Is Catania safe for solo female travelers?

Catania is generally a safe city for solo female travelers. Like in any urban areas, it's essential to practice usual travel safety precautions. Street crime can occur, but typically it's petty like bag-snatching or pick-pocketing, so always keep an eye on your belongings, especially in crowded areas and tourist locations. Also, it's safer to avoid less crowded and dimly lit areas at night. Public transport is reliable and safe. Overall, navigating the city during the day is quite secure and comfortable, and the local residents are friendly and hospitable.

Safety rating

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How safe is Catania for solo female travelers?

Travel safety index

3.1 /5

based on 7 experiences from female travelers

Group travel

We arrived to Catania and immediately i felt overwhelmed with the loudness of the streets. I was quite unsafe to walk as pedestrians on the street as all the cars were speeding and honking. The evening walk to see the old town of catania was a bit disappointing as all the streets are extremely dirty. At night in Catania, the streets can feel busy and intrusive. Some people, especially near restaurants and tourist areas, may try hard to get your attention or invite you in. While most don’t mean harm, it can sometimes feel uncomfortable, and a few might make inappropriate comments. It’s best to stay confident, ignore unwanted attention, and keep walking — they usually move on quickly.

Posted: November 2, 2025
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Emily

Emily

United Kingdom

Group travel

I went with a small group of friends and we had a great time! Food and drink is cheap and the people are overall friendly. The centre of catania is lively at night too and there are quite a few cocktailbars. There's loads of culture and history to check out too and I would defo recommend doing a boat trip🤩

Posted: January 4, 2025Experienced: June, 2024
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Solo travel

Catania was everything I hoped Italy would be ! The food was excellent, not extensive at all compared to northern Europe. The city is quite small si it is not overwhelming at all and you can really feel like you can take your time !

Posted: June 27, 2024
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How safe is Catania for women?

Local safety index

2.5 /5

Based on 5 local experiences

Local crime index

2.8 /5

Based on 5 local experiences

Annalisa

Annalisa

Walking around the centre, mostly the area from the cathedral square/Castello Ursino/Piazza Teatro Massimo to Piazza Roma feels quite safe: it's not dark, and you're rarely the only one around. The city is very lively almost every day of the week till late. Sure, it's always important to mind your surroundings (in tourist hotspots like via Garibaldi and in crowded places like the main market Fera 'o luni for instance) and to never let your belongings unattended or in sight if you have a car (also, better to put in the trunk everything you don't need far from where you're leaving the car parked). At night avoid the station area, archi della marina, Via Don Luigi Sturzo/Via Giovanni Di Prima and empty little dark streets in general. Buses are often not the most reliable mean of transport, often late, but they get you where you need to and I've never really used the metro. Rental bikes or scooters can be a good option but mind we lack bike lanes and the streets are often made of big lava stones and so they get slippery when it rains (and because of wax after Sant'Agata's celebrations in the beginning of February). Stay safe and feel free to hit me up if you need some advice ❤️

Posted: July 11, 2025
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Tosca

Tosca

Catania in general is a safety city, people here are in general friendly. Of course you can meet someone that can attack you but i think that this can happen in every city. At the night the public transport is rare or the subway is closed, so If you live alone you need a cab or your car. In the summer the city is crowd of people so if you need any help you can always find someone. Si in general is safe but I recommend to be careful and frequenting crowd places

Posted: January 23, 2025
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Maria

Maria

I mean just try to avoid all the surrounding near to the train station and the harbor, the areas around the cimitery and you will be fine. Best areas where to stay in summer are all the line coast, and in winter the center (via etnea, via gemmellaro and so on).

Posted: July 23, 2024
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Safety in Italy

Hospitality Exchange in Catania

Nat

Nat

Catania

Can host for:

2 days

About me

Hi there! I am Nat from Brooklyn NY and I am currently living in Italy and trying to get as much traveling as I can. I appreciate and love meeting new people and sharing experiences with different cultures. I have lived abroad for many years and I am also happy to host people in my area and share my home and town with them.

Speaking

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Expats in Catania

Sai

Sai

Catania

About me

Heyy, I'm Sai (they/them) I am a graphic designer but an artist in heart. In Catania I volunteer for a contemporary culture center and enjoy the local culture :) When i am not working or volunteering in the center you will either see me writing or making art in my room or getting lost in the city. I love camping even though i havent done it in sooooo long. I enjoy sharing memories, experiences and take-aways from past adventures. Pretty open talking about everything so ask me anything!

Speaking