We’re taking a first-time trip to Rome in January and were wondering if anyone had recommendations of which area to stay in. We’d love to be in an area that’s walkable to sites/trattorias. And any recommendations for a hotel that’s on a quieter street?
What budget range are you targeting?
Up to low to mid 200’s/night. We’re hoping for a central location, but one that’s not too touristy of an area.
If you’re staying for more than a few days, Airbnb might be good. We stayed in one near Porta Maggiore, it’s a residential neighborhood, almost no tourists but you can still walk to the sights. It’s a fairly long walk though.If you’ll be taking a train often, you can stay closer to the train station, there are some sketchy neighborhoods there but nothing really dangerous. I’ve stayed alone in the Sweet Home hotel, it’s very small but comfy, on a quiet street. You can try to be closer to the sights, but it will be more expensive and touristy, or closer to the best trattorias in Trastevere. Feel free to ask more questions, I’ve been in Rome several times.
How many nights? You might consider a vacation rental if more than 3 nights. You can find a lovely place in off season for that price. There are beautiful 1 bdrm apartments with a lot of traditional character.
It’s hard to tell you a great location because some sights are spread out. Just a big warning…the bus lines are very confusing but much better than subway line to get to sights. Lots of walking. Get a bus map BEFORE you get there. They are hard to find after arrival.
We stayed at The Inn at the Roman Forum. We really enjoyed our stay there, but as was mentioned above, the sights in Rome are quite spread out. You’ll log a lot of steps. Buy very comfortable walking shoes.
Thanks for the replies so far. We’re staying 6 nights but are thinking we’d like to stay in a hotel on this trip. We’ve rented apartments (VRBO, airbnb, etc.) in other cities, but a friend of mine was in Rome last winter and rented an apartment where the heat wasn’t working, so I’m somewhat hesitant to rent.
We rented an Apartment thru Homeaway. It is usually cheaper than a hotel and more comfortable.
Maybe you inquire with owner about guaranteeing there is heat before you rent the apartment? I would consider that a mandatory requirement for a rental in January
Nothing wrong with a hotel. They could be very reasonable in January. It definitely takes some of the hassle factor and worry away when staying at a well reviewed hotel. I’d say, look at where the sites are that you want to visit, and stay in an area near them. Definitely go to TripAdvisor for reviews.
When we went to Rome 2 years ago, we decided between these 2 hotels: Albergo del Senato and Hotel di Fiori. We chose Albergo De Senato because it was right next to the Pantheon and had a 360 rooftop bar. It is a beautiful hotel and it’s right there in the action!! We like that. We had a 3rd floor room overlooking it. You are going at a great time for hotel rates, they are less than half in September when we went. We would stay there again in a heartbeat.
I wanted to look at the other when we got there bacuse it looked so quaint in the pictures. It is literally right off the Campo De Fiori, which is a very nice area to be in. We didn’t go in, but it was as quaint from the outside as the inside and 10 minute walk to the top attractions. I would say that this hotel would be considered quieter. I got these recommendations a lot from the TripAdvisor forum board.
Now, if you want to be even closer to the main attractions, you might ask about one that is close to the Plaza Novanna, but on a side street where it would be quieter.
One more tidbit, you might want to consider the Travestere Twighlight Food and Drink Tour. It was one Of our best times!
https://www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com/rome/tours/twilight-trastevere/
Agree with @conmama. Great suggestions. We stayed here http://www.hotelnazionale.it/en/hotel-rome-centre/. It was right near the parliament and very quiet because the square is blocked off for security reasons, you can walk but not drive in this square. It was very nice with a good complimentary breakfast.
It is very near everything. 2 minutes from the Pantheon.
We stayed there because we got a great deal through Expedia, we got flights and hotel for the cost of the flight. We went in November but if we were there in better weather, the de Senato would have been better because of the rooftop bar. We spent a lot of time near the Pantheon and Pizza Navona listening to the music and enjoying the atmosphere.
We fell in love with Rome.
I’ve renewed the same apartment twice near Campo dei Fiori and Piazza Farnese. I’d be happy to recommend it. Just make sure 50 steps up is ok.
