Rome sightseeing and lodging location

Have you been to Rome before? If not I’d say stay near the Pantheon/ Piazza Navona area which is dead center and you could do both Colosseum area and Vatican.
Colosseum on first afternoon, piazzas/heart of Rome walk that pm
Vatican early am next day
still leaves from about noon til your departure for whatever else you like.

Consider booking an early entry tour for Vatican/Sistine and you will need a timed entry for Colosseum

Rome is very walkable so staying in the center makes sense.

Christine, this is our first trip to Italy and Rome. Your suggestion sounds great - thanks!

My recommendation (and where we stay) would be the Termini area. Close to the train and the transportation hub of Rome. You can get a bus or the metro to anywhere in Rome from the buses on the plaza in front of Termini. Although Termini is on the edge of the major tourist sites, it is still very walkable to nearly everything. But the Vatican is about an hour hike from there. Take a taxi. Hotel Sonya is our preference in that area - across from the Opera house and about two blocks from Termini. Also in that area we have used Hotel Aberdeen and Contilla. Since many buses through out the city terminate at Termini or pass through, that means you can hop any bus with a Termini in the heading or via Termini and you know where you are going. Makes it convenient for getting back to the hotel if you have wondered far a field.

Terry- both the Colosseum and Vatican sights are time consuming. 1/2 days each minimum. You can choose one or the other. Chances are you will love Italy and Rome and will return. Consider this a sampler visit.

What time of year is this and what are you most interested in?
Exactly what time will you arrive? Might try to do a top sight this pm- 4-7?
What time is your departure flight?
How will your energy level and budget be at this point of trip?

Colosseum closing varies- "1 hour before sunset" if you can be here by 4- as long as you just want to visit and don't need an in depth tour- done by 7.
Vatican has pm hours on Fri. We did the early am entry and so very glad. I have to admit I didn't really enjoy the museum, it was just so crowded. But being in the Sistine Chapel with a small group was awesome. I'd say a Vatican visit will consume more time and be a bit more of a hassle because of location.

If your budget is limited and you love art- just pop into every church you can along the way. They are free.
Pantheon is free.
You also can't go wrong with a visit to the Borghese Gallery

If it were me I'd choose just one of those 2 top sights, maybe add a lesser sight.
Colosseum/Forum arrival pm- dinner in Trastevere or Piazza Navonna
Visit Campo de'Fiori market in am, then Pantheon, Trevi/Spanish Steps-/P Popolo (heart of Rome walk).
End at Borghese if time allows. (timed entry- 2 hr limit)
That's easily done in the 1.5 days you have.

We like to walk, so have actually never used any public transpo in Rome- we have taken a cab now and then.
Cabs are usually very reasonable 6-10€?
Cab to/from airport is a fixed rate 48€

Do you have RS Rome guidebook?
See here for "Rome in a day"
https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy/rome-itinerary

And if you can't get tickets to go into the Colosseum, just walking around the outside is memorable and you can see some ancient stuff just from the street.

And if you can't get tickets to go into the Colosseum, just walking around the outside is memorable and you can see some ancient stuff just from the street.<<

This^^

We stayed in a hotel just off the Campo De Fiori (near piazza Navona) and it was a great location. We were able to walk to all the main sites within 20 minutes.

We're traveling at the very end of September, and might be a bit low energy since it is the very end of the trip. Nonetheless, I'm determined to see either/both the Vatican and at least parts of ancient Rome. The hotel really just needs to be a decent place to rest our heads since we'll be out and about most of the time. I think it might be best to stay near the Termini since we can also stow bags there if needed before heading back to the airport to fly home.

Figure we'll do most of it by walking or bus.

Thanks for everyone's advice - love the RS Community for getting great answers to these types of questions!

Hi Terry,

If you stay in the Termini neighborhood, I think you will be fine. Termini gets a bad rap - because it is a 'train station' and all that comes with it - attracting many people for different reasons.

I stayed in the Termini area with no issues. Termini is convenient for many reasons. There are a lot of nice little restaurants here and there; some corner markets and bakeries. I really enjoyed the walks to the city's attractions and little hideaway alley streets.

Although I have not stayed in any of the RS recommended (Termini) hotels, there are some here who have and seemed to do well (and are repeat guests.)

I never encountered any of the bad things some people have witnessed. Just keep a big city awareness and your valuables secured properly. There are police and military stationed inside and around the perimeter - I see that mostly as a deterrent.

Eventually I may try another hotel in another area of Rome out of curiosity.

• Added tidbit. If you stay in or near Termini, walking to Vatican City is "a walk." If you choose to, take the Express #40 - skips some stops and leaves you near St. Peter's. Bus #64 is the main transport to many attractions around the city. It is very crowded; although the #64 seems to come within minutes of the next one.

• Make sure you validate your BIT when you get on the bus. Transit Inspectors have been increasing their presence on buses - randomly stopping one and checking tickets and passes of passengers. If not properly validated or expired, you may (or will) receive a fine. Bus tickets are good for 100 minutes of city travel including a transfer. Metro is a one-time ride.

• If a machine is broken (invalid) as it happened to me and a few others last time, the Inspector verified the machines were not working. He told me to write on the back of the ticket - the stop and time you get on the bus, the number of the bus - i.e. #64, and if possible, the number of the actual bus (found on the outside rear) so they can identify and fix the problem. Those of us who could not validate our tickets did not receive a fine because the reason was legitimate and verifiable.

We stayed in the Termini area two weeks ago. I definitely recommend Hotel Canada-friendly staff, nice and clean. The hotel called cabs for us several mornings when we had tours set up. Other than that, we walked everywhere (even back from the Vatican when a cab driver tried to charge us 50 euros when it was 11 to get there, but that's another story). There are some good restaurants around there. We enjoyed Nerone, the Bramble, Al Forno Della Soffitta (pizza), and gelato at Gello all close by.

We stayed at IQ Roma just a couple of weeks ago and I highly recommend the hotel. We took taxis or walked around Rome to get to the places we wanted to see. I wouldn't call it budget lodging and are not sure what you want to pay. Rome lodging is not cheap. It is not far from the main Termini railroad station.

Just returned from my first trip to Italy, definitely not an expert.

We stayed right by the Pantheon and it was a perfect location.

There is a cab stand right at the Pantheon, convenient for early tours. and easy to tell a cab driver where to take you back to.

Lots of restaurants very close by.

Have a Great Trip!