traps that catch visitors

Fake or marked-up tickets. An easy way to overpay in Rome is buying sight tickets from the wrong website. The Colosseum's tickets are sold on ticketing.colosseo.it, and the Vatican Museums say tickets.museivaticani.va is their only official online seller and that look-alike sites charge more. Our Colosseum guide and Vatican Museums guide have the official prices. Colosseum tickets carry your name and are checked against your ID at the entrance.

Unlicensed street sellers. The FCDO notes that illegal traders work the streets of all major Italian cities, and that it's illegal to buy from an unlicensed street trader: you, the buyer, can be stopped by the local police and fined. Politely say no to anyone selling on the street, and keep walking.

The restaurant bill. In Rome, a coperto (a per-person cover charge) isn't allowed: Lazio's regional law 22 of 2019 (article 75) bans extra charges for the cover. A restaurant may charge for bread or service only if it's printed on the menu before you order. Read the menu before you sit down, avoid places with no prices shown, and check the bill. Tipping isn't expected. Our Rome restaurant guide lists each venue's charges as its menu does.

Unofficial taxis. Ignore anyone who approaches you offering a ride. The FCDO's advice is to use only officially licensed taxis: call one, order one from an app, or take one from an official rank. How to spot one is below.

Official taxis and fixed fares

Rome's official taxis, as Roma Servizi per la Mobilità (Roma Capitale's transport agency) describes them: white cars with a TAXI sign on the roof, the Roma Capitale crest and the licence number on the front doors, and the licence number also inside on the rear left door. Check the meter is on before you set off (it's on the dashboard or at the top of the rear window), and always ask for a receipt.

Fixed fares from the airports, per car, all supplements included, going straight to one address: €55 from Fiumicino and €40 from Ciampino to anywhere inside the Aurelian Walls, the old walls around the historic centre. From Fiumicino it's €50 to Ostiense station and €60 to Tiburtina; any trip from Fiumicino to an address inside the GRA ring road is capped at €80. With a detour or a second drop-off, the meter applies instead.

In town the meter starts at €3.50 on weekdays (6am to 10pm), €5 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, and €7.50 at night (10pm to 6am). Calling a radiotaxi by phone or app adds a fixed €5 call charge to the metered fare. Women travelling alone at night (10pm to 6am) get 15% off the metered fare; the discount doesn't apply to fixed fares or airport trips. To call one, phone 060609 or use the ChiamaTaxi app, which shares your phone number with the driver for emergencies.

Buses, the Metro and strikes

On the Metro, buses and trams, the FCDO's advice is to take particular care of your belongings (above). Two rules from the FCDO's advice: if you buy a paper ticket from a kiosk or machine, validate it when you board, because inspectors issue on-the-spot fines for unvalidated tickets; and transport strikes are often called at short notice. If you tap a contactless card at the Metro gate or on the bus instead, the tap is your ticket.

Roma Servizi per la Mobilità lists upcoming service changes on romamobilita.it. On a strike day, plan to walk, or use an official taxi. Late at night, after the Metro stops (about 11.30pm, or 1.30am on Friday and Saturday), the N night buses run from 11.30pm to 5am. More in getting around Rome.

Rome at night

The areas where people go out in the evening, Trastevere, Monti, Campo de' Fiori and the streets around the Pantheon and Piazza Navona, are busy until late. For getting home late, the official options are the night buses and licensed taxis (above).

On drinks, the FCDO's advice is direct: don't take drinks from strangers or leave your drinks unattended; victims of spiked drinks have been robbed and sometimes assaulted. It also notes that drinks served in Italian bars are often stronger than in the UK. For an evening plan, our guides to the best bars in Rome and Rome's rooftop bars have closing times.

Travelling solo, or as a woman? The taxi discount above applies, and the FCDO publishes general advice for women travellers and for solo travel on gov.uk.

The rules that bring on-the-spot fines

Rome's urban police regulation, in force since July 2019, protects the historic centre. According to Roma Capitale, sitting, lying or eating on monuments and historic steps is banned, which includes the Spanish Steps: the fine is €250. Dragging a suitcase or stroller up the Spanish Steps, or defacing them, is €400.

The FCDO adds the rest: it's an offence to enter or bathe in public fountains in Rome, including the Trevi Fountain; towns can fine you for dropping litter, sitting on monument steps, eating and drinking next to main churches and historic monuments, or defacing them; and urinating in public can bring a fine of up to €10,000. Under Italian law police can ask for ID at any time, so carry photo ID.

Terrorism and demonstrations

The FCDO says terrorist attacks in Italy cannot be ruled out, as part of a high global threat to UK interests, and that Italian authorities have increased security around some Jewish community sites.

On protests, the FCDO notes that demonstrations can happen with little or no warning in Italian cities, and that recent demonstrations in northern Italian cities led to riots and looting. Its advice: avoid protests, political gatherings and marches; if you're near one, follow police instructions and leave the area; and don't stop to watch or photograph disorder.

Traffic and crossing the road

Traffic matters too. The FCDO's advice for pedestrians: cross at a crossing, because you can be fined for crossing within 100 metres of a pedestrian crossing without using it, and remember that drivers don't always stop at crossings even though they're required to.

Emergency numbers and what to do

• 112: the European emergency number; the FCDO lists it for the police.
• 118: ambulance.
• 115: fire service.
• 112 Where ARE U is the official European emergency number app; the FCDO notes it's only available in some parts of Italy.

If your passport is stolen, report it to the police, but the FCDO warns that you can't use a police report to leave Italy; you'll need an emergency travel document from your country's embassy in Rome. Take a photo of your passport's photo page before you travel. If you're British and something has happened to a friend or relative in Italy, the FCDO's 24-hour line in London is 020 7008 5000. US citizens should contact the US Embassy in Rome; its details are on the State Department's Italy page.

If you're robbed, report it to the police, cancel your cards, and, as the FCDO advises for any serious incident, contact your insurer and travel provider.

Before you go

Check the FCDO's Italy page (gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy) or the State Department's (travel.state.gov) shortly before you travel; both are updated when something changes, such as a national strike. Then plan the fun part: the best things to do in Rome, the best time to visit, and our 3-day Rome itinerary. Save your plan to Tourli, the app that turns travel guides into day-by-day itineraries.