Our first trip to Italy

Frank,
My wife and I are currently in Rome as part of a one month post retirement trip to Italy and Greece. We like to stay at the La Residenza hotel, which is centrally located near Via Veneto, close to the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and the Borghese Gardens. It is also close to a metro stop and restaurants.
The staff are very helpful, and there is a great breakfast buffet. They seem to host a good mix of European and American guests.
We have stayed here twice before and will come back again.
Hotel-la-residenza.com .
Bill

Many people love Santa-Maria-Roma in Trastevere. It's got a courtyard with orange trees. I usually stay in the Prati/Vatican neighborhood because I like it quiet at night and I'm Roman Catholic and go to St. Peters every single time.

We looooooove Trastevere! We've stayed there twice and it's our favorite part of Rome. Donna is referring to this place: Hotel Santa Maria It really does look delightful and the location is outstanding.

We rented an apartment both times we stayed there. If you're open for an apartment, you might consider this place: Near Sant'Egidio in Trastevere. We would have stayed there this year, but they were booked.

frank,

For a trip of 4-6 weeks, I'd highly recommend picking up a copy of the Italy 2014 Guidebook, as there's an enormous amount of information there not only on hotels in various parts of Rome (and elsewhere) but also restaurants, sightseeing information, transportation, etc. It would be a good investment that could save you some money.

I tend to stay near Termini station in Rome, as it's so darn convenient for rail, metro or bus transportation. However, I have stayed in Trastevere and it's also a nice area, however it's not as convenient for getting to some of the sites. If you don't mind lots of walking or taking Trams, it's certainly one option. All areas of Rome have their own "character" but Trastevere is especially nice in the evenings. There are lots of small restaurants and Gelato shops, and the streets are buzzing with activity. If you'd like to stay in Trastevere, have a look at Casa San Guiseppe as I found it very comfortable.

You may also find it helpful to have a look at the excellent www.roninrome.com website, as there are good suggestions there for hotels in Rome.

If you haven't travelled in Italy before and are planning to use public transit, there are some potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of. The same applies to car rentals. Be sure to do your homework! If you need further details, post another note.

Good luck with your planning!

Sorry, Ken, but you're a more seasoned traveler than some of us, and even though I liked the hotel near Termini (I'm 62 and husband is 68), we found the area around Termini to be, well, "creepy" at night. Like most cities, areas around train stations have a certain "element" that I'd rather not encounter. Restaurants were also not so great. I LOVE Trastevere, and don't find riding buses or taking taxis all that inconvenient. My favorite area to sleep in remains the Prati/Vaticano area, but I'm old and boring and like it quiet at night.

I travel with women once a year, and they also like this area, but when I'm with my husband he prefers Trastevere. Made a mistake there once, staying in a BnB which offered no services, privacy, etc., and won't do that again. Either we will stay in an apartment (do that often) or stay in a hotel.

Another vote for Prati. Better transportation than Trastevere and less touristy overall. The area around Campo dei Fiori is still marvelous, too, easy to get anywhere. We liked this apartment when we traveled here before moving.

Rather than Trip Advisor, use VRBO.com for apartments. Easier to target options, IMO.

@donna,

The hotels that I tend to use in the Termini area (Hotel Sonya or Aberdeen) are not located in what I would consider a "seedy" area. There are numerous sidewalk restaurants, lots of people on the streets at night and a somewhat "vibrant" atmosphere. I also stay at a Hostel on the other side of Termini at times, and it's also located in an area with many restaurants and lots of evening activity.

I'm also 60+ and don't have any hesitation in being around Termini at night and don't consider it especially "seedy". I used to work as a Paramedic and I'm somewhat used to dealing with the "denizens of the night" so not too concerned with that sort of thing. When I was in Italy in June, I came through Firenze SMN at about midnight after a long day trip, and wasn't concerned at all. However at that time of night I prefer not to use the tunnel to cross the street and stayed at street level.

Any area in big cities can have "undesirable elements". During the time I was staying in Trastevere, I took a very early walk one Sunday morning and got a bit of a surprise. Piazza Trilussa and some of the surrounding streets were littered with dozens of empty wine and booze bottles. It looked like something from the downtown eastside of Vancouver. Given the number of bottles on the street, it must have been SOME party! This must happen regularly, as city cleaners were out early and by about 08:00 the streets were once again completely clean.

Ken, Trastevere is a victim of being over-loved by tourists and lots of young people. I think the restaurants are marginal overall and the kids hang around P.za Trilussi environs because of many bars, happy hours, etc. It's a "scene." I am not a fan of the Termini area, either, but Trastevere has been "discovered."

@Laurel,

Thanks for the additional information. It seemed like the Piazza Trilussa area was especially popular with the "younger crowd" so I suppose the party scene there on a Saturday night isn't surprising. I've also seen groups of kids sitting amongst over-flowing trash bins around fountains in Campo di Fiori and other places, with numerous bottles evident. I don't get too concerned about that, as it happens everywhere (I won't elaborate on some of the things I've seen in the U.K.).

I'll add my two cents about hotels in Rome. I spent four nights at the Hotel Sonya near Termini just last month. While the hotel was fine and reasonably priced, just a few blocks from the Metro, and while I did not find the area at all dangerous or unpleasant, I also did not find the area particularly appealing either. It was not near any place where I would be spending a part of the day, so would not be a place I would stop by and relax, clean up or drop anything off. Also, it was not a very fun or relaxing place to just go out for an early morning or late evening walk. Next time, I think I will be willing to pay something more to be in such an area, like Trastevere or near the Pantheon, Campo di Fiori, Piazza Navona, etc.

