Accomdations in Pantheon or Piazza Navona

If you can say what places in Rick's book did and did not appeal to you, and why, others can be of more help. Yes, the Venice International Airport is VCE. It has very limited service to the US (JFK year round, and seasonal service to PHL and ATL), but a lot of service to other European airports.

I narrowed my choices for a October Trip to Rome to Hotel Oceania from Rick's book by Termini or the Albergo Cesari near the Pantheon. Just trying to figure out logistics of getting luggage to Cesari via the train/bus.

If you have more than a carryon or are traveling with at least one other person, take a taxi from the station. There's a taxi line right out front and it moves quickly.

Hi Harold, We know we want to be in the Pantheon or Pizza Navona area, but most of the $$ priced ones in the book are sold out and some of the $$$ are just a bit too expensive. We are looking at Hotel Portoghesi or Casa Di Sari. My husband really wanted the Nicholas Inn but that was booked too. We are just looking for a clean, helpful hotel or B&B that won't cost more that $280 US dollars, is that just too low? I found out last night that we are actually flying into Venice from Chicago and flying into Marco Polo which is VCE. Seems there are alot of flights from Chicago into VCE so hopefully that will not be an issue. We are going to leave Venice and take the train to Orvieto in the Tuscany Region and then get a car there for a few days and then take the train to Rome. This is our first European vacation so I feel very insecure doing it on our own and would welcome any help, suggestions, comments, anything at all... Thanks so much

Orvieto is not in Tuscany. You will have ridden the train all the way through Tuscany before you get there. Florence is toward the northern end. Bologna is about a half hour's drive from the border. There are thouands of excellent hotels that are not in 'the book', so who cares about the book. Snoop around on venere.com and you'll find something great for well less than what you're talking about. 'insecure doing it on our own and would welcome any help or suggestions' Close your eyes, put your head down, and charge. You could leave tomorrow and it would be just as much fun. Quit worrying about where you're going to spend time with your eyes closed, and concentrate of what you're going to see while they're open. You're suffering from an acute case of Initial Traveelr's Syndrome. It will go away.

Also.. There are NO direct non stop flights from Chicago to Venice. You must change planes somewhere to get there. $280 (i.e. 210 euro) is probably not enough for most hotels near the Pantheon or P.zza Navona or Trevi or Spagna. Sorry but that's the most expensive area of Rome. Try getting away from the Centro Storico a bit. Around the Quirinale or Esquilino area there are cheaper hotels. Also Trastevere might be a little cheaper.

Greetings, fellow Chicagoan. Two years ago we flew fr O'Hare into Venice but stayed there before going to Rome. Venice is a train ride away from Rome (don't remember exact length but maybe 3 hours?) So we stayed in Venice three nights because it's a very a cool city to see. In Venice we stayed at Locanda Orseolo - a bed and breakfast on a canal. Right out of a romantic movie! Jut walk around Venice and take it all in...stroll, eat, look. There are sights there, but in my opinion, the beauty of Venice IS Venice. TIP - take a water taxi from VCE into Venice. Come out of terminal, walk down steps an the boats are waiting or you can pre-book a taxi. Incredible "pinch me I am dreaming" moment. In Rome, there are a lot of sights! Room with a view of the Pantheon (literally! Right in front of your room) is Albergo Del Senato. We walked most places and this was a good location (you don't say how old you are - we are 50 and we had three teens with us.) See the current reviews on these properties on TripAdvisor - last time I checked they were still near top.

We stayed at the Hotel Smeraldo, which is a 10 minute walk to Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. It looks like it's sold out for your dates, so I suggest using booking.com to find a hotel. There are a lot of hotels available in May near the Pantheon and Piazza Navona in your price range. You can your dates and narrow down your location to find exactly what you want. The Hotel Smeraldo is listed as a 3 star hotel with a 7.8 customer rating and I thought it was more than adequate. You can also look at TripAdvisor.com for more ratings and hotel suggestions. Where are you planning to stay in Venice? If it's in your budget, I suggest taking a water taxi from the airport to your hotel. It's a little pricey (110 euros) but it's your private taxi that will take you door to door. And you will be wide awake by the time you reach your hotel and ready to hit to "streets" of Venice.

We just booked a room through airbnb for the Pantheon area for the middle of May. Great reviews and about $110 for the entire (small) apartment. Not the same amenities as a nice hotel, but you can't beat the location and rate.

Check out b&b al centro di Roma. It is very close to Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. Three very comfortable rooms with a great price and no better location.

Hi, i am not sure what your budget is like and if you prefer a hotel or an apartment, but when we were last in rome we stayed in a fantastic apartment close to the spanish steps. it had a/c and internet and was right smack dead in the middle of everything. we booked through nextaway.com. give them a look. i hope it helps and that you are able to find what you are looking for.

In another lifetime, I stayed in this hotel: http://www.hotelpacehelveziaroma.it/en/ We walked everywhere. The only time we took a bus or subway was to go to the Borghese Museum (and on the way back from the Vatican). We were close to everything and back then, the price was right. Good luck to you. I loved Rome. We had a dinner in Piazza Navona that lasted 5 hours. We got there at 6 pm (American dinner time) and sat there so long we had another meal at 11. We ate and drank that night while we just people watched. Amazing. And totally walking distance from the hotel.

These are great suggestions, thank you all so much...

Denise, we used a Rick Steve recommended hotel in Rome, the Hotel Sonya near the Termini. Decent rate for central Rome,situated about a 20 minute from the Piazza Navona. This was in May 2012.Bill.

A very nice place and in your price range is Navona Gallery Suites http://www.navonagardensuites.com/ It is in the Historic Center and walking distance to all the major sites. Just about a 5 min walk to Piazza Navona. The owners are most helpful and we stayed there on our first trip to Rome. It is on Via Governo Vecchio which has lots of shops and restaurants.

Go to Booking.com and search for your dates. Or try VRBO for an apartment. These are reliable booking sites. At this late date, checking one personal recommendation after another is going to be frustrating. Read the reviews, look at the pictures and make a choice. Stay central as you have indicated, even if you have a pay a few euros more.