Where to stay in Rome?

It depends on what you want&what your budget is. The spanish steps area &trevi fountain area are beautiful but pricey. Termini is not a pretty area but some budget hotels+keep in mind that the city train services are their subways(not termini&truthfully not that great)-walking,Buses,taxi best in Rome (Terimini does have great train service to the airport-Leonardo express & to other cities.) The coloseum&forum area are a bit cheapertostay and scenic walks to the sights. Don't rent car in Rome-they drive CRAZY. Take a train outside to a small city and rent or a train right to Florence &rent outside the train station to drive to Tuscany hilltowns within an hour - 1 1/2 hours - Sienna,San Gignamano,Volterra etc
We stayed in budget friendly B&B in Rome&they could not have been nicer. It is located right down the street from Coloseum. We like walking&enjoying the streets etcso we didn't mind that itwas not right near trevi,etc tosave$
B&B I recommend Rome- www.anfiteatroflavio.com

Kim

Thanks, Kim. We were thinking we would get our rental car at the Termini station before driving our way north. After leaving Rome, our next night is in Orvieto, then Assisi, Sienna, etc.. We eventually fly home from Florence.

Our primary criteria in our Rome hotel choice is convenience (we will be taking the train from the airport to the hotel and don't want to have to drag our bags too far) and then safety. Price is flexible (although we'd like to keep it under 200 dollars if we can). Do those details help narrow recommedations? Thanks.

Hi Josena,
A hotel by termini might be could due to luggage although taxis are easily caught from there as well if you find a good deal in an area you'd like to stay in. What sites do you want to see most - choose location near these and look for 2 star or B&B choices for your dates. Please reconsider renting a car in termini, I can't tell you how difficult I believe it would be to drive from the center of Rome. It is like a demolition derby. Consider taking a train first to/near Orvieto and you can drive all through the countryside with it and return just outside of Florence before your visit there. There is a oneway dropoff fee on car rental but worth it. The farmhouses are charming and cheap in Tuscany compared to the outrageous prices of Florence and Rome hotels
so this is where you will save.

Hope this helps,
Kim

I didn't realize that the Termini station was still right in the middle of Rome. I was thinking it was on the northern edge. Guess I better quickly get myself a detailed Rome map before I make more wrong assumptions. We definitely do not want to drive through Rome traffic! We did want to see some sights between Rome and Orvieto though (like Civita di Bagnoregio) so would like to get a car just outside of Rome. Any ideas there? Would it be easiest to just go back to the airport to get the car?

Get your rental car in Chiusi.

Hi Josena,
Some of the information you are being given is not exactly correct. I have several times picked up a rental car in Rome and gotten out of the city without a problem. I got very explicit directions,including a highlighted map from the agent. A GPS would be even better. The other considerations are: 1) If you pick up your car at the airport, you will pay a higher daily rate. Depending on how many days you have it, that could add up to a substantial amount. You can compare on-line just by changing the pick-up place and seeing what they show for the different places. 2) I have never had to pay a drop fee when returning a car in the same country, and we've done one way rentals in Italy, France, and Spain. Certainly, AutoEurope doesn't charge drop fees for the same country.

Don't pick up the car at the airport. You will spend too much money traveling there and it's not even in the direction you are headed.

Pick up the car at Termini & make sure it has a GPS system. If you are worried about driving in the center of Rome pick up the car in Orvieto or Chiusi. Be sure to check the times the offices will be open in the small towns. Many close for a couple hours in the afternoon.

Thank you everyone for your recommendations. I think we will "brave it" and get the car at the Ternini station and use the $ we save not going back to the airport (travel & additional fees) and get the GPS system on the car.
So, back to my original question...is it going to be most convenient to stay near the Termini station? We hope to do all 3 of Rick Steve's walks (Forum, Dolce Vita stroll and the night walk). Walking distances is no problem for us. Any more recommendations on specific hotels ?
Thanks!

Hi Josena--When we stayed near Campo dei Fiori we walked everywhere and did the Rick Steves' walks. We stayed at Smeraldo, which is a RS recommended hotel, and were very happy with it--plain but inexpensive and in a colorful and convenient area. When we stayed near Termini we walked to the Colosseum and other sites east of the city center, like St. Peter in Chains and Santa Maria Maggiori, but we took more cabs to get to other sites. The area doesn't really lend itself to romantic evening strolls. If you are looking forward to being able to walk to sites, I would stay closer to the center, near Piazza Navona or the Spanish Steps or Campo dei Fiori and then just take a cab to Termini when you are ready to leave Rome.

I should say, inexpensive for that area. Staying near the city center is more expensive than staying near Termini. But you save on cabs and gain atmosphere.

Josena, if you haven't already, go to the RS's Guidebooks part of this site (see above), click on 'Readers Feedback', pick your city or country and you'll see recommendations (or complaints) about hotels, restaurants, etc., etc. Compare what you see there (and here on traveller's helpline), with the Trip Advisor website, and you should get a good feel for where you want to put your head down at nite. BTW, for me it's the Termini area.

My first time in Rome we stayed at the Embassy Hotel, about a 5 minute walk from the termini but in a nice area. It is a nice hotel and we got an amazing deal (120 Euros per night for four of us!) because we reserved from the termini when we arrived and got a last-minute deal.
Second time in Rome I stayed at the Hostel Alessandro Palace, just north of the termini. It was fabulous, if you love hostels like I do! Great way to meet people.

Josena, I notice you mention you are staying in Orvieto. Can you tell me where? We are spending two weeks in Italy in October--a week in Rome and 4 nights at an agriturismo recommended on the Graffiti wall. But the agriturismo was full the last night, so we've decided to stay in or near Orvieto, where we will drop off our rental car. Thanks!

I recommend the Hotel Due Torre. It's close to most important sights, resonably priced, lovely breakfast,clean, Cinzia is the owner and very helpful. Wander around the hotel for GREAT little restaurants. It used to be a monestery & is one of Rick's recommendations, too. But there really isn't internet connections.