We are trying to decide whether to stay near the Colosseo or the Pantheon. Which has more restaurant choices? Which is quieter? Which is more convenient for traveling or walking to other sights in the city? Finally how expensive and honest are taxis in Rome?
Thanks, Jim S. in Chicago
Posted by
San Diego, California
5649 posts
Maybe this Search will have some helpful info. Did you check the RS guidebook?
Safe travels!
Posted by
Italy
3812 posts
The cabs at both airports are the worst, some at FCO ask more than the fixed fare to downtown inventing absurd excuses like "it's night" or "it's a national holyday" or "too many bags". Simply take the next one in line.
In downtown Rome the best way to pick the honest cabbies is making clear, before getting on, that you want to pay by credit card and that you have zero cash.
No need to tip, they are self-employed workers that own the car and the license. All of them, it's the law.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16620 posts
Jim, I thought you'd already booked Hotel Lancelot?
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/rome-hotel-and-restaurant-recommendations
No matter; if you're considering cancelling Lancelot, by the Colosseum, in favor of Arch Rome Suites, by the Pantheon....
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/compare-2-hotels-in-rome
....I'd definitely go with Arch Rome Suites for the location: it's more central to many of Rome's attractions than Lancelot. It sees excellent reviews on Booking.com (my go-to for reviews and occasional bookings) and I don't see any complaints about noise. Booking.com link for this hotel:
Given the central location, I wouldn't be concerned at ALL about finding a variety of places to eat within easy walks (We've been through that general area multiple times but haven't personally eaten in that neighborhood.) Rome is very safe at night, BTW, so no worries about walking back to your lodgings after an evening meal. Can't answer your concern about cabs as, with the exception of a couple of metro rides, we walked everywhere.
Posted by
alameda, ca, usa
2693 posts
I liked the Colosseum area, neighborhood is called Celio. Close to many sites but also quiet and full of locals. I had no specific restaurant agenda, but did manage easily to get an outside seat at a restaurant every night, as a solo traveler that can be dicey but not in Rome. If I was on a main street I'd go over a block or two, less crowded and noisy and better chance of an open table. I loved walking by the Colosseum every day, though I used metro line A from Manzoni as much as B at the Colosseum. I used the taxi from and back to the airport, price is fixed and I encountered no issues with that--going back to the airport I had the hotel call. I also used a taxi to get to the Borghese Gallery and that was fine, too--went directly there, cost about 12 euros.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8124 posts
Don't stay in the Trastevere, just stay away, nothing over there.
Posted by
690 posts
Maybe look into Monti? It has restaurants, funky-boho culture, vines, hilly streets, bars and proximity to key sites.
Way back in Ancient Rome when it was known as 'Subura' ('outside the city walls'), Julius Caesar's family owned property there.
And Juvenal wrote that the main cause of death then in that oh-so chaotic neighbourhood was 'insomnia'. LOL!
Its less hectic now. Seriously, its a great choice.
I am done. The end.
Posted by
415 posts
+1 for Monti. It's close to the Colosseum and is an easier walk to the metro than the area around Pantheon.
Which has more restaurant choices?
Pretty much any neighborhood you go to has an abundance of good restaurants within walking distance