What neighborhood is the best to stay in while in Rome, Italy?

There are many many posts about this, so to get more info do a search above.

I would recommend the area around the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and Campo di fiori. You can walk most places from here. The Colosseum is not that convenient to anything else. We just stayed a week in Trastevere and also really liked that neighbourhood and walked everywhere.

You can take the metro from the Colosseum to the Vatican.

The. neighborhoods listed above are the most central to the common sights.From them you would take a bus along the Corso Vittorio Emanuele to getmto the Vatican.

I've really only stayed in one area, but it was the area jamikins recommends first and I completely agree. We were there for five days and never had to take public transit at all - except for a car from the airport and a taxi to Termini with our luggage, we walked everywhere (Vatican, Trastevere, Colosseum, Spanish Steps, Borghese). It was a lot of walking, which for us was fine and I actually quite enjoyed it, but as charnees says the bus is accessible. Termini and the Colosseum aren't that convenient to other things.

hi tzoradi,

have a look at a plan of Rome. you'll see that the main sights are within a diamond shape - the Piazza del Popolo/Villa borgheses at the top, [north] the colosseum and forum at the bottom [south] Termini station to the east, and the Vatican to the west.

ideally you want to be in the middle, which means staying in the piazza navona/pantheon area.

fortunately there are lots of hotels and apartments in the centre.

I would go for one of them.

We prefer the Piazza Navona-Pantheon area.

From the Piazza Navona we have walked to the Colosseum and Forum, the Vatican, Piazza del Popolo, Spanish Steps, Borghese Gallery, and everywhere in between.

Have a wonderful trip.

Byrd

Wow, thanks everyone! I appreciate the input! I'll take a look around the Piazza Navona-Pantheon area. Any recommendations for hotels/B&B's?

Our preference has always been the south side of Termini. Four visits for about three weeks total over the past six years or so We prefer it for the convenience to local transit including the train station. Has nice, less touristy local restaurants,and the price is better. Some don't like it because it is on the edge of the tourist areas which means maybe five to ten minutes more of walking. With a pass you can jump a bus for a few blocks. We prefer Hotel Sonya across from the Opera House.

You may want to take a look at this thread: http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/francos-favourite-roman-accomodistricts.cfm
It hasn't been active for a while, but the districts of Rome are still the same...

We stayed in the Hotel Genio in November and really enjoyed it. It is located right at Piazza Navona.

The hotel seems to have been redecorated since our last stay there some years ago, and everything is new and pretty. The rooftop terrace and breakfast room just off the terrace offer great views.

The location is perfect for us.

hotelgenioroma.it

Byrd

What's your hotel budget?

I've been in Rome 5 times or more, and I've never taken the subway. There are only 2 lines anyway. I've take the bus a few times (holding tight to my belongings). But you see so many interesting sights walking that you would miss or zoom by on the bus: the odd Roman ruin with the city built around it, interesting shops, people-watching.

Franco- Thanks for that link! It was very helpful.

Byrd- That hotel looks beautiful but it's out of our price range.

Mimar- We wanted to spend about 100euro or less per night on accomodation in Rome. It's looking pretty difficult to stick to that... I'm having a hard time finding a budget hotel in the Piazza Navona- Pantheon neighborhood.

I did find a hotel called Hotel Rosetta on Via Cavour. Has anyone stayed there? Is that part of town safe/nice? According to their website they are within walking location to most places I'd want to go and they charge 95euro a night for a double room.

Safe yes - safety is nowhere really an issue in central Rome. But that's the center's seediest part. Not too nice, thus. You'll find lengthy discussions of this (and any other possible) neighbourhood on the thread I've referred you to.

Several years ago we stayed in Aventino, at Villa San Pio, which is one of Rome's Aventino Hotels group:

http://www.aventinohotels.com/

They are old residences transformed into charming hotels. Although Aventino is not the center of the city, Circus Maximus, the Palatinate and Forum were within about 20 minutes walk in one direction, the Pyramide Metro station and a Via Mamorato bus to Trastevere were within 10-15 minutes walk in another direction. They appear to have some twin rooms available in mid-September for about 105 euro.

We most recently stayed in Raphael near Piazza Navona but it was a splurge. We also stayed in Nova Domus (http://www.novadomushotel.it/) which was an easy walk to the Vatican museum entry and we had good luck with local restos there. Unfortunately, that was in 1999 and the place was a bit shabby then-recent google says it's 4-star now!

The over all best for us was Isa. It was an easy walk to a major bus area and we found many nice restaurants in the area.

http://www.hotelisa.net/

Another place was Hotel Principe di Piemonte. The great things about it were the wonderful staff and its proximity to 3 tram lines that made getting around Rome a dream. It had a cute breakfast room. The bad things were that the rooms were small and shabby and the area was not touristy. Local resto food quality was uneven and there seemed to be more carry out places. It was not our favorite place to come "home" to at the end of the day. I couldn't find a direct link online for this hotel.

DO double check my info as things change over the years. And please report back!

We always enjoy staying in Trastevere. There are lots of restaurants (for all budgets) and strolling around the Piazza Santa Maria de Trastevere makes for an enjoyable evening.

You can walk/bus/tram to anywhere in the city. The Trastevere train station is also convenient for traveling to and from the airport (FCO).

Last year we stayed at the Hotel Trastevere for a few nights. The rates are inexpensive for Rome, the room was comfortable and the location was central to where we wanted to be.

