SAFETY IN ROME
BEWARE OF PICKPOCKETERS AND STREET SELLERS!
In general, Rome is a very safe and quiet city but like every touristy place pick-pocketers can be found in crowded squares, line-ups for monuments, buses or metros.
Often pick-pocketers are baby gipsy (8-13 years old), who look like tourists, but are very expert at picking your pockets!
Moreover everywhere is full of African people (90% of them are from Senegal), who will try to sell you bracelets and various manufactured objects.. Don’t stop! They say that the items are free but then they haunt you asking for money and running away without giving the rest!
Leave the following items inside your hotel/b&b safe: bags, backpacks and original passport/ documents.
Bring with you, if possible in your front pant pockets: some cash, credit cards and your phone which should have a picture of your passport/documents.
If you bring a bag, only bring items that are not precious or important to you.
ACCOMODATIONS IN ROME
WHERE YOU STAY IN ROME MATTERS MORE THAN MOST PEOPLE THINK!
Credit goes to Italy travels tales and tips Facebook
It is all totally true!!! Read with attention.. Tony’s word
I’m from Rome. These are the areas I do NOT recommend.
Let me be clear about something first: Rome is a safe city. The tourist areas — Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Vatican, Trastevere, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona — are absolutely fine. Millions of people visit every year and go home without a single problem.
But Rome is also a real city with real neighbourhoods, and not all of them are meant for tourists. Some are just boring and far from everything. Some are poorly connected. And some, especially at night, are places where even Romans walk faster.
Nobody tells you this. Travel blogs show you the golden hour at the Pantheon and pretend that’s all Rome is. It’s not. So here’s the honest version — the areas I tell friends and family to avoid, and the ones I actually recommend instead.
Termini Station area — after dark
During the day, Termini is fine. It’s Rome’s main train station. You’ll probably arrive here. You’ll use it to get around. That’s normal.
But the area around Termini after about 9pm is a different story. The streets between the station and Piazza Vittorio Emanuele become noticeably rougher once the shops close. Aggressive panhandling, drug activity in the side streets, groups of people who are clearly not waiting for a train. The lighting is poor in some stretches, and the crowds that make daytime feel safe disappear quickly.
The station itself stays open late but the surrounding blocks — especially along Via Giolitti, Via Marsala after dark, and the streets heading south toward Esquilino — are where most of the incidents tourists report actually happen. Pickpocketing, bag snatching, and the occasional mugging.
This doesn’t mean your hotel near Termini is a bad choice. Many perfectly good hotels are in this area and the location is convenient. But if you’re coming back late at night, take a taxi to your door rather than walking from the station through dark side streets. And if someone approaches you aggressively, keep walking. Don’t engage.
Esquilino — Piazza Vittorio area at night
Esquilino is the neighbourhood immediately south of Termini, centred around Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II. During the day, it’s actually one of Rome’s most interesting multicultural areas. Great Asian and African restaurants. The covered market is excellent for food shopping. Plenty of locals going about their lives.
But Piazza Vittorio itself and the surrounding streets get rough after dark. Open drug dealing, people sleeping in the park, and a general atmosphere that feels very different from the Rome you see on postcards. The garden in the centre of the piazza is particularly sketchy at night.
If you’re staying nearby, you’ll be fine — just be street smart after sunset. Don’t linger in the piazza at night. Walk with purpose. Take the well-lit main streets.
San Lorenzo — the station side, late at night
San Lorenzo is a student neighbourhood east of Termini. During the day and evening it’s lively, full of bars, cheap restaurants, street art, and university energy. Romans in their 20s love it. The food is good and the prices are real.
But the area closest to Tiburtina station and the cemetery gets uncomfortable late at night. Poorly lit, fewer people around, and the kind of emptiness that makes you aware of your surroundings in a way you don’t want to be on holiday.
If you’re going to San Lorenzo for dinner or drinks, that’s completely fine. Just take a taxi home rather than walking back through the quieter streets at 2am.
