Airbnb in Rome - Which part of the city?

When are you planning to go?

hey hey jdkeegin
how many people, bedrooms/bathrooms, mobility issues to climbing stairs/steps? do you want a house or an apartment and time of year. sights are spread apart within the city, which ones are you most interested in?
aloha

There is a YouTube tour guide that used to be 'The Roman Guy' who now seems to be "The Tour Guy" who did some great videos on Rome's neighbourhoods. If you can review these, you'll see what might suit you. Trastevere seems to be his fave, but check out what might suit your interests and demographic.

We loved our 2-bedroom, 2- bath apartment in Trastevere. Lots of stairs ( it is spread over 3 levels), but if you don't mind that I can post the name and website.

I would stay in the historic center near Piazza Navona. It is wonderful to walk around the area day or night. You can also walk to the Trevi fountain, Spanish Steps and Trastevere easily. The Vatican area is a long walk or easy bus ride.

I like to stay within walking distance of Termini Station.
If you plan to be there nearly a month, you will maybe be taking day trips by train to other places outside Rome, so it might be convenient for that.
The bus and Metro system in Rome is quite good though, so anywhere near the historical centre would be fine.
Just make sure you look up the address of a place you would consider on Google Street View.
Then you can determine if there are noisy bars or restaurants right under your window.
You can also look for nearby grocery and food shops.

Thanks all!
Definitely was just looking for a general sense of locations that would be good for a longer stay. It's just my husband and I and our daughter who will be 13 by then. We have no mobility issues and are looking for somewhere that would be situated nicely but safe knowing we would be walking mostly - probably no car.

The area near the Pantheon was great for our 8-night trip to Rome. We shared 2BR 2 BA with another couple. Very safe, lots of restaurants, not too far from any sites.

Another vote for Piazza Navona area. My preference is being near Chiesa Nuova. From there the walk to most all of the major sites is not only fairly easy but is also interesting in its own right. The area is very safe. There are taxi stands close by as well as it's on a major bus line. I don't think you can go wrong! I don't use AirBnB, rather I use VRBO and have wonderful results over the past 13 years of multiple-week renting (sorry, some of my favorites have been sold and no longer available). Your daughter might enjoy the late night activities on the Piazza Navona and also in Trastevere, just across the Ponte Sisto - art, music, lots of young people.

I like the Monti neighborhood, close to the Colosseum and lots of great places to eat and in our AirBNB was a short walk to the metro.

We had a Trastevere apartment for a week, and it happened to be just around the corner from the police station, so we saw the occasional police car coming or going, and felt very secure. Quiet neighborhood, two blocks from a team stop Correction: tram stop, which got us into downtown Rome, so major sights were quite accessible, even if not right next door. On the west side of town, it was also convenient for Vatican City, had a great outdoor market, and lots of Tavola Calda shops for picking up to-go meals. Fresh pasta to finish in our apartment kitchen was convenient, too.

I think Cyn means a tram stop -- Autocorrect doesn't always help us. ;-)

Definitely don't try to drive in Rome -- a car will just be a nuisance. If your plans include time away from Rome, you might want a car there, depending on where. Rome has excellent transit.

Several years ago, we stayed in an apartment less than a block away from the Trevi Fountain. Yes, the fountain area was crowded, but it wasn't really an issue. I felt safe in the area. The Spanish Steps aren't too far away. Also agree with the area near the Parthenon.

Do not even think about having a car in Rome. Many of the sights you will want to see are walkable from any place you're likely to stay, and public transportation is great, regardless of where your apartment is.

I am very partial to Trastevere and stay there every time I go to Rome. It is a bit of walk to most of the major sights, but given that you are staying for a few weeks, proximity to major tourist sights may not be the only factor you want to consider in picking a neighborhood. Trastevere has some of the best restaurants and bars in Rome and has wonderful local character. It is also not quite as touristy as some of the neighborhoods immediately adjacent to the major attractions, but still retains many of the quintessential charms of Rome that attract tourists. Some friends in Rome complain that Trastevere has become too touristy, but in my opinion that kind of activity is located in a few major squares, but does not pervade the entire neighborhood. If you stay there be sure to spend an evening watching the sunset from Giancolo Hill.

You don’t have too many choices yet so I’m throwing in one more- the Jewish Quarter. The pedestrian street has lots of restaurants, good for dinners when you want to be near “home” and it’s near Campo di Fiori, which is a good place to shop local for fruit for breakfast. The tram runs by the area and there is a main road where I picked up a bus to the Vatican and the Borghese Museum. The Pantheon is a 10-15 minute walk or so and the colosseum wasn’t too much further. Pretty sure I walked back from the Trevi Fountain as well- central Rome is manageable on foot if you like walking. It’s not near the train or metro station but I found it a great area to be in.

Dick’s right, and I attempted to correct the spelling about the tram that helped get us from the Trastevere neighborhood to central Rome. My spelling and/or typing on a smartphone may not alway be outstanding, but finding a place in Trastevere was smart.

Thank you all! This has been very helpful!

Lat visit, I stayed in what I think is still Prati district - near the Ottaviano (San Pietro) Metro stop. It's a nice quieter upscale neighbourhood which might suit you and your daughter. It is an easy walk to the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's, but easy access to the subway to get to the Colisseum. I found Rome quite walkable, but to be able to catch a metro that stops near your door at the end of the day, was wonderful. Where it might fail is restaurants. It might be because we tended to eat wherever something was open when hungry for supper, but the restaurants on the main drag weren't great. Most likely because we were eating too early and they were tourist joints.

