Which neighborhood are your favorites to stay in, in Rome

Everyone will have their favorites. I usually try to stay close to what I want to see and do, keeping in mind public transportation access.

I'll soon be spending my 6 nights in Rome in an apartment I found through Booking.com. I was torn between Trastevere and the Prati/Vatican area. I found options within my budget in both areas.

This being my 4th and longest trip to Rome, I chose the Prati/Vatican area primarily because it is closer to and/or has easy transportation access to the major things I want to see this trip. (See paragraph one above.) I decided against Trastevere because reviews often mentioned the noise of the very lively area. But I'm old and those teenagers might love that liveliness.

I do plan to visit Trastevere -- especially the churches of Santa Cecelia and Santa Maria -- and I'm even going to do an EatWith dinner there...on Saturday night. That should be enough action for me!

I love staying in the Spainish Steps area as it is easy access from the airport and it puts me in an area that I feel very comfortable to walk and explore and eat gelato in the evening and stand at the bar to drink my espresso with the locals in the early morning. But that is the case in all the other parts of the city as well. I always email directly to the hotel where I plan to stay and that way I get a feel based on their response many times, if I am going to be a good fit, both value wise but they are the ones who help me find the local treasures.
I stay at 2 star hotels in this area, namely Hotel Panda, and I have stayed in a single and also a room for 3. But it is very, very small but very clean. So you have to adjust your expectations but they may be able to refer you to other close accommodations that would be best for 2 teenagers.
Please send me a private message if I can be of any assistance and I always have my RS guidebook pages with me. But the best thing for me is to eat and live as a local and I have eaten for 4euro the best home made pastbecause when I see a local shop, I walk in and when I see locals coming, I know it will be an experience to say the least.
Kathy

Everyone certainly does have their favorites!

We just returned in March of this year from 6 nights in Rome, staying at an 2nd floor apartment overlooking the Campo de' Fiori fruit & vegetable market. The apartment was cheap, and it was wonderful. The market closes up in the late afternoon & turns into a social gathering area at night, but it being off-season, you didn't have the revelers until all hours of the evening, so we could leave our windows open at night, where it had quieted down for the most part well before midnight. Then, around 5:30-6:00 AM, I'd hear the faint catcalls of the workers setting up their stands for the morning's business, their voices reverberating off the buildings surrounding the piazza. It was a great way to slowly wake up in the morning.

We did not dine at any of the touristy perimeter restaurants to the piazza, the ones with the hawkers outside begging people to come in. We found, mere minutes away, tons of hole-in-the-wall eateries, cafes and bakeries that were fantastic. Never needed to take a bus or taxi to any trattoria or ristorante, all were within walking distance.

Budget can influence this decision. If that is not an issue, Centro Storico is what makes the most sense. Somewhere near Piazza Navona is quiet but puts you 5-15 minutes walk to Piazzza Navona, Pantheon, Trevi fountain, Spanish Steps and add 5 minutes, Campo dei Fiori and Trastevere. You will need transport to The Vatican, Colosseum-Forum and other sights.

I stay at Hotel Adriano.

Second the recommendation of the Piazza Navona area. We got an apartment off of VRBO about a block from there for 4 nights a couple of years ago. Tons of things to see and easy to get out in the evening on foot and join the festivities in the Piazza or Trevi areas. It is very festive at night especially on weekends. Lots of inexpensive restaurants in the streets off the Piazza but very expensive in Piazza Navona and Pantheon squares. Shopped for breakfast and snacks in the local supermarket which kept the costs down. We have also stayed in Transtevere and Coliseum areas and enjoyed the Piazza Navona best.

With 4 a taxi can be an economical transportation choice and very time efficient, too.

I like the largo Argentina/ Campo dei fiori area. You can walk to so many places. Eating options close by. Rome atmosphere. Easy for transportation.
Anything around Pantheon, campo dei Fiori, Piazza Navona is great. Puts you in the heart of Rome.

Spanish steps area as we can walk to just about anywhere of interest to us.

I've stayed in both the Termini area and near the Pantheon in the last year. The Termini neighborhood is more budget-friendly and convenient to the train station, but I really enjoyed being in the heart of things near the Pantheon. Though I've walked all over the city from both locations, I like how many restaurants, shops and pedestrians there are by the Pantheon and Piazza Navona, and felt more comfortable walking around there at night as a solo female traveler. Considering what you'd most like to see and do, and if those things are closer to one area than another, as another traveler suggested, has been helpful for me in deciding where to stay. Have a wonderful trip with your family!

We are staying in the Vatican area near Piazza Quiriti We could not be happier with the neighborhood. After a long day of sightseeing there is nothing we like better than to retreat to a real neighborhood. We relax, shop and eat with the locals. It is beautiful, tree lined, and quiet. We are a short metro or bus ride to the "action". This has really been the perfect choice for us. We are staying in an apartment we found on Home away/VRBO.

We stayed in a beautiful 2 story apartment last month that was a block from Piazza Navona. We found it on VRBO (1704120). There are twin beds on the lower level and a queen (I think) on the upper level. It is on a very lively street but faces an inner courtyard so there is no street noise. We slept with the windows open. It was less than $200 a night. The reviews and photos do not exaggerate.

We stayed in a beautiful 2 story apartment last month that was a block from Piazza Navona. We found it on VRBO (1704120). There are twin beds on the lower level and a queen (I think) on the upper level. It is on a very lively street but faces an inner courtyard so there is no street noise. We slept with the windows open. It was less than $200 a night. The reviews and photos do not exaggerate.

I'll add a vote for the Piazza Navona area; very centrally located, and a fun place to hang out and people-watch. We have stayed several times at Residenza Canali ai Coronari, which is just a block or so away on a quiet pedestrian street. I know they have a room that fits three people, because we stayed there with our daughter. Her bed was in the separate vestibule area, and could be closed off from ours, which was nice. I remember thinking that the rest of the main room was big enough for another bed. It may depend on how large your teens are.

Campo dei Fiori is also nice, more of a party atmosphere, but a little further south from some of the sights; I think up by the Spanish Steps is a little far away, too. From Piazza Navona, you can walk to most places (except the Colosseum and Forum) in about 10 minutes

Being near Navona/Pantheon area is our preference. Quiet room near some of our favorite restaurants is perfect. Don't care for area near Termini.

I've only been to Rome once, and we stayed near the Trevvi (sp!) Fountain....loved it!

The last two times to Rome we were there for a week, on business primarily, and I determined I would probably stay in the Trastevere from now on. It is quiet, great local scene, lovely piazzas, great restaurants, and if you wish, easy transport (or walking) into the old city or (bus) up to the Vatican. Even using the Trastevere station from the airport is easy, cheaper, and less hassle than the Leonardo Express and Termini.

We stayed at Hotel Trastevere, they have rooms plus some apartments. There are also a large number of apartments in the neighborhood through other sources.

My family of 4 stayed in the Vatican area for 5 nights recently. Although the accommodations were wonderful for a family I felt the area was too far from the sites. www.VillaMagnoliaRelais.it I booked late and there were not many options for a quad room in Rome so we settled on this place and had two bedrooms. Although I really liked the place I think you could do better with location. Carol