Tiburtina Station — at night
Rome’s second major station. More and more high-speed trains use Tiburtina now, so you might end up here. The station itself is modern and fine. But the area around it after dark is not somewhere you want to wander. Industrial feeling, poorly lit, not many people walking. Get your train, get your taxi, and leave. Don’t explore.
The outer metro stops
Rome’s metro lines extend far into the suburbs. The central stops — Spagna, Barberini, Colosseo, Ottaviano — are all perfectly fine.
But several of the outer stops are in neighbourhoods that have nothing for tourists and can feel uncomfortable, especially at night:
Anagnina — the end of Line A. Isolated, far from everything, not safe after dark.
Ponte Mammolo — rough neighbourhood, no reason to be there.
Rebibbia — the end of Line B. Known problem area.
Laurentina — end of Line B south. Dead after business hours.
Jonio — high-crime area with nothing to see.
If your accommodation is near any of these stops, reconsider your booking. You’ll spend your entire holiday on the metro getting to and from the places you actually want to see, and the neighbourhoods themselves offer nothing in return.
The peripheral neighbourhoods — where tourists have zero reason to go
These are areas that even most Romans avoid or simply never visit:
Tor Bella Monaca — Rome’s most notorious neighbourhood. High crime, drug activity, tower blocks. There is absolutely nothing here for a tourist. If you see it mentioned as a cheap accommodation option, keep scrolling.
Corviale — a single enormous concrete housing block almost a kilometre long, built in the 1970s as a social housing experiment. It became a symbol of urban decay. Interesting from an architecture perspective, but not somewhere you should visit.
San Basilio — another high-crime peripheral neighbourhood. No tourist infrastructure, no sights, no reason to go.
Magliana — between the city and Fiumicino airport. Some cheap hotels are here because of the airport proximity. The trade-off is that you’re in a depressing area with nothing around you and a sketchy atmosphere at night.
Primavalle — some parts are fine, some parts are not. Unless you know specifically where you’re going and why, there’s no reason for a tourist to be here.
Torpignattara — multicultural neighbourhood that’s gentrifying in spots but still rough in others, especially at night. Some good restaurants if you know the area. But for a first-time visitor? Not worth the risk or the commute.
EUR — a special case
EUR is the business district south of the centre. Mussolini started building it for a World Expo that never happened. The architecture is striking — monumental, rational, deliberately imposing. The Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana (the “Square Colosseum”) is genuinely impressive and now houses Fendi’s headquarters.
During the day, EUR is fine to visit if you’re interested in fascist-era architecture or want to see a completely different side of Rome. But it’s a business district, which means it empties out in the evening. After dark, especially around EUR Fermi station, it becomes deserted and uncomfortable. Wide empty boulevards, no foot traffic, no restaurants open. Not dangerous in the way Tor Bella Monaca is dangerous, but isolated in a way that feels wrong.
Visit EUR during business hours if you’re curious. Don’t stay there.
Where to stay instead
Monti — my top recommendation. Rome’s oldest neighbourhood, steps from the Colosseum and the Forum, but feels like a village. Cobblestone streets, independent shops, excellent restaurants, wine bars, and a community feel. Safe, beautiful, walkable to everything.
Trastevere — the classic. Yes, it’s touristy now, but the streets behind the main piazzas are still genuinely Roman. Great food, great nightlife, great atmosphere. Slightly harder to reach by metro (there isn’t one) but buses and trams connect it easily.
Centro Storico — Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Campo de’ Fiori. You’re in the middle of everything. Expensive, yes. But you’ll walk everywhere and never feel unsafe.
Prati — the neighbourhood next to the Vatican. Quieter, more residential, excellent restaurants that cater to locals rather than tourists. Clean streets, good transport links, and a 10-minute walk to St Peter’s.
