Practical Information for visiting Rome

Coverage for mobile networks is good across the city with widespread 5G, and the metro has signal on most lines.

Italian SIM cards are cheap and easy with a passport, and EU roaming rules mean visitors from within the union pay domestic rates.

Wi-Fi is standard in hotels and cafes, and the city runs a free public network in many squares and parks.

Contactless payment is widely accepted, including on buses and the metro, where you can tap a bank card at the gate; small bars and market stalls may still prefer cash.

Power is 230 volts on European two- and three-pin sockets, and Italy uses a narrower pin than much of Europe, so a cheap local adapter is sometimes needed.

Rome is a generally safe city for its size, with very little violent crime. The problem is theft, and it is organised and persistent.

• Pickpocketing on the 64 and 40 buses to the Vatican, on metro line A, at Termini and around the Colosseum. Bags in front, nothing in back pockets, and be suspicious of any distraction — a dropped object, a petition, a crowd pressing on at a door.
• Scams at the monuments: bracelet-tiers who grab your wrist, fake petitions, and men in gladiator costume who charge for photographs.
• Taxi overcharging: use the official white taxis from a rank, check the fixed airport fare, and refuse anyone approaching you inside the terminal.
• Traffic: scooters treat crossings as advisory. Cross decisively and predictably.
• Summer heat at the unshaded sites.
• Uneven paving: the cobbles ruin ankles and shoes.

Italy has good public healthcare. EU visitors should carry a European Health Insurance Card; everyone else needs travel insurance. Emergency departments treat everyone, and private clinics are available for non-urgent care.

No vaccinations are required beyond routine cover.

Heat is the main summer risk: the archaeological sites have no shade, the stone radiates, and heatstroke among visitors is common in July and August. Start early, carry water and use the fountains.

Tap water is safe and good — the nasoni fountains run continuously and are free to drink from.

Walking: Rome involves far more of it than people expect, over cobbles and hills. Proper shoes matter.

Pharmacies are excellent, marked by a green cross, and a rota covers nights and Sundays.

Emergency number: 112 across Italy for police, fire and ambulance, with multilingual operators. 118 also reaches an ambulance directly.

Medical. Hospital emergency departments treat everyone; EU visitors use the European Health Insurance Card and others should have insurance. Pharmacies handle minor problems and can direct you to an on-duty doctor.

Reporting theft: you need a denuncia from the police for any insurance claim, available at a police station and at a tourist-facing office near Termini.

Strikes on public transport are announced in advance and are frequent; check before relying on the metro for a flight.

Heat warnings are issued by the health ministry in summer on a three-level scale and are worth taking seriously.

Almost every country has an embassy to Italy or to the Holy See in the city.