Where to stay in Rome

The areas in detail

First visit

Historic centre

Average hotel rating: 8.8/10

€248a night, mid-range

• First visit
• Couples
• Short stopover

Staying here lets you head out before the tour groups and come back for a siesta when the heat flattens the squares. For food, skip the terraces on the big squares and walk two streets further, into the Ghetto or towards Via dei Coronari. Campo de' Fiori drinks late: light sleepers should aim for the streets around the Pantheon or Via Giulia.

Good for

• You step out of the hotel straight into the scenery
• Pantheon, Piazza Navona and Campo de' Fiori on the doorstep
• Everything is walkable

Worth knowing

• The priciest district in Rome
• No metro

Getting there: No metro. Spagna and Barberini (line A) a quarter of an hour on foot, buses 40 and 64 from Termini.

Well-rated hotels here

• Navona Nice Room€253 a night · 8.1/10Check prices for your dates
• Hotel Smeraldo€385 a night · 9.2/10Check prices for your dates
• Hotel Barrett€360 a night · 8.6/10Check prices for your dates

First visit, mid budget

Monti

Average hotel rating: 8.4/10

€183a night, mid-range

• Couples
• Culture
• First visit

The old working-class quarter of ancient Rome, wedged between the Forum and Via Nazionale. People browse the vintage shops on Via del Boschetto, have a drink on Via Urbana, and sit on the fountain steps in Piazza della Madonna dei Monti in the evening. The Pantheon is twenty-five minutes on foot.

Good for

• Ten minutes' walk from the Forum
• Vintage shops and wine bars
• A neighbourhood life the historic centre has lost

Worth knowing

• Steep lanes, small hotels often without a lift

Getting there: Cavour metro (line B), one stop from Termini. The Colosseum ten minutes on foot.

Well-rated hotels here

• Nerva Accommodation€129 a night · 8.2/10Check prices for your dates
• Hotel Fori Imperiali€249 a night · 9.3/10Check prices for your dates
• Casa Santa Sofia€255 a night · 8.6/10Check prices for your dates

Spanish Steps

Average hotel rating: 8.5/10

€239a night, mid-range

• Couples
• Short stopover

The Trevi Fountain is ten minutes away, and the metro stops at the foot of the steps, which is rare this close to the centre. You stay here for the location. For dinner, walk towards the Pantheon.

Good for

• Very central, the major sites on foot
• Upmarket shopping, via dei Condotti

Worth knowing

• Among the priciest districts
• Quiet once the shops close

Getting there: Spagna metro (line A), at the foot of the steps.

Well-rated hotels here

• Albergo Delle Regioni, Barberini - Fontana di Trevi€239 a night · 9.3/10Check prices for your dates
• Goldoni 47€294 a night · 9.1/10Check prices for your dates
• Charme Spagna Boutique Hotel€305 a night · 8.7/10Check prices for your dates

Families or a week's stay

Prati and the Vatican

Average hotel rating: 8.3/10

€170a night, mid-range

• Families
• Quiet
• Culture
• First visit

Built at the end of the nineteenth century, with straight avenues and wide pavements. Via Cola di Rienzo has the shops, and the covered Trionfale market has fresh food if you have a kitchen. Staying here puts you at the Vatican Museums when they open. In the evening, Ponte Umberto takes you to Piazza Navona in twenty minutes.

Good for

• The basilicas and Vatican museums on foot
• Neighbourhood restaurants, less geared to tourists
• Far quieter than the opposite bank

Worth knowing

• Quiet in the evening, you dine across the Tiber

Getting there: Ottaviano and Lepanto metro (line A): Spanish Steps 3 stops, Termini 6.

Well-rated hotels here

• Boutique Hotel Piedra Rome City Centre€166 a night · 9.3/10Check prices for your dates
• Whim Collection Vaticano Pra ti€191 a night · 9.1/10Check prices for your dates
• The Boutique Hotel€385 a night · 8.9/10Check prices for your dates

Tight budget or early start

Termini

Average hotel rating: 7.8/10

€116a night, mid-range

• On a budget
• Short stopover
• No car needed

It all depends on which side of the station you sleep. Towards Santa Maria Maggiore and Via Cavour, Monti is five minutes away and the streets stay pleasant at night. The ones along the tracks are drab after dark, and pickpockets work them. Most of the hostels sit around Via Marsala, to the north.

