spootiskerry

Our flight arrives at 9:30 p.m in Rome and we will have been flying/traveling for 24 hours and will be quite exhausted. It's just my son (13) and I (mom) and some of the posts about tired tourists, especially moms with kids, has gotten me a bit concerned. We plan on looking out for each other and keeping a firm grasp on our things, but we are also on a budget and taking a taxi is a bit extreme. Has anyone advice on a safe, quiet place to stay for our first night? Under $80? ONe room w/twin beds. Should we take the bus or train? We've contacted the 3 Coins B&B and a few others. All advice welcome!

cochise51

The train stops running to Stazione Termini (center of Rome) at 10:00. Taxis are 45 euros or so. My suggestion is to book a shuttle or car from www.airportconnection.it - they have cheaper rates than taxis. I have a Mercedes E-class picking me up for 39 euros for two of us and luggage--I'm on a late flight too. Look into their minivan service. The alternative to taking a car into Rome is airport accommodation - the hotel at the airport (Hilton?) is around $360/night. Hope this helps.

BATUFFOLINA

Your budget is really tight and I doubt that you'll find something decent for $80 per night (which is 70 euros per night). Maybe at the Scott house hotel (www.scotthouse.com) you can find something for that price, but it is a basic hotel, I have never been there, so I can't give any feedback about it. Maybe some fodorite will be more helpful and knowledgeable about this hotel or some other.
I agree, if you arrive late it is better to get a taxi or try the limoservice Rome which has good fares (52 euros for 4 people). Check it out here: http://www.limoservicerome.com/

mmr41

Vebere.com seems to have several 3 star hotels and many 2 stars close to your price range. We stayed a Hotel Montreal, near Santa Maria Maggiore on our last night before going home. Smallish room, but clean and nice manager, for $89. Don't know if they have an e-mail address.

spootiskerry

Thanks for your replies. I ended up getting a B&B/Pension in Testacio for 80E. We'll take the COTRAL bus to Termini and catch another bus to Testaccio. Buses run until 11:00 p.m. and the cost is only 1E each. Got the accommodation through sleepinitaly.com and they were very helpful. I'll let you know how it works out and if it's recommended for others.

cf5657

If you've never been to Rome before and your getting there late, take a taxi or hire a car service. The bus is a nightmare to figure out and they run much further apart at that time of night so if you miss the bus, you'll be waiting for a long time. Also, Termini is chaos. If you get in at 9:30 pm you won't get to Termini until 11pm at the soonest. I'm not saying anything bad is going to happen to you, but common sense says not to put yourself in a bad position when your tired and vunerable, don't speak the language and its late at night at a train station. I also booked through SleepinItaly and they gave nice directions and it seemed easy. It wasn't and I ended up taking a taxi. What's your sanity worth?

kismetchimera

If you arrive at Termini and must take a taxi, take only the one that are at the taxi stand..Beware of the person that meet you halfway and try to con you to take his taxi. He is not legitmate and will charge you triple..
Good luck,

GAC

If your hotel is in Testaccio, the Roma Ostiense train station would be much closer than Termini Station, and you could take a cab from Ostiense to the hotel. There is train service from the airport to Ostiense for 5 Euros per person (a different train from the one which goes nonstop to Termini), but I don't particularly recommend this route at night, as the train stops at a couple of outlying stations in rough areas of town, and Ostiense is no fun at night either. I think that the direct airporter limo service is your best alternative, particularly given the arrival time and the length of your travel time.

spootiskerry

Well, the unexpected happened...we missed our connecting flight to Rome (on Ryan Air...see ryanairsucks.com) so we didn't get to experience the transportation situation at night. We stayed in a nice B&B for 80 euro on the lungotevere testaccio. conatct Maurizio at [email protected] if you need a place. Testaccio is a nice neighborhood. We enjoyed walking around there. Easy to catch busses and underground to all the sites. If you want specific info, contact me off-line.

Thomas_Milligan

I am sorry to hear you missed the flight. Before your trip, on the thread "Queen's Theatre" you had said that you had four hours to get from Heathrow to Stansted, and I expressed my opinion that this was not enough time.

There are frequent questions on this forum about the time needed from Heathrow to Stansted. Based on your experience, do you have any advice for other readers?

ira

topping

cf5657

I missed my flight between Standstead and Rome on Ryan Air. You have to get there 2 hours ahead of time becuase their lines are insane. If you couple that with the train service in England (which always takes longer than quoted) You need to make sure your on the Standstead Express at least 3 hours before your flight is to leave. Other carriers may be different but don't take a chance with Ryan Air. They make money when you miss your flight.