Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Home from Rome!

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Just back from a trip to Rome. Happy to help anyone with questions. Bill

Bill, please share more! Can you tell me where you stayed and what prices are in general? We are looking for an inexpensive hotel for March. Also, how much did it cost to get from the airport to your hotel?

I guess it depends how far your hotel is and how you want to get there (taxi, train). We were in Rome last April and took the train to the city center for only a few bucks.

Meg We chose the Hotel Alexandra on Via Veneto because of its location. From the hotel it is only a 10 minute stroll to Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and Villa Borghese. The hotel, which is small and family run, also has a metro stop right on it's doorstep at Barberini. As far as we were concerned we couldn't have been in a better place for easy access to the usual tourist sites. Plenty of restaurants in the area too. Details of the hotel can be found at:- http://wwws.venere.it/roma/alexandra/alexandra.html They have a special offer on at the moment until 14th March. A double room is selling at 190,000 lire (USD111). Details are on their net page. We used the FS Express from the airport direct to Termini station. It seems to run once an hour (if I remember correctly at 7 minutes past!) and takes 30 minutes to the city centre. The cost was 14,000 lire. From Termini it was only two stops to Barberini and the hotel. The metro ticket was 1,500 lire. Hope that helps. I'm not sure of the prices in general for hotels. I suppose they will be many and varied. I should say there were some pretty wonderful hotels on Via Veneto but ours did us just fine. Let me know if I can help you further. Bill

Bill: Are you familiar with the Hotel Eden in Rome? I know it's near the Via Veneto, and I have a reservation there. Is it a good choice? Thanks.

Hi Bill, I'm going to Rome for the first time in March and can't wait! I can only think of 2 questions so far (if I think of more I'll let you know) 1-I hear the city is under-going a lot of renovations. Has this effected the usual tourist spots? Ultimately it doesn't matter and I wouldn't think of changing my plans, but I see enough scaffolding here in New York! 2-The public bus system seems a good way to get around. Do you pay one fare, or by distance? Thanks for the help!

Christine, I was in Rome in October and the only noticeable renovation I saw was scaffolding in front of St Peter's. According to the news, this will be going on all year in preparation for Y2K.

Christine I noticed more scaffolding this time than I did back in 1994. As John mentioned earlier in this thread it seems that much of the work is being done in preparation for the Millennium. Also as already mentioned St Peter's facade is completely covered in scaffolding but, in my mind, didn't detract from the atmosphere of the area. It's what is inside that does it for me!! There was also some work being done to a small part of the Colosseum but that's not unusual as that's been going on each of the three times I've visited Rome in the last 12 years.The Arch of Constantine which faces the Colosseum is being worked on at the moment though. I also noticed a little work being done in the Forum but I'd call that essential maintenance. Bearing in mind the size of Rome and the number of places to see, the work I've mentioned is actually very little. You will love Rome for what it is. Work has to be done just to keep those treasures available to everyone. Have a great time there!! Bill

Maureen This is my third attempt at posting this message. Hopefully this one will update. I know the Eden Hotel but have never stayed there. A bit out of our budget. As far as I know it is rated 5 star. It isn't actually on Via Veneto but Via Ludovisi. Very close to Piazza di Spagna and Borghese Gardens and a short stroll to Trevi Fountain. In my mind it is in an ideal loaction for many of the important sites. You will also have two Metro stops within a reasonably short distance from the hotel i.e. Barberini and Spagna. Bill

Christine Appologies but I forgot to answer your second question. We didn't use any of the buses in Rome spending most of our travelling time on the Metro. The ticket price for that is 1500 lire. Usually once we had taken the single trip we spent hours visiting some favourite places. We understood though that the 1500 ticket can be used as many times as you need in a 90 minute period. Maybe some of the other regulars here could give you some bus information. Bill

Thank you, Bill, for the info. Just as a point of information, the Hotel Eden is 40-60% cheaper than other hotels of its class. The last time I was in Rome, around the time of the Great Flood, the buses took corners on 2 wheels. I'm looking forward to the Metro. Christine, if you see this, I'm going to Rome in March, also.