We too stayed in Hotel Genio very near the Piazza Navonna and thought its location perfect. We walked everywhere from it. I would recommend the Piazza Navonna area highly. Ten years ago we stayed near the Vatican but appreciated the location and quieter locale of Genio. Lovely rooftop terrace.

The top of Via Cavour is somewhat seedy; Rosetta is near the bottom. Just east of Cavour at that height is Monti, a neighborhood that is becoming more and more trendy, with many bars and restaurants, most of them less expensive than most of the ones in the Pamtheon/Navona area. The buildings are not as grand, but it's a historic and cobblestoned area.

That is a pretty low budget for Rome. Try searching places recommended on www.eurocheapo.com

Monti is my FAVOURITE neighbourhood in Rome.

There is a very nice restaurant on Via San Vito near Maria Maggiore called Trattoria Monti.

I like this area because you don't see too many tourists about.

If you walk down Via Merulana, you can cut through Parco di Traiano to get to the Colosseum.

Maybe because I live in Philadelphia, I get a chuckle when people talk about the "seedy" parts of Central Rome.

If this is seedy to you then don't ever, ever come to Philly.
Seedy here means getting a gun shoved in your ribs for your wallet.

I guess if you live in a suburb with an Olive Garden and TGI Fridays next to the mall, you would find the neighbourhood around Termini seedy.

Tschuss,
Pepper

Pepper, how far a walk from Porto Maggiore is Monti?

And to OP, shabby might be a better adjective than seedy. No matter how you call it, I daresay most of Rome is pretty safe. We were warned about pick pockets on some of the bus lines.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions!

Baudolino and Pepper - I'm excited to check out the Monti neighborhood.

Jamikins - Yeah, our budget is looking pretty ridiculous in Rome.

Ideally, I'd want to be as close to the Piazza Navona - Pantheon area as possible but it may not be in the cards for me. I think I've ruled out hotels by Termini Station and the Vatican.

I think at this point I'm leaning towards either doing an apartment rental in Trastavere (I found some places on airbnb.com for around my budget) or the Hotel Rosetta just north of the Forum (95 euro/night for a double). Should I just bite the bullet and make a reservation or keep looking?

We love Trastevere too. We rent an apartment there (through Sleep In Italy-Alessandro Perio), bus stop up the block, very convenient. Highly recommend.

Did you actually look at all the places in www.eurocheapo.com - suggested by jamikins above?

I believe you will find something in the neighborhood and price range you want - not a LOT of options in the Navona/Pantheon/Campo area but there a few out there.

Baudolino and Pepper - I'm excited to check out the Monti neighborhood.>>

on our first visit to Rome, we stayed in the via dei serpenti, which is on the edge of the monti area, running between the forum and the via nazionale. it was not at all seedy, and there were any number of locals' bars, cafes, shops and restaurants. we loved staying round there, though it was a bit of a hike to get into the piazza navona area or to St. Peter's unless you got the bus.

definitely not a bad place to stay at all.

bardo1 - There are two options on eurocheapo.com near Campo De' Fiori/Piazza Navona that would fit into our budget:

1. Cecilia Suites Rome at $125/night.

2. Domus Ester $130/night.

Cecilia Suites gets good reviews for some of their larger suites but mixed reviews for their cheaper double apartments, Vicolo Cellini 14 (next to Chiesa Nuova) and Vicolo sant' Agata 2 (in Trastevere).

Domus Ester reviews are also mixed and I get the feeling it's very dark, small, and an uninviting place to stay (I most definitely could be wrong).

Has anyone stayed at either of these places?

I guess it depends on how you view your accommodations. If on a tight budget I would choose a dark, small hotel in a great area as opposed to a bigger brighter hotel in a location outside of centre. This comes from having learned the lesson and spending a lot of time on transit to get to and from hotels outside of the centre in boring neighbourhoods. But we dont spend a lot of time in the hotel - just want it to be clean and safe.

We recently found the Monti neighbourhood around the vatican much more expensive for food close to the vatican as they cater to tourists - especially compared to Trastevere.

I would much prefer a hotel in Trastevere to Monti...but thats just me

What about these places in Trastevere...

http://www.eurocheapo.com/rome/hotel/antiquaroma-via-marianna-dionigi-17.html

http://www.eurocheapo.com/rome/hotel/danilo-viale-di-trastevere-60.html

http://www.eurocheapo.com/rome/hotel/hotel-trastevere.html

http://www.eurocheapo.com/rome/hotel/san-pietro-la-corte-via-delle-fornaci-38.html

jamikins - the area I think of as "monti" is that surrounding and to the north of the colosseum and forum, and wiki agrees with me: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monti_(rione_of_Rome)

it doesn't go anywhere near the vatican.

fair enough! I just think that far from everything and would prefer to be closer! (thats even farther away than I realised it was hahaha)

Monti isn't anywhere NEAR THE VATICAN.

You are thinking of PRATI.

Monti is the nabe you see when you walk out the front doors of Maria Maggiore.

Your old, old friend,
Pepper

Yes Pepper, I think we have that straight per annhigs post

fair enough! I just think that far from everything and would prefer to be closer! (thats even farther away than I realised it was hahaha)>>

well it's not far away from the forum and colosseum area, nor from San pietro in vincoli, Santa Maria Maggiore, San clemente, the baths of Diocletian, the Capitoline museums, the Vittorio Emmanuale monument etc. etc. and the nos 45 and 60 buses along the via nazionale will soon get you into what you are thinking of as the "centre" of Rome.

that said, on our 2nd visit, we did choose to stay in a more "central" position. However, i would not rule it out if you find somewhere at a good price.