Rome hotel

Hi Gail !
Have no experience with Hotel Golden but what I did to find a hotel was go on Google maps and "walk" down the street. You can see the area and the outside of the hotel itself. I found Hotel Columbia as I was "google wandering" near Termini. It turned out to be a very good choice.
Good luck !

What a great idea. Coupled with trip advisor reviews that could help make an informed decision.

Thanks! I'll try it.

Diane,

I've stayed at Hotel Columbia on Via Viminale several times. While I liked it and the staff was nice, I thought the place was way over priced. In the last few years we've stayed at Hotel Massimo D'Azeglio on Via Cavour. It is a 4 star property, cheaper, and closer to the Stazione Termini.

Also, last summer we stayed at a b&b called Armonio All' Opera down the street from Columbia. It was brand new, very nice, and 90 euro per night. The owner's name is Paolo and he speaks English. I speak Italian, so this is no big deal for me. I found it on venere.com. We plan to stay there again next summer.

Buon viaggio,

RB

RB,

Are either of these places walking distance to some of the major Rome sites?

Thanks,
Gail

It depends a little bit on how you define walking distance. We always stay in the Termini area and walk to everything but it about an hour walk to the Vatican which is on the far side of the attractions. Some might view that as too far.

If Rome is your first stop you might find it hard to walk everywhere. We went there last and by that time we were used to walking about 6 miles a day (per pedometer) so even the walk to the Vatican and back to the Circo Massimo area was not a bad day.
You will be surprised how far you will walk each day but with all that beauty to absorb you the walking never enters your mind (as long as you have good shoes).

My system for walking Rome is to take the Metro to a fairly distant exit (Circus Maximus or Vatican area) and walk back to my hotel, enjoying the sites/sights along the way. If you plan to spend the whole day, walking 6 miles doesn't seem like such a big deal. Just stop, rest, eat, watch people, resume your trek. And be very careful crossing streets. Pedestrians do not have the "right of way" in Italy. I have always stayed in hotels near Termini; hauling my luggage, light as it is, is my least favorite part of traveling. I park my bag within a few hundred yards of the train station, then start enjoying the city.

While staying near Termini, you can always take the 64 or 40 bus to Vatican area from Via Nationale. The Metro is right there for easy trips to the Spanish steps, Trevi Fountain, etc. as well. I've stayed at the Domus Livia BnB on Via Nationale a few times. Very nice staff. Walking to all sights was not a problem. A very doable walk if you can handle 5-6 miles a day.