Good for

• The cheapest district in Rome
• Both metro lines and the airport train
• The best connected point in the city

Worth knowing

• Streets of offices and hotels around the station
• Noisier and less welcoming after dark

Getting there: Lines A and B, Leonardo Express to Fiumicino, buses to Ciampino.

Well-rated hotels here

• Bye Rome Guesthouse€84 a night · 8.3/10Check prices for your dates
• Yes Hotel Boutique Rome€230 a night · 8.8/10Check prices for your dates
• Hotel Le Petit€190 a night · 8.7/10Check prices for your dates

For the evenings

Trastevere

Too few hotels for a typical price

• Nightlife
• Couples

The district where Rome eats out and goes out, all the way to Piazza di Santa Maria. Book early, places go fast. Be wary of listings "steps from Trastevere", some of which are on the far side of the Janiculum, in Monteverde. Check the address on the map.

Good for

• Cobbled lanes and trattorias
• Dense nightlife

Worth knowing

• Few hotels, mostly flats
• Loud at weekends

Getting there: No metro. Tram 8 to Largo Argentina, the centre fifteen minutes away over Ponte Sisto.

Testaccio

Too few hotels for a typical price

• Long stay
• Nightlife

A residential district at the foot of the Aventine. It suits a second trip, once you have seen the monuments and come back to eat. The Circus Maximus is a quarter of an hour on foot, and Ponte Sublicio takes you across to Trastevere.

Good for

• The home of Roman cooking, covered market and working-class tables
• Away from the tourist circuits

Worth knowing

• Few hotels
• Loud clubs at weekends

Getting there: Piramide metro (line B), at the edge of the district.

Well-rated hotels here

• Hotel Pyramid€83 a night · 8.3/10Check prices for your dates
• Crossroad Hotel€147 a night · 7.8/10Check prices for your dates

From the airport

• Fiumicino, Leonardo Express

  Non-stop to Termini in half an hour. The easiest option for Termini and Monti, or for Prati with a change to line A.

• Fiumicino, FL1 train

  Cheaper, stopping at Trastevere, Ostiense and Tiburtina. The right pick for Trastevere and Testaccio.

• Ciampino

  No direct train. Buses reach Termini in about forty minutes.

• Taxi

  Fixed fare from both airports to anywhere inside the Aurelian walls. Beyond them, in Prati for instance, agree the price before you get in.

Only take the white taxis from the official rank.

Before you book

• A liftMany places take up one floor of an old building. The second floor with no lift tends to be discovered suitcase in hand.
• Air conditioningEssential from June to September: the old walls hold the heat all night.
• Your arrival timeGuesthouses and flats often have no front desk. Someone meets you with the keys, so message them if you are running late.
• The tourist taxPaid on site, often in cash, per person per night, for up to ten nights. Children under 10 are exempt, and it is almost never included in the price shown.
• A courtyard roomIn the centre, scooters and bin lorries start early in the morning.
• No carThe centre is a limited-traffic zone watched by cameras. The fine reaches the rental company months later.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best area for a first visit to Rome?

The historic centre, between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, at around €248 a night mid-range. Monti, ten minutes' walk from the Colosseum, comes to €183. Either way, you will do most of it on foot.

Where should you stay in Rome on a budget?

Near Termini station: around €51 for a dorm bed and €67 for a basic room. Choose the Santa Maria Maggiore side over the streets along the tracks.

Is the area around Termini station safe?

It is a big-station district, busy by day and empty at night along the tracks. Pickpocketing is common there, as it is on the 64 bus. On the Santa Maria Maggiore and Monti side, the streets feel better after dark.

Where should you stay in Rome to visit the Vatican?

In Prati, north of the Vatican, or in the Borgo, between Castel Sant'Angelo and St Peter's. You can walk to the museums for opening time, at around €170 a night mid-range.

Hotel or apartment in Rome?

A flat makes sense beyond four or five nights, for families, or in Trastevere, where hotels are scarce. For a short stay a hotel is simpler: a front desk, and somewhere to leave your bags on the last day.

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