Enjoying Early Morning Rome Can Help With Your Insomnia

Experiencing early morning Rome, Italy might be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be and can help when your sleep is disturbed with international travel.

If you are like me, when you travel internationally (or even cross country) your sleep can get disturbed and you find yourself awake at 3:00 in the morning with nothing to do. You have options, albeit limited, that might have you less annoyed at getting up so early. 

Is It Safe To Walk In Rome After Dark?

Walking around in touristy areas is generally safe if you are coming from or going to a pub or restaurant late in the evening because you typically will be surrounded by other people enjoying the city in the same way. You might also notice that there are Close-Circuit Cameras mounted all over the city keeping watch over you. 

As with any city, however, you should use a combination of your intuition and common sense. Dark desolate alleys should be avoided and strangers offering you gifts probably aren’t on the level. Don’t accept rides from unlicensed taxis and try to move in groups. For more details, check out our article on the safety of Rome at night.

Is It Safe To Walk Around Rome In The Early Morning?

I walked around Rome as early as 4:00 AM and I was surprised at how quiet the historical center of the city is. At that time, the pubs have closed and most respectable drunks have returned home. That’s not to say that you won’t see an odd straggler, but their numbers are few. 

Beyond that, the streets will be there for you, some workers (cleaners and delivery trucks), street cleaners and a few taxis. You will want to stay in well lit areas and use your intuition if things begin to feel a bit dodgy. You usually tell if something is afoot, like strangely loud shouting, small groups of young men with seemingly no purpose and homeless people using the streets like an open-air toilet. In these cases, walk briskly to an area with better lighting and you should be fine.

Where To Go At Night In Rome?

There are pubs all over the city that stay open as late as 4:00 AM, but this type of late night partying is less common than in the US and the UK. After that, your options become limited. There are a few bars (i.e. coffee shops) that open around 5:00 AM which are there to support local residents heading to work early (or getting off work late). This is less common around the historical sites because tourists, even the most hearty, won’t head out before 8:00.

You can find a 24-Hour Pharmacy, but these are pretty rare. You might find one per neighborhood, so you may have to spend some time checking out your favorite map app on your phone.

Something else unique about Rome is that the sites are open-air, so you can walk around the Colosseum, climb the Spanish Steps or cruise Piazza Navona when nobody is around (apart from some police), when it is cooler and you get to enjoy a relatively private showing. That’s not to say that every site is available, because indoor sites still, like the Pantheon or the museums, won’t open until after 8:00 AM.

Is Public Transportation Available Late At Night In Rome?

Public transportation in Rome does not run 24-Hours per day. The subways, buses and trams will end around midnight and a little later on weekends. At this point, your best bet is calling a cab. For the early riser, the public transportation system begins to come alive around 5:00 AM and gets into full swing 30 minutes later.

Is Rome Lit Up At Night?

The city of Rome does spend a lot of money on its electrical bill because the major sites are nicely lit up at night. I’ve seen some amazing shots of the Spanish Steps at night and the Colosseum definitely has its moments after dark. When it gets really late (or early, depending on your perspective) the lights are still on, but at a reduced level which is good for safety, but less so for enjoying the sites.

Is Rome Lively At Night?

In the more touristy areas or near the universities, I would say that Rome is lively. In other areas where there are fewer tourists and more locals, the quiet makes it a more liveable city, which is something I appreciate. In our neighborhood, apart from a theater whose patrons can get a little chatting in the streets, our neighborhood is much louder during the day and positively tranquil at night.

What To Do At 6:00AM In Rome?

At 6:00 (or even 5:00) in the morning, you can start your day with a bar (i.e. coffee shop) for an amazing cappuccino and pastry, go for a crowd-less walk around the city and watch the sun rose over the Colosseum. You can try to fix the headache with some medicine from a 24-Hour Pharmacy or if love is in the air, you can buy some intimate objects from their vending machines mounted outside on the street. You can practice riding a scooter when there isn’t much traffic or even go for a jog. There is plenty to do in early morning Rome, so don’t just stay in your hotel room and get out there!

Early Morning Rome Shouldn’t Be Missed