I'm looking at possibly staying at the Hotel Lancelot or the Hotel Smeraldo. Which one is better location wise for walking to sites? If anyone has any other hotel suggestions that would also be greatly appreciated. We are traveling with another couple, they are also interested in the Trevi Rome Suite. Looking to spend between $200-$300/night.
Thanks so much!
I don't know the hotels, but I would lean towards the Hotel Smeraldo, which is close to the Campo di Fiori, one of my favorite spots in Rome. It's very accessible to other sites and is a lovely area. My favorite thing is to get up in the morning and head to the Campo for a cappuccino and people watching.
We like to stay near Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. So, from your list I think Smeraldo is closer to them. But search more too. Your friends’ suggestion does not appeal to me because of it’s location nor does Lancelot for same reason.
We recently spent 4 nights at Hotel Smeraldo. The location is perfect for walking to sights in central Rome and it’s very near the bridge that goes to Trastevere. The rooms are comfortable and the breakfast is very good. The area is very busy but our room was quiet. We’ve stayed in several different neighborhoods in Rome and for us, this has the best access to sights, restaurants, and public transportation.
If you look at the two hotels on Google Maps you can see that the Hotel Smeraldo is near many sights…Piazza Navona, Campo de Fiori Market, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, etc. Look at the Hotel Lancelot location to compare distances.
The Vittorio Emanuele (Argentina) Bus stop is nearby. You can take it to and from Termini.
I don't know if I would describe Rome as "very walkable", which is a word people use for Boston, despite the location of the Museum of Fine Arts and the Gardner. But we walked from near Piazza Navona to the long, slow line at the Vatican (i.e. very far), and enjoyed our observations along the way. You just have to plan in advance.
It's hard on a first visit to Rome to know what you want, but for example, a couple with a child or two might prioritze "running around" space like the Villa Borghese. An art history student might focus on a museum or two that they'll visit repeatedly. Another idea is a Metro station, although it's not a very comprehensive system. (We did need to get to Porte Mammolo for a public transit daytrip to Hadrian's Villa.) On our first visit, we loved being near the Trevi Fountain, but that's not really very important. (That was so long ago that our toilet paper holder had a shower-water flip-down cover. No curtain.)
Rick (our host) has sometimes mentioned less-touristed dining locations, like Monte, I think. But by the time Rick writes about them, they're a little busier, aren't they! That post about morning coffee is a useful thought, even if you pick a different location. (In that sense, the required coffee-pod machine in an AirBnB is an enemy of proper tourism.)
Thank you for all of the great feedback!
I appreciate it! :)
We take a slightly different approach in Rome. We stay in the Termini area with great access to local transit, Termini is on the edge of the tourist area and an hour walk to the Vatican. The reason we prefer this area is that we tend to walk -- a lot -- and sometimes will be a long ways away from our hotel and the Termini area. Then we just watch for a bus or a tram that has Termini in it's signage, and hop that bus knowing that it will take us back to the Termini area. Saved us a couple of times when we were really lost. Could have done the same with a taxi except that a taxi stand is a little harder to find. Our favorite hotels in the Termini area is Hotel Sonya and Aberdeen.
We stayed at Hotel Centro Cavour Roma, which is in Monti. It's 2 blocks from Metro Line B and less than 10 minutes to the Forum, Colosseum, vittorio emmanuel monument, Capitoline hill, etc. The pantheon is 20 minutes by foot. It's a good central location imo
If you can become proficient at using the buses you can really stay anywhere but I'd say at Smeraldo near Campo de Fiori would be a great choice. From there everything in Trastevere and the Centro Storico is easily walkable. To get to further out sights you can easily take a bus. I'd recommend getting a multiple day bus/metro pass so you don't have to bother with getting tickets and can just focus on finding the right bus. Probably your most important buses will be 492 which you can take from Largo Torre Argentina to Piazza Risorgimento near the Vatican, 64 or 40 which you can take to Termini, 87 which is near Largo Torre Argentina on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and will take you to the Colosseum and bus 63 from Largo Arenula to the Galleria Borghese. Getting back from the Borghese is a bit trickier because the southbound bus is kind of far from the museum for some reason but I'd recommend taking the bus to the museum and then a leisurely stroll back through the Villa Borghese to the Pincio Hill and Piazza del Popolo if you have the legs for it. I've found the citymapper website to be really useful for finding bus stops if you know which bus number you're looking for. Just google "bus 63 rome" for example and use citymapper. Google maps is also really useful for finding specific bus stops and which buses are served there.
We booked an airbnb next to the Pantheon. On map it looks very convenient to everything.
I'll second (or third) the Campo De' Fiori area. In fact, twice we've stayed at Boutique Hotel Campo de' Fiori https://www.hotelcampodefiori.com/en/ twice over the years--once in a room, once at one of their apartments they rent out overlooking the piazza. As stated upthread, 5 min walk to the 64 or 40 bus on Vittorio Emmanuelle which takes you to Termini station, short walk to Trastevere.
Two standout restaurants within walking distance of the square that are way off anybody's radar are Elle Effe (Sicilian) and Ristorante Emma (classic Roman).
