Hello All, For our October trip my husband and I will stay 3 days in Rome and then 3 or 4 days in Siena with a day trip to Florence. Then head to Paris. I am wondering how far in advance I should book a hotel and where to stay. I have been doing some research and it looks like staying close to the city walls in Siena is a good idea. We will not have a car. It will be our anniversary so I am looking for charming areas. We are thinking about in Siena these hotels but are certainly open to other ideas. Palazzo Ravizza Hotel Santa Caterina Hotel Villa liberty
Frances Lodge-probably too far out. Any suggestions? In Rome what area should we stay in. We want an area that has some life after dark but not too crazy that is also easy to get around. We will also be looking for a place to stay in Paris but I should probably post that on another board. Thank you in advance.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8154 posts
Tiffany: RonInRome.com addresses your questions about Rome and the Italian train system better than any other website. I would suggest you stay in Florence, and take a bus day trip down to Siena. The buses are parked on the south end of the train station around the corner from McDonalds. Then take a budget air flight out of either Florence or Pisa over to Paris. I've been to Paris 3x, but there are hundreds and hundreds of places to stay in a city that large.
Have a great time!
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11334 posts
I think Rick Steves does the best job of laying out the areas of Rome and why you might choose one over another. For our first trip here, we carefully weighed price against convenience and charm, then chose the centro storico, the area around Piazza Navona, Campo dei Fiori and the Pantheon. We paid a few € more, but it was well worth it. Check out VRBO.com for apartments, usually a very good economical choice. I also like to recommend The Nicolas Inn, near the Colosseo. Very nice people, great restaurant choices in Monte. In Siena, we liked Antica Residenza Cicogna very much. Ask them about parking if you have a car. They have a "secret spot."
Posted by
OP
Austin
69 posts
Thank you both for the replies so far. I am ordering the RS Italy book. Hopefully that will shed some light on the areas in Rome.
Posted by
Charleston, SC, USA
922 posts
I recently stayed in the Hotel Smeraldo in Rome. It is located within a 5 minute walk of Campo de' Fiori as well as Largo Argentina. We walked everywhere, including the Colosseum and Santa Presede. Piazza Novana and the Pantheon are a short walk as well. The Vatican was the only place we didn't walk to. We took a taxi and ended up walking back via Castel S. Angelo. Campo de' Fiori has quite a few restaurants and there is shopping along one of the roads leading there from the hotel. Piazza Novana has the Four Rivers fountains as well as several restaurants. It's about a 10 minute walk from Hotel Smeraldo. We enjoyed our stay there. Make sure you walk into any church that you run across. There are dozens and most are very ornate and a sight to behold.
Posted by
Wichita
831 posts
Tiffany,
If you don't have a car why stay outside the walls of Siena. Look at places inside the walls.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
While waiting for Rick's take on Rome neighborhoods, here's another one, from the Eurocheapo website. I have no personal experience with Siena hotels, but agree that the only reason to stay outside the center would be having a car. With no car, why "commute"?
Posted by
London, UK
68 posts
when we were in rome last we stayed in this flat close to the spanish steps. for us it was great as its a lively area with plenty of restaurants and also in walking distance to Piazza del Popolo, Via del Corso, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Piazza Venezia, the Capitol, the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, Villa Borghese, Villa Medici and Via Veneto.
http://www.nextaway.com/italy/rome/babuino-italy-1238-2
Posted by
OP
Austin
69 posts
Thank you all. That website was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!