The Prati neighborhood is safe area well conected to everywhere..
Anywhere from Ottaviano to Lepanto metro .. around piazza cavour also

We stayed in a great AirBnB near the Campo di Fiori and it was a wonderful location. Easy to get most everywhere and a cozy neighborhood.

Just a reminder, Booking.com also lists apartments for rent. After you get your initial results you can limit by a wide variety of features, including location. And note that to get your initial results, you'll list 2 adults and 1 child. Then you'll need to put in the child's age. Age determines whether a child is considered to be adult for rental purposes.

Henry and Maria mentioned Prati and I want to endorse that. It is where more Roman residents live, vs, tourists, is accessible by Metro, Tram, and bus, and in its nearer portions, walkable to Piazza Navona. Apart from the area immediately around the Vatican, there are good restaurants. We loved in Rome for almost 5 years and if I had it to do over again would pick Prati for convenience and what I will call “modern authenticity” as it is highly residential. We lived in Parioli, which is lovely, but it can take a long time to get to the historic center where you will want to spend a lot of time.

We went to Rome with another couple for 8 nights and stayed near the pantheon. It was awesome! Great restaurants nearby (just stay off the square to get better prices, as Rick says), safe neighborhood, and close to everything! I loved that when we got in the taxi we could just have them take us to the pantheon and we were only a 2 minute walk from there. So much easier than trying to explain where the apartment was. Ours had a super small elevator, which was greatly appreciated since we were on the third floor and a balcony from which you could see the pantheon! I would definitely stay there again!

I liked staying near Campo de Fiori, last time I was right by Piazza Farnese which just behind Campo de Fiori and a tiny bit quieter. Anywhere between here and Piazza Navona is nice, easily walkable to many of the sights, with lots to do. Or near the Pantheon. This is the “historic core”, its tourist filled but the streets are charming, there’s less car traffic, lots of pedestrian lanes, and easy access to what you want to see.

Trastevere is also great.

Places that are fine (not bad choices) but I’d consider less preferable - my opinion only. The Termini Station area (convenient but not especially pleasant to hang out in). Prati near the Vatican - plenty of nice places there, but I find it a bit distant and not as easy to walk around/enjoy as the historic core or Trastevere. And then anything too far away from the center, just for logistical reasons. You want to be able to go in and out, stay out late, go out early, return to the apartment for breaks.

We've stayed in Monte 3 times. Love it. Walking distance to major sites and train station. Many great restaurants.

Like others, I prefer the Prati area. In the evenings, it's not as "touristy" as many parts of town because its main draw - the Vatican - closes by 6 PM. We lived on Via Candia for three years and very much enjoyed the area. The walk into the Centro area was about 15-20 minutes, depending on where we were headed. Plenty of restaurants, cafes, markets, and groceries in the area, and shopping on Via Cola di Rienzo! Great city connections via bus or metro. For airport transport, many travelers use the SIT Bus Shuttle Bus to/from FCO.

We return to Rome as often as we can and we've stayed all over the city - love Trastevere, Testaccio, and the Monti areas, but we most often stay in Prati. Many of the top-rated BnB's in Rome are located there. One of our friends, Antonello Monti, owns a few BnB apartments in the Prati area - His website is http://vatican-charme.com/. Years ago Antonello worked with Alitalia and often flew to and from the USA so he is very comfortable working and talking with English-speakers. We've stayed at his apartments and always had great experiences.

Prati has fewer hotels and yes, it's "newer" than other parts of Rome. (Our apartment was built in 1899 - so quite new by Roman standards). There are some fun traditions in the area... For example, for a big game, you'll still see locals line up along the sidewalks and cheer the A.S. Roma team bus as they head to the nearby Stadio Olimpico. For a "locals" experience, head to the Mercato dei Fiori (Flower Market) EARLY on a Tuesday morning - the only day that non-florists can go. Here you'll see where they buy all those roses to hand to surprised travelers. Prati gives you a blend of being in Rome, and NOT being in Rome!

hey hey jd
lots of good info here. are you planning to stay all 3-4 weeks in rome, another city, another area near rome? if you're spending that much time it would be nice to have a 2 bedroom instead of a sofa couch for your daughter, i'm sure she will like her privacy also. read the reviews and info carefully. we stayed about 2 blocks from the pantheon and piazza navona, great area. short walk to campo de fiori, lots of restaurants, shops, bars, people watching, close to sites that interest you and family.
i'll put in my 2 cents worth of places you can check out, one extreme to another that you can make your own decisions. put in your dates and budget, amenities you wish for, cancellation policies, look at pictures very carefully. we always look for a washer, balcony, kitchen. some days to relax, cook at home, near stores to buy essentials to keep in house/apt, wash clothes, roam the area/neighborhood, if summer time maybe a train ride to the beachside near rome (fregene), santa marinella (anamericaninrome.com)
tripadvisor.com vacation rentals
cross-pollinate.com click rome and see if anything suits your fancy
palazzo-olivia.it change to english
booking.com place your wants and see what"s available on left side
stay out in the countryside like marino or frascati near lake albino, famous for lake nemi and strawberries, ceralli.it bake/deli shop, "best" porchetta and 93 year old nonna baking their famous cookies, white wines, small village, short train ride from rome away from the busy crowds, wineries/vineyards, the pope's summer home and garden of castelli romani
olivetreehill.com a B&B/ cottage owned by a husband and wife outside of rome, does tours, cooking lessons, family dinner meals, learning history of rome and area from his personalize tours, shuttles to train station to towns.
so many different things to think about with different options for you and your family. hope this gives you more info to investigate and research and decide what's important for all. enjoy
aloha