max_ropo

We are planning a trip to Rome in October for our wedding anniversary. Anyone think we would be better staying near the Spanish Steps or in Ancient Rome. I've heard that you need to get a taxi into town centre if you stay in Ancient Rome. We love to just walk out of our hotel and find a restaurant of look round the shops. Any suggestions which location is best?

PalenQ

I thought the town centre was Ancient Rome - the Parthenon, ruins scattered around.

If you mean the Forum ruins by the Colosseum there's not much around there i think in terms of street life and cafes, etc.

ninasdream

I agree with PalenQ. I stayed outside of center city and buses. As an after-dinner stroll, we climbed the ruins. It's all lit up and one of the lovliest sights. The Parthenon is near my favorite piazza. Even in Nov & Dec there are tables set ouside for dinner. And the Three Rivers Fountain is there.

LESLIEMOMOF6

I agree w/both of youall,and Ninasdream, I am sure you are thinking of Bernini's 4 Rivers Fountain in the Piazza Navonna, such a beautiful sight it is! And that area is so central, I can't imagine staying anywhere else - have a great trip.
Leslie

ekscrunchy

PaNtheon!!

.....is one of the the best areas to stay in. Spanish Steps has some nice hotels, too, but while you are close to the large internationally known shops (Prada, Gucci, etc) and local ones such as Battistoni, eating around there is not as good as it is around Navona/Pantheon/Campo dei Fiori. Ancient Rome is all around you; there is no area designated as such, except perhaps for the Forum/Colisseum where you do not want to stay.

ninasdream

Leslie thank you- blame it on the sinus tablets! Piazza Navona has the best gelato I ever had, the best margarita pizza, the friendliest people, the lovliest little streets and non-designer shops, and street and The 4 Rivers fountain, ( NOT the 3 Rivers stadium in Pittsburgh PA!). It's been almost 5 years - time to go back!!

max_ropo

yes i did mean the Colosseum versus the Spanish Steps. Thanks for the advice. So if I stayed near the Spanish Steps how long to walk to the Pantheon and Campo dei Fiori areas?

max_ropo

Can anyone recommend some nice hotels in the Pantheon/Navona/Campo dei Fiori areas?

monicapileggi

Since you are new to this web site, you can do a search for "Rome hotels" and come up with lots of recommendations. You can also check Trip Advisor and sort by location/price.

Monica

hausfrau

Hi max, congrats on a lovely anniversary destination! The "centro storico" of Rome is quite large, so whether you need to take a bus or taxi really depends on how much you like to walk. But you can help yourself along by choosing a hotel in the Piazza Navona / Pantheon area, as mentioned.

You will find many fans of the Albergo del Senato on this forum (including me). I can tell you that it would be a FANTASTIC place for an anniversary, having just spent a very romantic Christmas there this past year. Ask for a 6th-floor room with a view of the Pantheon and you will not be disappointed! (Do be aware that the rooms are not spacious, but they are beautiful in every other sense of the word, and the staff are terrific.) You simply can't get more centrally-located than the Senato. You can walk just about anywhere in the historic center in 30 minutes or less.

rhapsody

I agree with hausfrau. DH and I stayed there ten years ago and still remember it well! If you can afford it, go for it. Ask for special rates by directly contacting the hotel.

NJA270

This past October we visited Venice,Florence and Rome. We stayed at the Hotel San Carlo a few streets away from the Spanish Steps. The hotel and location were great. When we return in 2008 we plan on staying at the same hotel. Previously I had been to Rome ( 4 ) four times on business and I have always stayed very close to the Spanish Steps.

annhig

hi, max,

due to a last minute change of apartment [funny how often that phrase crops up in reference to Rome] we ended up staying near the forum last year, in the area between the colosseum to the south and the via nazionale to the north, called Monti.

although it is obviously further from the piazza navona, vatican, campo dei fiori, etc than somewhere near the centre, it is a very lively area, with lots of local shops, nice restaurants, cafes. It took about 20 minutes to walk to the pantheon, 10 minutes on the bus to st. peter's.

there were a number of hotels on the via cavour, which looked ok.

having said all that [largely to contradict what PalQ had said about the area] if I were to be visiting for a wedding anniversary and staying in a hotel, I'd want to be as central as possible!

there are many recommendations for the albergho del senato on this forum - they can't all be wrong.

regards, ann

MaureenB

We liked our hotel near the Spanish Steps last May. We didn't mind walking to and from the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, etc, which was probably about a 15 minute walk.

Our hotel (the Domus Julia) wouldn't be nice enough for an anniversary, I don't think, but here's one we saw on Via Condotti (very upscale designer avenue) that looked really pretty:
La Lumiere di Piazza di Spagna, has rooftop dining, is in an old mansion on Condotti street.www.lalumieredipiazzadispagna.com.

We only walked into the hotel's lobby, but it was very pretty. Haven't researched its rooms, though.

We took the subway and a taxi to and from the Vatican to our hotel near the top of the Spanish Steps. We did walk the whole way one day, and also back from the Coloseum. Walking in Rome is half the fun, anyway.
>-

MaureenB

Don't know how it happened. The hotel website above is wrong. It's www.lalumieredipiazzadispagna.com.
>-

italylover2004

We stayed at a hotel just behind the Pantheon called Hotel Santa Chiara. Great location, decent rooms, nice bathrooms, good breakfast, and an okay reception area and staff.
You really can't beat the location!

Girlspytravel

Max-some of the best local trattorias are to be found in the Colisseum area, one of the most ancient areas of Rome obviously, and when you see the Fori Imperiali and Colisseum at dusk, as they change colors, and then lit up at night, it's really mesmerizing. I love this area, because it's not quite so touristy as the historical center around Pantheon-but each have their preferences. You can catch any bus right there on the corner of Via Fori Imperiali that will take you to Pantheon and Spanish Steps in minutes-for ambience, and dining choices, I would stay in this area.

You might want to consider a Relais property I stayed in, right by the Santa Maria Maggiore baslica-the rooms were very nice, the palazzo owned by a former pope back in the 16th century-shops, restaurants and transportation all around, very quiet and lovely at night: ANTICO PALAZZO ROSPIGLIOSI.

max_ropo

wow you guys are so helpful!! I shall definitely check out all your recommendations. It all sounds so great = cant wait til october!

LESLIEMOMOF6

Max, you are fortunate and now have a wealth of ideas from all the knowledgeabel people on this site, I was not aware of Fodor's when I booked all my rooms for my vacation this summer, so I used TripAdvisor and it too is a great site. We have been before and stayed on Via Del Governo Vecchio, close by to the Piazza Navona and Pantheon and Campo di Fiori and I wanted to absolutely be in that area again, so we found the Locanda Senatorum, check it out, it seems great and I can't wait - I would have stayed at the Albergo del Senato but it was a bit over what I really wanted to spend, but if it's a special occasion and in your budget, go for it-and it has great reviews - enjoy! Godspeed.
Leslie

bombasticlife

I have been to Rome a few times and always stayed near the Spanish Steps. To me Ancient Rome is a bit too far from the areas that I like. I have some additional info about hotel and restaurants at http://www.bombasticlife.com