Rome accommodations

KC, I usually stay in the Termini station area, as there's a good choice of Hotels and Restaurants and it's so very convenient for transportation. I've never had any problems walking in that neighborhood, even at night. Happy travels!

We have stayed in two different hotels in the Termini area and had no problem with the area. We like that area as it is not only convenient to the train station but to the Metro and buses as well. I would definately stay in the area again. Lots of options within walking distance.

The area near Termini may not be the most attractive area but it is perfectly safe. There are plenty of restaurants near Termini as well. Although you probably won't be walking to the sights with children, Termini has great access to public transit. A big factor will be the ages of the children. If they are young I think you would be better off staying in the heart of the city so that you can easily reach your hotel for a siesta. They don't need to be babies to want a nap/down time in the afternoon. Restaurants don't open until 7pm or later in the evening so the entire family may want a break before heading for dinner. The Pantheon/Piazza Navona is the most desirable and the most expensive. I'd skip the Spanish Steps area due to its price and the fact that the immediate area is filled with shopping streets. The Forum/Ancient Rome area is more budget friendly and a better location than Termini.

Thanks for the advice. The children are over 11 years and accustomed to long days while traveling. As we prefer to stay together, we had trouble finding family-sized rooms in the areas you mentioned.

I don't know what your budget is, but we stayed with our daughter in a great room at Residenza Canali ai Coronari, which is on a quiet street a block away from Piazza Navona. We commented while there that the room was big enough to sleep 4. (Her bed was in a separate alcove, but still within our room space, which she loved.) We recently re-visited Rome and stayed in Trastevere; almost all of our other visits, we've stayed near Piazza Navona. I loved the Trastaevere neighborhood, and we are huge walkers on vacation, but the additional distance was tiring after basically walking around all day. (We would go out for the day, but need to go back to our room at some point before heading out for dinner at 8 or 9 pm.) So use Google maps, the walking feature, to get a general idea of how much walking you'd do from that Termini location B&B, to make sure that it makes sense for you. Also, we love to go to Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain in the evening for people-watching; if you're the types who enjoy that, then you'll want to factor that in to your location.

In terms of safety, the area is safe. The not so good areas in Europe tend to be in the suburbs not the inner city (the exact opposite as the US). In terms of distance, Termini is not at a very short walking distance from the sites (at least 20-25 minutes walk from any site), but, as others have noted, it's the transit hub of the city, therefore you can easily hop on a subway or bus or train and go anywhere from there.

I guess it is always relative. I don't consider a 20 min walk as any distance at all. We always stay in the Termini area (4 visits) and find it very convenient. But Roberto is correct it is a 15, 20 min walk to the center of old Rome but that is just a warm up walk for us.

We used SleepinItaly in both Venice and Rome. We also had our family with us and decided to go with an apt instead of 2 hotel rooms. We had no trouble and our locations were really great. We stayed in Rome right near Navona . We loved the area. Great area for walking around . The Termini is not as quaint. Have fun!

Checkout RoninRome.com on how to get around that great city. You'd be okay a couple of blocks from the Termini. We were there Easter Weekend 2012, and found getting around easier by bus (from Termini.) We found the subway system to be extremely crowded, but it may have been because it was a holiday weekend. We stayed 20 miles south, and found the suburbs to have as many incredible tourist sights as Rome.

Thanks all for your input! We were able to get alternate accommodations, last-minute in a better location. Flying tomorrow!!

We stayed at the "River Palace Hotel", two years ago. It receives very good recommendations from Trip Advisor. We could walk to the Fountain of Trevi, the Pantheon, the Victor Emanual Monument and the Spanish Steps. The hotel was extremely nice and convenient. It was also very close to a particular recommended garden. We have recommended the hotel to others and they liked it also.

I would stay anywhere but the Termini Area. Stayed there once, never again! Far away from anything we wanted to see, and we found it totally without charm. It would be worth it to me to stay near Piazza Navona, Trastavere, Ghetto, or near the Vatican. It's only convenience is for departure/arrivals for Rome. We've been to Rome at least 6 times, and find it's worth the cab ride upon arrival/departure to be in the middle of the action. Busses are always available for site seeing, and walking is another option in all of the central locations. We didn't like the restaurant choices in the neighborhood either. Just my
opinion.

FWIW, I agree with Donna. I wasn't going to post, because I don't like to be negative or start "cagefights," but I also prefer to stay away from Termini, and take a cab to and from the station with luggage to start and end my stay.

Don't forget that you can use Google Maps Streetview to take a look around for yourself. Rome has excellent coverage. Termini is a good enough area to stay if you're on a very tight budget (check out The Beehive), but other parts of Rome are more charming. I would suggest somewhere in the Campo de' Fiori / Piazza Navona / Pantheon area for best walkability. Happy travels.