Agree with @deb922. I remember walking by the Parliament building and it is right there, but much quieter. Yes, you probably won’t be taking advantage of the rooftop bar. Campo di Fiori is across the main street, which isn’t that big of a deal but something to consider.
Rome is my favorite city in Europe. I’ve been there three times now. Last time I stayed in the Starhotels Metropole hotel which is located very near Termini - the central train station. It was a good hotel with a good breakfast, and the location was great because you could easily walk to a lot of big attractions: Colosseum, Forum, Pantheon, Trajan’s Column, Ara Pacis, etc. The Museo Nazionale Romano is just around the corner. Plus with the train station right there you can easily take a train to and from the airport and also catch the metro to ride to some of the attractions that are too far away to walk.
I’m jealous. I loved Rome! Have fun! I’m SO ready to return.
Here’s where I have advice…
Be safe–wear money belts under your clothes (I’m not kidding–NO excuses for anybody in your party no matter how big your party is–when one person gets pick pocketed it affects everybody).
Everybody will complain/whine about comfort or the famous “I’ll be careful”–I don’t care. At all. Money belts. Something under your clothes. You can keep a few bucks handy in a pocket that you don’t mind losing.
Been there, done that–it’s the pits. Yes, you can replace card etc–after hours on the phone in a foreign country while everyone is waiting.
Don’t go there. Especially when it’s SO easy to take a bit of care ahead of time. (and by the way the police are nice but don’t care much–you were stupid).
And empty your wallet of everything you absolutely don’t need before you go. Everything.
Keep a record somewhere separate of your credit card numbers and phone numbers to call in case something does happen. Leave them somewhere or with someone else.
Look up scams (Rick Steve’s site is good) so you can recognize them before you become a victim.
Pack light and carry-on if possible. I say this not to deter you but to make your time fun! It’ll simplify everything by a ton.
Do get a Rick Steve’s guide to Rome.
So much fun!!!
Staying near the Pantheon (or Navona) puts you near many sites. Ditto the Monti area. Lots of good restaurants in both areas. January is low season; your dollar may stretch further than you expect.
A hotel concierge will be able to make dinner reservations for you; apartments, not so much. I can give a thumbs up to the Hotel Nazionale and the Nerva. The Hotel Napoleon is not as luxe and is not as convenient to tourist sites, but the staff are lovely. There are many many many other great hotels in the city, so read reviews and see what works for your budget.
Two things that imo were well worth the money: a private guide to see the Forum (very difficult to follow what’s what with an audio guide) and the early morning Pristine Sistine tour.
I’ll second the recommendation of the Eating Italy food tours. Do one early in your trip so that you can get good recommendations about where to go afterwards. There are also some excellent restaurant apps that you can scour for suggestions.
You didn’t really ask about what you want to do when in Rome. But this was the most special thing we did http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/institutions_connected/uffscavi/documents/rc_ic_uffscavi_doc_gen-information_20090216_en.html
The scavi tour seeing the tomb of St. Peter under St. Peter’s Basilica. Only 250 people see this every day. You email the Vatican the days you’ll be in Rome and they email you if they have availability. It was very inexpensive and very, very moving. I don’t know if you are Catholic or are religious because this tour would maybe be for the more believers. I’m not really sure.
We also did the Pristine Sistine tour and it is very recommended. Also make reservations for the Borghese museum, it was amazing.
Thanks for all the wonderful replies. You’re right, I only had asked about hotels/areas to stay in, but I’m loving the sightseeing advice! Feel free to keep it coming!
@gouf78 I couldn’t agree more about pick pockets. We just returned from Rome last night and it was a nightmare getting home. They took our cash as well as our green cards. We’ve spent hours ( 4 hours in US embassy and 2 1/2 hours in immigration) a lot of extra cash getting a letter to allow us to come home.
Now we have to apply for replacement cards which can take months to receive. We have to cancel our summer vacation planed for this May as we don’t have physical green cards anymore. It sucks, but Rome is a beautiful city, I love the history and architecture.