where to stay in rome for 2 days to see the most?

Ann, I thought we had answered this question before. There is no perfect or best place to stay in Rome. Each has certain advantages/disadvantages and we all have our own personal preferences. Ancient Rome is a fairly tight area -- maybe a three mile circle -- and very walkable. Remember, two thousand years ago that is all that the Romans did -- walked. The average person can walk from Termini to the Vatican around an hour to hour fifteen - about four miles total. The closer you stay to the center of everything the higher the price of the hotels and in some way more touristy --- cause that is where a lot of tourists stay. The converse is true. I think the Steves's Rome book covers is very well.

In an earlier posting you indicated a problem with limited walking ability. That is going to be a problem where ever you stay. Remember Rome was built on seven hills so there is some up and down walking.

The on/off buses would be a good choice for you to get around to all of the tourist sites with a min of walking within your time frame. Again, I recommend the Termini area (south side) for convenience to public transit. The on/off buses start in the plaza in front of Termini as do most of the other important bus routes. We will be in Rome in October for the fifth time and yesterday reserved the Hotel Sonya for 135 E. I have no problem of recommending that hotel for you provided a three block walk is not too much.

We stayed way outside of the old city, and still were able to see everything. It's so easy to get around by walking in Rome, it's amazing how close everything really is (except the Vatican)

Took the Metro in every day to the Coloseum stop and walked from there, headed back to our hotel around 5PM each night.

We bought a package deal from an airline, hotel/air for one price. didn't know where the hotel was until we got in, but it worked out great. The hotel was really nice, fairly quiet (for Rome)

So, IMO, it really shouldn't matter too much where you stay with in Rome. Find a hotel that looks good, is in your price range.

As an option, search on www.Venere.com It will show you the areas, the price, the stars. You can make a reservation, hold onto the hotel, if you find something better, just cancel.

I like the campo dei fiori area. Very walkable to all the major sites, and very atmospheric. It looked the way I imagined Rome would look before I went. We stayed at the Smeraldo, which is a Rick Steves recommended hotel; you'll see lots of reviews for it on this message board. I would encourage you to stay somewhere near the old city center. Even though hotels are pricier, I think it's worth it to be so close to everything and to soak in the atmosphere.

I like to put the address of a particular hotel into the google maps search bar and then walk around at street view to see the area.

Anne, I agree with Frank, I would stay in the Termini area. All your transportation needs are in that area plus an abundance of hotels to choose from. If you feel like walking you can do so from that area also.

I just returned from the Hotel Artemide which is near Termini, and I would highly recommend it...at least for a short stay. Given more days I would choose an apartment in the Campo dei Fiori area.

The major sights in Rome are fairly close together, so that gives you lots of options for where to stay. There is no right answer. We've stayed near the Termini, near the Pantheon and in Trastevere and enjoyed all three. For a first timer I would recommend either near the Pantheon or near the Termini.

Thank you all! Must of all Frank it did help!

I would never stay in the Termini area again--it just does not have the charm of areas such as Pantheon, Campo Fiori, etc. The best and most interesting restaurants are also in those areas. We got the Hotel Parlamento which is in a perfect location for 105 euros per night in October. We booked five nights so maybe the low rate was offered because of a longer stay. Our room was clean and very quiet. Would definitely stay there again. Hotel Parlamento also has a roof terrace--nice for enjoying a glass of wine in the evening. Our experience at the Aberdeen(RS Guide) was not good and not worth the rate that we paid--but I know the place has some fans.

Susan is correct. I didn't say that Termini had charm but it does have convenience and some very good local trattorias where you will be the only tourist present. But if you were staying long the Hotel Parlamento would be decent option. And Aberdeen does have it fans. I just tried to book it for early October and it was already full.

I just booked a hotel one Metro station east of the Termini (called Castro Pretorio)... I know it's far from the main tourist sites, but it was economical for our group of 4... 130 euros per night).

How long would the subway take from there to Old Rome?

Is that a safe place to walk around at night if we sightsee until 9pm before heading back to the hotel?

Is there much around the hotel to see or is it a pretty run down area?

I just returned from Rome and stayed at the Daphne Inn near the Trevi Fountain.
I highly recommend it although can't speak to whether it will be optimal geographically to where you want to sightsee.
However I was only there for three days and got in most of what I wanted to see

The great thing about the hotel is that the staff is extremely helpful with any questions or planning needs that you have