Rome : Trastavere or Termini?

I like the Termini area as it's so convenient for transportation both with Metro and Buses, as well as trains for day trips. It's quite a busy area in the evenings, but not sure what type of "nightlife" you're interested in? I've also stayed in Trastevere and that's probably better for nightlife.

I vote Trastevere. Termini is a bit more convenient - better transit connections to many sights - but it's not as pleasant. Trastevere is a much better place to hang out. Day or evenings. I'm not too familiar with nightlife of the club variety, but Trastevere is great for bars, restaurants, and cafes. It's also an easy walk to the Campo di Fiori area.

by Nightlife...I didnt mean clubs....just generallly strolling around....cafes....etc....also safety.
In the same context how is the Monti neighburhood ?

Trastevere is great for strolling and cafe type nightlife. Monti is similar, but the area that has this feel is smaller than Trastevere. In Trastevere this is all around, in Monti it's mainly near the square. Monti is also farther from other similar areas.
I like that Trastevere is convenient for waking to Campo di Fiori/Navona. These are also great for strolling and cafes, but alot more crowded the other areas.

We've stayed reasonable walking distance from Termini as well and thought it was really convenient to quite a lot of attractions + public transit (Termini is a hub) when desired. Walking central Rome at night was fine; we never felt unsafe anywhere.

We also went on to Florence last time from Termini.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both locations, and either would be a good choice. I tend to stay "near" Termini out of habit, but I always visit Trastevere a few times when staying in Rome.

Termini area advantages include ease of arrival (if that's where you reach at 19:30) and departure, good bus and metro connections to attractions, close to Monti, and nice areas near opera house and along/off Via Nazionale. Disadvantages include more traffic, less nightlife and not-as-nice (but not unsafe) areas surrounding the station itself.

Trastevere advantages include good bus and tram connections to attractions, close to lots of nightlife (including Campo dei Fiori and Piazza Navona areas) and some very peaceful areas away from (but still near) the heart. Disadvantages include multiple transit changes to/from Termini (except for direct H bus), poor access to metro and possibly noisy lodging during evenings if staying in the heart.

Not trying to prejudice your choice, but with nightlife being an important consideration for you, Trastevere might be the better fit.

No contest. Trastevere (TV) hands down. People stay in Termini only because of convenience to the train station which only matters twice - when they arrive and when they leave. The Termini area has no charm at all. TV, on the other hand, is really charming, as parts of it look a lot like a medieval Italian town. The streets, for example, wander and meander, unlike the grid that you find around Termini. Both areas have sections that can get pretty crowded. There are two major piazzas in TV that get esp. crowded and sometimes rowdy in the evening - Piazza Trilussa and Piazza Santa Maria in TV.

Termini is convenient when you arrive and when you depart, if you arrive and depart by train. But other than that, Trastevere hands down. It feels like staying in a small medieval town. Lots of sidewalk restaurants and cafes. Neither is a short walking distance to the famous sites. Unless you like to walk a lot, from Trastevere you will use the no. 8 tramway a lot, while from Termini you will use the metro and the buses a lot. But between the two at least Trastevere is much quainter.

The Termini area is convenient but blah. You can do convenient and blah by just staying home, no? As long as you're going all the way to Rome, why not choose to stay in Trastavere or the Centro Storico?

Which is more of a priority for you - getting to sights or having a bustling nightlife? Trastevere has a great atmosphere and lots of bars and restaurants, but it isn't well-connected to other parts of the city by public transportation. There are the trams, but they don't go much farther than just getting out of Trastevere, there aren't a lot of bus lines that connect either, and the metro isn't even close.

I may be wrong on that, it's just my own experience. Are you going to be in Rome on Sunday? Very few buses in Rome on Sundays - wish someone had told me.

Monti is a large area that includes the area around the Colosseo. If you stay there, you will be in the thick of sights and nightlife. I have been staying at a family-run hotel on a backstreet between the Colosseo and via Cavour the last couple of years, very happy with it.

Thanks a ton for the responses....I think we're homing on to Monti....a balance between relative proximity to sites and stations and a relatively decent evening and night time.
I hope its relatively safe to travel back to this area relatively late at night from other locales e.g. Trastavere, Campo de Fiori ...in the late hours...around 9 to 10 in the evenings?

I hope its relatively safe to travel back to this area relatively late
at night from other locales e.g. Trastavere, Campo de Fiori ...in the
late hours...around 9 to 10 in the evenings?

LOL. 9 or 10 PM is not late in Rome! Lots of people will be just finishing or still at dinner, or otherwise out and about for the evening. :O)

We've walked central Rome much later than that with no issue.

Kathy's quite right - LOTS of people, Romans as well as visitors, are walking around central Rome until about midnight. Remember, Romans sit down to dinner at 8 or 8:30 PM, and dinner takes several hours. Everyone then strolls around after dinner, and only then heads home.

Can anyone shed light on the Aventino neighborhood ...decent place to stay ? Or is it too distant ?

I stayed in Monti last October, near the Cavour metro station. It was a great balance between nice atmosphere and convenience. The hotel was 95 Rooms in Rome if you want to get an idea of location. Besides the metro nearby, Via Nazionale in that area has good bus connections. At right angles to Cavour metro station, two streets meet that feel like a real neighborhood, hardly a tourist in sight. (Edit) actually the two streets I had in mind are at an obtuse angle, but they do meet at Cavour metro station. This is on the north side of the metro station, next streets over from Via Cavour.

The Aventino neighborhood ...decent place to stay ? Or is it too
distant ?

It's a great part of Rome to visit but doesn't really have much of anything for restaurants that I recall, and wouldn't guess it has much for nightlife either. Personally, I don't think it's an especially convenient location for the first-time visitor.

The Aventino area has many churches and guest houses for pilgrims, not many restaurants except for a string of cheap eateries on Viale Aventino, near the Cirvo Massimo.

Aventino is boring and too far away from the main sights, imho.