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Places in Rome and Venice

Hello All, I'm going to Rome and Venice for the first time. What is a budget friendly/safe area to stay in Rome? That is close to their metro system there :) Thank you a bunch! VJ

Posted by
7209 posts

Termini. Not the nicest as far as tourist sites, but Termini is the main hub of all trains and metros. However, the Rome metro doesn't go to many helpful destinations. You're going to need to either walk to take a taxi to some destinations.

Posted by
4 posts

Thanks Tim! Do you recommend staying near a metro or near destination spots? Where would you recommend?

Posted by
7737 posts

Get the Rick Steves book on Italy for the answers to all those questions and many more that it won't even occur to you to ask. His books are especially helpful to first time travelers.

Posted by
304 posts

We stayed just two blocks from Termini and it was very convenient. We were able to get everywhere on either the Metro or the bus.

Posted by
337 posts

Rome, you will find the buses more useful than the metro, or depending on where you are going combo of both, or tram. Termini stn has the bus interchange right out the front. You should define " budget" we stayed in Venice 100m from the Rialto @ 135E/ night, You need to get a RS Italy book regards

Posted by
11247 posts

Do you want to be near the Metro because the things you want to see and the places you want to go are on the Metro line? As is mentioned above, the buses can be more useful as the Metro misses the historic center of Rome. All areas are safe. Just stay central so you are not held hostage by some remote bus line and a 45 minutes ride every time you go out. We see tourists in our neighborhood (Parioli) all the time who stay at a budget hotel and pay the price of time waiting for an erratic bus to take them downtown, which can take an hour with changes. Termini is an unfortunate and ugly area with bad restaurants overall. You can find affordability and charm in the historic center (Piazza Navona or Campo dei Fiori area) and over in Prati, near the Vatican. Rick Steves' guide is a good start, but also peruse Trip Advisor, Booking.com ans VRBO.com. Apartments can be quite economical. Another good location is Monti, just behind the Colosseo. Very charming and often overlooked.

Posted by
4 posts

Thank you everyone for your help. Thank you very much Laurel for your helpful tips. It helps hearing from a local :) You all are very terrific. VJ

Posted by
2023 posts

I totally agree with Laurel. Rome is quite walkable and we have been there on some trips where we never used the metro or bus.

Posted by
154 posts

I am a single woman. When I went to Rome a couple of years ago I stayed in the area of Piazza Navona - Campo Fiori. I loved it. there are some hotels in Rick's book. It's walking distance to everything and near the colliseum, forum and Pantheon (different direction) as well as plenty of restaurants. The Piazza Navona became my nightly hangout. sue

Posted by
1501 posts

I stayed near Termini ONCE to save money. Never again. Very seedy. Bad restaurants -- and all it saved me was a taxi fare! Stay near your most important site, Piazza Navona, Vatican, Pantheon, etc. Spend the money once to get to the train station. The busses are pretty good, the metro not so good, and taxis are relatively inexpensive in Rome compared to most cities in Europe.

Posted by
1003 posts

We stayed off of Via Nazionale not far from the train station on our first visit to Rome.It was o.k. but next 2 visits we stayed near Campo di Fiori and then an apt. near Piazza Navona. Enjoyed both of these locations. I have rented an apt. from www.Romecapitalapartments.com near Piazza Navona for our visit next month4 nights/4 people/2 bedrms/2 bathrooms/air cond/wifi/125 Euros per night. This is a great location and you can easily walk to many sights or hop a bus. Many apartments in Venice too. For next month I have rented apt. here from www.truly-venice.com. Just google Rome and Venice apartments. Lots to choose from. Some apts. do have a minimum night stay. Buon Viaggio!

Posted by
4 posts

Thank you everyone. You are all so very helpful! Donna and Janet your info was so very helpful :) I can see you both love Italy.