I like the Piazza Navona/Pantheon area. I recently stayed at Hotel Teatro Pace, which was lovely (but no lift).

We just returned from Rome last week. We considered hotels near Termini but opted for one, Hotel Smeraldo, about two blocks from Campo d'Fiori. We never had to take public transportation to anything. The Vatican was 25 minutes, Trastevere about 10 minutes, likewise Piazza Navona, the Colosseum about 20 minutes, Trevi fountain/Spanish steps about 15 minutes. Restaurants, bars, and shops abound in the area and there is an excellent restaurant right across the street. Salumeria Rosciolo, which many say is the best deli/restaurant in Rome, is around the corner from Smeraldo. We will stay there for sure next time.

When I was in my planning phase for my Italy trip, I too inquired on where to stay in Rome for a first time to Rome traveler. I had the trastevere in mind as it looked like it was a more chilled out neighborhood vs hustle bustle type of neighborhood the termini could be. Most of the posters recommended that we stay in a more central neighborhood vs trastevere for my first time in Rome. We did. We stayed in Hotel Sonja, had a view of the opera house and yes, we were central to many sights and were close to the metro. But it was a pretty zany neighborhood with traffic of your nightmares if you are a pedestrian. If i were to stay in Rome again, I would consider the Trastevere. But I would say it seemed like the trastevere was the headquarters for the Roma, especially the most disfigured/disabled Roma people, begging for money; I am sure many will pipe in and say there are everywhere but it seemed very concentrated there during our visit.
And if you are there for 8 nights,I would consider an apartment. You usually get more bang for your buck. We did this in Spain for the first time recently and lived in some awesome modern apartments with multiple floors, room to roam and a place to call home vs the 8X12 hotel box. Makes for a better moment to drink some wine, eat some olives and review your photos for the day. I got my apartment information from Tripadvisor,I am sure there are other outlets for flat rentals but we do not regret our apartment rental we found on tripadvisor. You might have to pay cash and have it ready up front.

My husband and I have made several extended trips to Italy and always spend a week at an apartment overlooking Campo dei Fiori. The price, apartment, and view are wonderful and it's a VRBO property, 336305. There are about 45 stairs to climb so it's not appropriate for those with mobility issues, but the manager, Fiora, is wonderful and can also arrange pickup from FCO if desired.

It is what your preferences are and past experience. I guess it is old habit but we stay in the Termini area (5 times and total of about 4 weeks) for the positive reasons listed earlier by Ken and others. Just there two weeks ago. And we think there are some great local restaurants in the area. We looked at Trastevere once and just thought it was too inconvenient to everything else. We are big fans of Hotel Sonya. We are 70+ but don't walk the streets after 10 or sometimes 11 pm. We have spent a lot of time in Chicago and New York (one son each city) so, for us, our perception of seedy may be very different from someone else.

For a first time visitor I would recommend something closer to the center of old Rome. The Termini area is on the edge but we prefer it for the location to transit and not having to deal with taxis, subway, or buses to get to the hotel.

When you have any questions about Rome, see RonInRome.com. He goes over many accommodations and neighborhoods in detail.
My best suggestion is to figure out how to use the buses and metro in Rome to minimize walking. It is a city where you can walk yourself to death.
We stayed at www.olivetreehill.com, which is a highly rated B&B in Zagarolo 1/2 hour south. We took a commuter train into Rome to visit The Sights. So many tourists to Rome overlook that there are as many interesting sights in the Rome suburbs as there are within the city.

Just a quick general comment about Rome. I worked for over 25 years in one of the toughest areas of Chicago. I have made many trips to Italy and to Rome. I assure you, generally speaking, that Rome is overall, generally quite safe. I have been traveling there over a period of perhaps 20 years and I don't really see any great change or cause for concern. My rule for Chicago or for Rome is simple: Just use common sense - relax and enjoy the gazillion of things to see and to do. You WILL have a great time. Good luck.

David, you've often made this claim: "So many tourists to Rome overlook that there are as many interesting sights in the Rome suburbs as there are within the city." I don't doubt that there are some interesting sights in the suburbs but find it extremely hard to believe that there are as many as in the city.

And given the amount of time that most tourists have in Rome, only a handful of sights can be seen on any given trip. Do you believe that the suburban sights somehow are more interesting than the sights in the historic center of Rome (say, between Vatican and Termini)? And isn't one of the challenges with the suburban sights that they're quite spread out from each other, whereas the ones in Rome's center are much easier to get to? I'm thinking of Ostia Antica and Trevi, for example.

We stayed in a loft-style apartment through Airbnb.com near Campo De Fiori. I would highly recommend that area as it was central to a lot of the main sites in the city and we walked everywhere. The nightly rate was about 1/2 the rate that we were looking at for hotels (we used Airbnb for Florence and Venice too).

We have stayed at Hotel Santa Chiara in Rome. It is right behind the Pantheon, great location, excellent breakfast.

We've been to Rome 3 times. The first time we stayed at a B&B blocks from the Termini train station. While it was convenient on our arrival and less expensive, it was too far from the historic center. Too many bus rides. On our second trip we stayed at a little B&B that was literally in the shadow of the ancient Pantheon. It was an amazing experience to get up early and having that amazing building all to ourselves. However we were there for only 2 nights, the place would not be acceptable for a weeklong stay. Staying in the heart of the historic district is by far the bestway to go. It's a short walk to the Trastevere and easily walkable to the Vatican and even the Coliseum. On our third trip we rented an apartment near Camp di Fiore. Apartments obviously are the way to go. Rome is beyond words!