Maire

Getting ready to book a hotel, but still deciding on area. Looking for an area that is close to sites, restaurants, shops, etc. Also, one that is safe for 2 women to walk around at night. Do you prefer:
- Pantheon
- Trevi
- Via Veneto
- Colosseum
- Navona
- Other?

Thanks.

tcreath

I would definitely choose Piazza Navona or the Pantheon. Both are close to each other, filled with great cafes and restaurants, and are close to many of the main sights in Rome.

Tracy

Leely

1. Piazza Navona and/or any of the quieter little streets off Campo dei Fiori. Or one of the little streets in Trastevere near the river/Santa Maria in Trastevere.

2. Pantheon

3. Colosseum

I think ALL of the areas you mention would be perfectly fine for 2 women traveling "alone." Just use common sense. I've never felt unsafe in Rome at all. Although I've often felt in danger of eating too much guanciale. Or carciofi.

Have a lovely trip.

SAB

I second Leely's recommendations--last time we stayed in an apartment near the Campo dei Fiori. The time before in a hotel near the Via Veneto. I much prefer the Campo or Piazza Navona areas to Via Veneto. They feel more real. They are perfectly safe for women to walk around at night--something my sister and I did alot. Like Leely I never felt unsafe walking around at night.

olive_oil

thanks for asking this question, Maire, I'll use the info, too.

GianniFL

Some time ago I spent a summer near the Pantheon. The only place I would rather have stayed is Piazza Navona which is where we stay now. Gianni

Maire

Thank you, thank you, everyone! And you're welcome, Olive Oil--this is such a great place to get help, isn't it?

olive_oil

Yes it is, Maire. My November trip is becoming more and more real thanks to reading here. First time I looked around here I thought, How long has this been going on?

mcnyc

I prefer either Pantheon/Navona or, surprisingly, the Termini area, specifically along Via Nazionale. I never felt unsafe at any time during my stays there.

I have a soft spot for the Termini area ever since we took one of those luggage carts back to our hotel, much to the surprise of our concierges, who didn't know what to think. But since I was the one who had to carry all the luggage for my family of 4, that luggage cart was a lifesaver for me!

We did return it as a family as soon as we got the luggages up to our room! And left it at the front of the Termini, whereupon someone immediately came and snatched it for their luggage.

Funnier still...no one blinked an eye coming or going!

Jean

This recommendation may provoke mixed feelings as to safety, but here goes. We've stayed twice at the Fontanella Borghese which is a few blocks down the Via Condotti from the Spanish Steps. The building the hotel occupies shares a largo (small piazza) with the Palazzo Borghese (a former Borghese residence). Because many wealthy Italians live in this building, the police presence in the largo was high, visible and armed. Walking back to the hotel in the evening, I took comfort in the security they represented but others might think their presence is due to a higher danger in the area.

Just a block away is the charming Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina where there is a police station and officers posted outside.

Melissa5

Loved staying near the Pantheon...safe, lots to see, good restaurants, atmosphere...

I don't know your budget, but we loved our hotel, perfect location, classy hotel. Hotel Nazionale a Montecitorio, on Piazza Montecitorio, walking distance to the Pantheon. (This hotel is often confused with 2 other hotels with similar names, so make sure you are looking at the one on Piazza Montecitorio.) Good breakfast. Front desk found me a new driver for a day-tour I had booked when our driver never showed up! I chose this hotel from Rick STeve's Italy guidebook (this was a 2004 trip.) His guidebook for Italy is excellent.

have fun!

Maire

Thanks Mcnyc – nice story about the luggage cart!

Thanks, Jean – I think that would make me feel safe, but I can definitely see where there’s room for mixed feelings. That hotel looks great, but their prices are a little high for me (darn it).

Thanks, Melissa – I just checked that hotel; it looks great too, but also too high for me (another darn it) --195 euro for our time frame. I have Rick’s 2006 guidebook, and I really like it.

cantstayhome

We loved being near the Pantheon. Piazza Navona is nearby, as well.

We have friends that loved the Via Veneto area and felt safe there, too.

Seems like you could be just about anywhere in Rome and be near shops, sites, and restaurants!


Have a nice trip!, Maire

bookchick

Well, I'm sure this will make me sound like a relic and a bore, but I like a couple of hotels near the Spanish Steps. Close to the Spagna Metro, in case you want to use the underground, and also close to a few cab stands where you can pick up a taxi if necessary. One of "my" hotels is in this area, but also close to via del Corso, so it makes it convenient for walks to the Vittorio Emanuele monument or to Piazza del Popolo. Also, easy to get to the Borghese Gardens, cutting through the Spagna Metro and taking the escalator "up" to via Veneto!

BC

SusanP

bookchick, you could never be considered a relic and a bore!