Rome, Italy

Spunky414 · June 2012

FI and I are planning 7-10 days in late April in Rome and would like some suggestions on what part of the city we should look for hotels in and any specific hotel recommendations. Neither of us has been there before, we plan on some day trips outside the city, so we want somewhere centralish or close to transit. On the other hand we don't want to stay somewhere super touristy and are comfortable using public transit. We aren't sit in the hotel kind of people so all we want in a hotel is clean rooms and private bathrooms .

Snippylynn · June 2012

On our first trip to Rome, we stayed at this little, quirky hotel called Hotel Rafaello, which was in very easy walking distance from Roma Termini station. It's just one street off Via Cavour, which leads right into Termini.

Also, for general Italian travelling tips, I would recommend looking at Trenitalia, the official train site for Italy. You have to be really careful when looking at times because they- for some reason- only show you some of the options for booking. AND you have to enter the city names in the Italian version-- not the English. So, for example, if you want to look for a ticket from Termini to Florence, you would have to enter Roma Termini to Firenze. I just happened to notice that on the English site. I always use the Italian version so I didn't notice before. That's so weird. Anyway, just a little tip for you.

My preferred way to purchase tickets there, is to buy them in the station, at the number of kiosks there, as you can actually pay with card (if that is your preference). The people at the counters are not helpful, generally don't speak English (or don't speak it well) and will only accept cash.

Also make sure to keep track of if you need to change trains, and that you have plenty of time to make it to the platform to change. They make it complicated.

For your time allotment, I would recommend staying within a 2 hour train ride.

HTH-- have fun.

MrsGandthebeag · June 2012

I would suggest staying somewhere in the heart of the city like near the Trevi Fountain, or the Spanish steps. DH and I were in Rome last summer for 4 nights. I thought it was very walkable. We never took the train or any public transportation. We even walked from our hotel, the Boscolo Exedra to the Vatican. That was a hike. And it was almost 100 degrees. I wouldn't really suggest our hotel though. I thought it was overpriced for what it was. But the Italians idea of a nice hotel is very different from the American idea.

JoanE2012 · June 2012

I would also recommend staying near the Trevi Fountain or Spanish Steps. We stayed on a tour a couple blocks from the Colisseum. It was a great location to see the Colisseum and Forum, but it was quite a hike (to walk) to the Trevi Fountain area. I always said that if I go back, I'd stay in that area.....it was more lively, more restaurants and more things to see.

aloisk57 · June 2012

We are going in November - here are our top contenders. I highly suggest booking through the hotel website because they offer special discounts like stay 5 nights, get one free!

http://www.hotelartemide.it/en/home.html

http://www.albergodelsenato.it/

http://www.iqhotelroma.it/en/

http://www.suitedreams.it/eng/camere.htm

http://www.aventinohotels.com/inglese/sa/camere.htm

alithebride · June 2012

i suggest splitting your time between rome and another city such as florence. it's only 90 minutes by train and it's my favorite.

ive stated at 2 different places in rome. hotel fontana di trevi which overlooks the trevi fountain and albergo del senato which overlooks the pantheon and piazza del senato. both were exceptional.

yellowrose314 · June 2012

I've been to Rome twice, first time was with a class trip, can't remember that hotel, but the second time I went I stayed in this great hotel called Villa Torlonia. It's in the San Lorenzo/University district, it's safe to walk around at night, and it's close to the subway terminal. It's also in a historical building which is cool. The rooms are beautiful, very high ceilings with beautiful huge windows that overlook the courtyard, great place to have your morning cafe

. They also have a continental breakfast, and it's quite good.

As I said, it's close to a subway terminal, probably only about a block or so away from it, and there's a bus stop 1 block away that takes you directly downtown to all the tourist attractions. It's also a very quiet area. The first hotel we stayed at when I went there was near the Trevi Fountain, and I personally found it way to loud for my tastes, but that's just me. Public transportation in Rome is fantastic, and a lot of the bus drivers speak English too, so you have the plus of finding a cheaper, nice hotel a little further away.

One thing to keep in mind as far as restaurants go: check out the ones off the beaten path. You will get an AMAZING meal, and the service is almost always better than the ones close to the tourist attractions, as they're not frequented as much and therefore they try harder. The food is going to be amazing no matter where you go, but I always checked out lesser known restaurants or ones not so close to the attractions and I was always impressed. Also check out the Jewish Quarter... it's pretty cool

TravelingJen · June 2012

We went to Rome last September and rented an apartment through Rental in Rome. We stayed in a beautifully renovated apartment just off of Campo de' Fiori, which was an awesome location within easy walking distance to Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. I have a blog entry on the apartment here.

MrsGandthebeag · June 2012

Jen, I love your blog. Looking at the Venice pics really took me back. It's my fave city of all time. My grandma lives about an hour north so every time I go to visit, I have to take a trip to Venice as well.

Spunky414 · June 2012

Thank you everyone!

ETA: Jen, the blog is great and staying in an apartment sounds like a better idea to me than a hotel. Great suggestion

hoffse · June 2012

I was there for a month a couple of years ago and rented an apartment in Trastevere - it's quite close to the Vatican, but it's not necessarily central to other parts of the city (the Vatican is in a corner of the city with like 1 bus that goes there). That said, it was incredibly charming - all cobblestone, outdoor markets, locals, the cheapest (and tastiest) dining in the city... and there's a tram that takes you into the center of the city for free that runs every 15 min or so. It's about a 10 min tram ride, and then it's easy to catch the subway to all the major sites. The Roman forum, il gesu, capitoline museum, etc are about a 15-20 min easy walk from the tram, if I'm remembering correctly. I really enjoyed walking everywhere and only took the subway when I was going out to the fringes of the city. It's a pretty small area.

I second florence/firenze. But if you go, I'd spend the night and bring an empty suitcase - they have MILES of open air markets, and I had no idea. I bought a gorgeous purse there and would have brought back all sorts of other things if I had known in advance.

Rome, Italy

Re: Rome, Italy

Choose Another Board

Search Boards