Best Rome neighborhoods for evening walks/bistro/cafes

The area around Aberdeen is not a small neighborhood but it does have a number of very good to great restaurants. We always stay in that area because of the convenience to transportation and local transit. We also use the Hotel Sonya near there. No problem with safety and very walkable. But the whole area is more commercial with lots of activities but lots of restaurants also.

Something like the Trastevere area would give you more of the small neighborhood feel but it is further from the tourist sites. Also if you scan down through the postings you will find lots of discussions about where to stay in Rome. Everyone has their favorite. Remember Rome is not Paris in any sense of the word. It is a very intense city with it own Italian ambiance.

We have always stayed in St. Germaine when we visit Paris. In Rome, we stay in the historic center, near Piazza Navona. Twice, we've stayed at Residenza Canali ai Coronari, which is on a small side street full of antique shops, about one block from Piazza Navona.

Like the St. Germaine area, pretty much the entire area of the historic center of Rome is lively and fun, with many cafes (and gelaterias, very important) nearby. I love the Trastevere area, which is a bit more like a lived-in neighborhood, but it's further from many of the places you'll want to be seeing.

We last visited Rome, and stayed at the Residenza, with our 10yo daughter, and the location was great - we walked almost everywhere.

Keep in mind that some or many people will say that St. Germaine and places near the Piazza Navona or the Pantheon are touristy and not where locals go. But I've always seen plenty of locals in both places, and I definitely feel like I'm getting a local perspective in those area. If you feel that St. Germaine has a local feel, then you'll probably also like the area I mentioned.

We also are fans of the Piazza Navona area. The night walks are amazing - to the Trevi or to the Colleseum... Restaurants are abundant - both touristy and not. The Piazza is so different at night than it is by day - almost like two places in one.

We loved staying in the Campo De Fiore area of Rome. During the day the Campo has a fantastic open air farmer's market and in the evening it is ringed with restuarants offering outdoor cafe style seating. Also, it's very central and you can walk to any other historic location in Rome from there (except Borghese and Appian Way). On our next trip we're going to try Trastevere for it's more authentic Roman neighborhood feel.

We always stay in Piazza Navona/Campo De Fiori. This last stay we were passing through Rome quickly and needed to stay by the train station so we tried Hotel Aberdeen with our daughter. First if staying there be sure you don't get the family rooms by the breakfast room as they start setting up breakfast and you will be awakened to the ENDLESS sound of chairs and dishes way too early. The people are nice but we just felt that you had to walk too much to be anywhere with ambiance. Evenings in Rome are so special, as they are in Paris, and they focus lights on fountains, churches, etc and it's so fun and beautiful to be in the historical zones. Plus it's much less stressful as cars aren't allowed.

I loved the Piazza Navona area. You can easily walk to Campo de Fiori & the Pantheon areas as well. Piazza Navona & the surrounding areas are very lively at night & fun to walk around with a gelato in hand! We stayed in an apartment just between Piazza Navona & Campo de Fiori & while it was close to all the major sights, it was off a small street which meant that it was quiet at night. It was the best of all worlds.

As a family of four we've had good luck with apartments abroad too!

Thank you so much to all who posted!

Trastevere, Trastevere, Trastevere!!

Google Earth Street View will allow you to poke around for yourself in whatever neighborhood you're considering in Rome (and other large Italian cities). It's an amazing free tool that far too few people use for travel planning.

As for squares in Rome, there are piazzas with cafes everywhere you turn. We especially love Trastevere and Piazza Navona neighborhoods for that reason.

I also love the Campo de Fiori area. In fact, the Hotel Campo de Fiori has some apartments that can accommodate up to five people. We stayed in one and it was just through a gate off the campo. You'd love the area, I think, as I also love the St Germain area of Paris.