hotel in Rome with convenient access

Tom, I stayed near the Colosseum last year. I was closest to the Cavour metro stop. It was convenient for a lot of my travels, but not for a lot of the others. I didn't see as much of the real heart of the historical center as I think I would have had I stayed closer to the Pantheon/Navona area. If I were to go back to Rome, that is where I would stay. Lots of buses (which can also take you to the station, Vatican, Colosseum, etc) are easily available in that area. In fact I used the buses more than the metro, even though I was near the metro stop. so my personal opinion would be for you and your wife to stay somewhere near Navona or Pantheon, which will allow you to walk the heart of the historical center quite easily... and when you want to go to the Vatican or Colosseum or wherever, you can easily catch a bus or even taxi or whatever you like. Of course, of the sites you mentioned with a subway stop, the Spanish Steps is the most central. you could stay near there or within a few minutes walk of there, which might give you the best of both worlds (and there's a big taxi stand there too!)... :)

Tom-I stayed between the Colisseum and the Termini and was able to walk everywhere. I did take the subway out to the Vatican Museum because I had to be there at a certain time. I walked from my room to the Spanish Steps, Trevi fountain, Largo Argentina and then the Trastevere neighborhood, and back to the Colisseum and back to my room on one day,stopping as I needed to enjoy each area the surrounding shops and feed myself. It was a very, very long walk, but I loved every minute of it. Do you have disabilities that are your concern? I think the most central area is by the Colisseum (others may differ), where you can easily walk to just about anywhere. You will be surprised how close all the areas you listed are to one another. With the exception of the Vatican Museum and the Trastevere (means: across the river) neighborhood.

Thanks fo the input. My wife and I enjoy a nice walk to explore the city, but were a little concerned about hiking too much and not enjoying the visit as much. Did you find other means of transportaqtion nearby such as bus or tram lines near your hotel?

Don't know how to address your concerns about hiking too much. Old Rome is quite small -- remember they were all walking 2000 years ago. We stay in the Termini area for convenience to transportation and can walk to the Vatican is a little over an hour. Given that it is slow walking through the city I would guess that the distance is four miles or less. We easily walk the whole area from our hotels in the Termini area. The subway in Rome is nearly worthless. Buses are OK and taxis work. Just be sure they run the meter !! and that is not conveniently broken.

Tom-I thought the "hiking" around the city was the most enjoyable feature of my trip. I probably walked from 9am to 9pm everyday I was there. Of course, I stopped for as long as I wanted all along the way. Lots of espresso, gelato, snacks, water fountains, shops to peruse, people watch, Roman air to breathe, sitting at the Trevi fountain pinching myself that I was actually there, and I can't get enough of seeing the Colisseum. Around every corner there is something special, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised of the close proximity of all the locations you have listed. But, yes, I saw lots of bus stops and tram stops all over the place.

Thanks everyone for your valuable help. I also enjoy walking in new places to get a feel for the city, especially local neighborhoods. Sounds like the city is not as large as I feared, and that most places are within walking distances to each other.

Just got back from Rome two weeks ago. We stayed two blocks from the Termini and loved the access to buses and Metro. We did walk a lot, but found riding the bus to be convenient (esp. to the Vatican area). It was also easy to get to our hotel from the train station upon arrival and back to Termini when we departed. There are a number of nice hotels in that area.

We stay 2.5 blocks from central train station. Hotel Aberdeen in RS guidebks. it is on a quiet street across from a military outpost. Nearby good deli -like restaurants are avail. and banks/atms, we walked to Spanish Steps, Trevi and took bus to Vatican (easy). I prefer bus to subway due to pickpockets.

We stayed several times at the Hotel Navona. It is in the heart of the historic district. All the sites you mentioned are an easy walk from the hotel. We walked everywhere, including to the Vatican, except when we went to and from the termini. They have a website - www.hotelnavona.com

We love the Hotel Navona. Absolutely love it. You have to pay in cash (at least in 2004 we did) but it is sooooo worth it.

I went to Italy in July and spent 4 nights in Rome (amazing!). I stayed in Royal Marcella, within walking distance from train station as well as Borghese Gallery, Trevi/Spanish Steps. It was very close to the Repubblica metro stop and Santa Maria della Vittoria.

It was a very nice hotel and the employees were very nice and helpful.