Testaccio — Rome’s food neighbourhood. Where Romans actually eat. The old slaughterhouse district turned cultural hub. Market, trattorias, nightlife. Real Rome without pretending to be something it’s not.
Celio — the quiet neighbourhood between the Colosseum and the Lateran. Beautiful, residential, almost no tourists. Small hotels and B&Bs here offer excellent value with a genuinely local atmosphere.
The short version
Stay in the centre or the established neighbourhoods. Don’t book a cheap hotel in the suburbs thinking you’ll save money — the time, transport costs, and stress will eat that saving alive. Be careful around Termini and Esquilino after dark. Don’t wander the outer metro stops. And if an Airbnb seems surprisingly cheap in a neighbourhood you’ve never heard of, there’s a reason.
Rome is one of the safest major cities in Europe. The violent crime rate for tourists is extremely low. What you’re really protecting yourself from is petty theft, pickpocketing, and the uncomfortable feeling of being somewhere you shouldn’t be at the wrong time.
Stay in the right areas, use common sense after dark, and you’ll have zero problems.
STAY WITH BROTHERS IN ROME!
Here is a list of places in Rome where you can stay with our brothers and sisters.
Please remind that JW-ROMETOURS is not associated with any other JW tour provider, hotel, bnb or travel company!
I’ m 100% independently owned and operated, as are all other JW companies listed on my website!
We each abide to our own local laws and personal business practices and are therefore not responsable for the quality of service offered by another bnb or company on this list!
We simply promote each others companies to help our friends find other travel services offered by other JW’s!
I do not receive any commissions from these bookings, so you can call and book directly with them!
Make sure to let them know you are a JW!
In the Old Town, Top Location!
www.charmechic.com boutique hotel
Owner brother Alex Massoli +39 3496875027 or +39 0637898303
1 doube room (only for 2) with shared bathroom available, in the flat of a sister, in the city centre of Rome, Testaccio area.
Owner sister Michela +39 3287862282
www.hotelpalladiumpalace.com
The hotel director manager is brother Gianfranco Saccone. You can call or text to the hotel, and ask about him.
Close to the city center and (connected by metro/urban railways)
Up to 5 persons
https://abnb.me/aOICgaeGLT
METRO STOP (B1 LINE) CONCA DORO
Owner brother Samuele +39 3289553986
Up to 4 persons
Instagram – casa_vacanze_aoo_roma
URBAN RAILWAY – TOR PIGNATTARA
Owner sister Giorgia +39 3924693261
Up to 4 persons
www.giosephinehouse.com
METRO STOP (C LINE) – TEANO
Owner sister Eleonora +39 3890042276
Up to 4 persons
Roma Nord
URBAN RAILWAY – LA GIUSTINIANA
Owner brother Walter +39 3490698376
At the Gates of Rome (connected by buses)
Up to 6 people – indipendent new cozy apartment, in a villa at the gates of Rome, in the village of Colleverde of Guidonia, 10 miles from the city centre and 4 miles from the Bethel.
https://www.airbnb.com/l/AOh31xYJ – well connected by buses – Owner Brother Luke +39 3892108657
Up to 6 people – indipendent apartment, in a villa at the gates of Rome, in the village of Fonte Nuova Tor Lupara, 12 miles from the city centre and 6 miles from the Bethel.well connected by buses – Owner Sister Ornella +39 3299899166
IN THE ROMAN COUNTRYSIDE (ACCESSIBLE BY CAR ONLY)
3 doube rooms available, in a cozy villa with pool at the gates of Rome, in the village of Formello, 20 miles from the city centre and 14 miles from the Bethel.
Owner Brother Jamison +39 3280079439
Other house renting websites for JW’s
If you look for a B&B’s hosted by JW’s, go to these websites
2. jwguest.com
3. INSTAGRAM – 𝕃𝕚𝕕𝕚𝕒 & 𝕓𝕣𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕁𝕨 affitti_vacanze_italia_
If you didn’t find on this page, what you were looking for, go to the websites
