I will be in Rome in late Sept. for 5 nights, and wanted to see if people could recommend the best areas/neighborhoods to stay in. I really enjoyed staying in the 6th arrondissement when I was in Paris a while back; any similar neighborhoods in Rome? My priority for a hotel is proximity to a metro station, so it doesn't have to be right in the city center. Thanks!
Hotel Aberdeen Hotel which is near the metro and near the Train station. You can take the train (not the metro) to and from the airport which is easy and cheaper than a cab and walk to the hotel from the train station. It is a great location and it is a hotel I stayed in twice when I went on the week long Rome tour in 2013 and 2008. It is a reasonable priced hotel, breakfast included and nice staff. It is near some major churches. I would stay there again with or without a RS tour. As for the neighborhoods, it is ok, safe but not special as you want compared to Paris. If you want a great area, then near the Pantheon is a great area, but there is no metro near by, only the bus lines. Have a wonderful time. If you want to ask me questions privately, do not hesitate to contact me. I love Rome.
rachel,
I usually prefer to stay in the area around Roma Termini, as it's so darn convenient for transportation. Two hotels that you could check in that area are Hotel Sonya and Hotel Aberdeen. Both are wonderful and I would certainly recommend them. Termini is a good location to access not only Metro, but also Buses or trains (for day trips).
Rome is not Paris, as you know. One of the differences with Rome is that the Metro does not serve the historic center particularly well - it rings the center, but doesn't go into it. Rome is also MUCH more compact than Paris, so you may well end up walking to the major sites, and hopping a bus or tram or taking a taxi back to your hotel if you're tired. (One bonus of walking in Rome is that almost all the pedestrian routes are very interesting.)
If you want a n'hood that's most like the 6th arr. in Paris, consider Trastevere, staying near the Ponte Sisto or Ponte Garibaldi. There's not a Metro station particularly close, but that shouldn't be problem given all the buses and the #8 tram that will take you right into the heart of the historic center if you decide you don't want to walk it.
I support Ken's recommendations. We have stayed in both also over six different visits. Wife prefers Sonya because she thinks the lattas are slightly better. Both excellent properties.
Thanks for the amazing feedback everyone! Michael - that's good to know about the public transportation in Rome. I was there once years ago on a tour, so we always had the tour bus. I assumed I would take the metro like I used the metro in Paris, or the Tube in London, so good to know that the bus and tram makes more sense in the city center. I will check out the hotels suggested here; always open to other hotel suggestions if anyone has any!
We usually rent apartments when we stay in Rome, so I can't help you there, but you'll get more helpful suggestions if you give a specific budget, either in euros or dollars, that you're looking for.
Thanks, all. That's a good summary of the difference between the convenient Roma Termini options and some more historic-feeling neighborhoods.
OK, the contrary opinion to staying AWAY from the Termini neighborhood. I do not like train station neighborhoods in general. The 6th arrondissement in Paris is in no way comparable to the Termini area in Rome. I've stayed in the 6th in Paris.
The only reason to stay near Termini is easy access to/from the airport IMHO. I've stayed there also (Aberdeen Hotel) and didn't like the average citizen on the street that I saw, nor did I find a restaurant we cared to eat in that was within close walking distance.
I like to return to the 'home base' after a long day of walking around, eat in a restaurant close to my hotel, and call it a night. City Center is best, Trastevere is VERY nice; but I prefer the Prati/Vatican district because it's quiet and residential at night, and I like the looks of the residents! LOL.
My wife and I stayed at the Inn Urbe Colosseo B&B for 4 nights this past May. A great place to stay and about a 5 minute walk from the Cavour Metro Station.
We just stayed at the Domus Carmelitana, just outside St. Peter's, in the Prati area. Located a block from the Castel Sant' Angelo. It is several minutes from the Ottaviano metro station. We found it clean, comfortable, with a great breakfast. Very quiet area so we had no problem at night. Roof top patio that gives you views of St. Peter's dome. We enjoyed having drinks from their bar on the roof at the end of the day.
Piazza Navona is a 10 minute walk across the Tiber. We booked through booking.com, but you could also contact them directly.
A vote for Trastavere. A very old neighborhood and just a short walk over a bridge to the rest of Rome. I recommend the B&B Arco dei Tolomei. It's on Trip Advisor.
Cynthia
We just stayed in Rome a couple weeks ago at Hotel Fontanella Borghese. It is centrally located in the old part of the city, equal distance to the Pantheon, Trevi, Spanish Steps areas, and right near the river, across which you can access the Vatican Museums and St. Paul's. We asked for a quiet room, and indeed, it was fine, along with the air conditioning, which meant we could just close the window and have the level of air we wanted. The breakfast was great, the service wonderful, the people at the desk helpful. The hotel is within a courtyard of a larger building, so feels more private. The price is fine for the location. They have a sister hotel which is more pricey.
http://www.fontanellaborghese.com/en/
good Option: Hotel Della Torre Argentina. We just stayed there about one week ago. Great location near Pantheon and Campo Di Fiori. Plus, bus stop for multiple buses is right next to hotel. So, you can walk and bus easily all around Rome. The Rome metro does not cover the historic center well. The red line travels from St. John Lateran area North to Termini, then heads NW toward the Popolo Piazza. I'm not sure about blue line. Never used it. If you want to stay near the red line, both the Populo area and St. John area looked nice. In fact, Popolo area looked "high end" during our wanderings. Lateran area is a bit more residential, further from sites.