Hi all: this forum is my go-to for international travel planning. It has been fabulous over the past several years! At 80, first real trip to Rome (1 day 15 years ago). Is upcoming in a 5 week trip Italy, Switzerland and short stays in Paris for the in and out via CDG. Husband and I like walking, our pretty fit, but knees are aging more each year. For neighborhoods I am wondering if either Navona Pantheon or Trastevere would be a good choice for short-term flat rental? Monti sounds too hilly and Prati, too far from the center.
Our travel interests center on history, architecture and culture. Recommendations for smaller museums and good (not fancy) places to eat are also appreciated.
I am pretty early on in this planning adventure, so will likely have quite a few more questions over the coming days/weeks. Thank you for all information!!
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23943 posts
We always stay in the Termini area. For a simply reason -- easy access to transit and easy to return to if lost. Nearly every bus and tram circles through Termini so if I need to get back I look for any bus with the overhead sign of Termini. The area does have some nice restaurants. Some people here think it is too commercial or busy but it is handy. We have stay in the area five or six times over the years so, for us, it is like going home. Try Hotel Sonya or Aberdeen. Wife says lattes are better st Sonya.
Posted by
United States
110 posts
We love the Piazza Navona area, and find it very convenient for walking just about anywhere. The flats here tend to be on the smaller side, we've found.
On our most recent trip to Rome, we stayed in a flat not far from the Pantheon and at first worried it would be too noisy but it was actually quite sedate. The flat we rented, through Air BnB was on Piazza Rondanini, and I would imagine any of the streets nearby would be a good choice. Very close to a few of the churches which have Caravaggio paintings in their chapels.
Favorite museum is the Borghese Gallery. If you can book tickets for a guided tour in English, through the official website, it is well worth it! Another museum we loved is Villa Farnese.
Happy planning!
Posted by
SEA
26 posts
We just returned from Rome a few days ago. My #1 advice would be make sure you pick somewhere with easy metro and bus access. Even taking the metro or bus at the start/end of the days (and sometimes back for lunch/siesta) we walked between 8 and 13 miles a day. And the mornings you have early tickets (say to the colosseum or Vatican) you want to be able to pop onto transit quickly and easily to get where ever you need to go.
We were in the city twice on our trip. The first week we stayed in Testaccio and really enjoyed it. There is a great market with local flavor that is not overrun with tourists or trinket sellers. Lots of food stalls and great little restaurants. There were other stalls but the only one I popped into was someone selling olivewood items. There are also several small grocery stores. There were also plenty of restaurants. We didn't and up earing out there at all (we traveled with our two boys and do a lot if cooking in our apartment rental to help with costs and give them down time). It also is a short walk or bus into Trestevere which has great restaurants/food options and a larger grocery store. A bus route strait to the Vatican. We would definitely stay in that neighborhood again.
Our 2nd stop in romw was the last 2 nights before we flew out. We stayed in the Meininger Hotel near Trimini (it's a German hostel chain that we have used in several counties). We picked it for convenience of being near the train station for departure day. While we didn't explore the neighborhood much it did have a very different vibe. Much busier streets and just overall busy/ loud feelings. We were just down the street from the train station and a block from the metro, so it was great for that.
Posted by
OP
lake forest park, washington, usa
149 posts
Thank you all very much! We found a great (I hope) short-term rental very centrally located with what appears to be multiple transit connections. And, based on the address and past reviews looks like it is walkable to several of the main sites. I'm sure I'll have more questions. This forum is a really great trip-planning resource. Gotta love Rick Steves!!!