Where to stay in Rome – 5 Great locations for first time visitors

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From ancient history to freshly made pasta, Rome has everything you need for the perfect city break.

We have visited a couple of times in recent years and have found that choosing where to stay in Rome has a big impact on the overall style of trip you end up having.

For first time visitors to Rome you will naturally want to be as close to the action as possible, with the Centro Storico area being home to the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and so much more.

Nearby you could also stay in Spagna, where many of Rome’s luxury hotels are located or Monti, which is known for being one of Rome’s trendiest areas to stay.

This guide will cover all of those areas, as well as two areas a little bit further out from the centre but are still great areas to stay in Rome – Trastevere and the Vatican.

In each area, we will cover suitable hotels in Rome for every budget to ensure you have a range of options depending on your needs. There are over 1000 hotels in Rome so you will have a wide range of options from boutique hotels to 5* luxury hotels in the city.

How to get around Rome

For a major city, we found Rome to be slightly more difficult to get around than others but still very manageable overall, with buses providing the main form of public transport for navigating the city.

While there are metro stations and trains, they do not serve all areas around the city and in our experience, we spend most of our trips on buses or walking. The city is quite walkable and many of the famous landmarks are within a 15-20 minute walk of one another.

Public Transport:

We found buses to be the post pragmatic approach to getting around the city while we were there. The buses run frequently and service all of the surrounding neighbourhoods. If you are in the city centre and are not sure where to catch the bus, head to Vittoriano, which is one of the main stops in the city.

You can also get a 24 hour pass for the buses here for €7 per 24 hours. You can also do this at any station or by downloading the TicketAppy App on your phone.  Alternatively, you can purchase a 48hr/72 hr Rome Tourist Card that gives you access to the public transport network, as well as discounted tickets for numerous attractions around the city.

Best things to do in Rome for first time visitors

There are a number of things we would recommend doing on your first trip to Rome but let’s start with something you shouldn’t do. The biggest mistake we see people make when they visit a city like Rome is to try to do too much at once.

If you want to make the most of your stay, divide the city into key areas and spend a full day in each area and do an activity in each.

For example, if we only had 3 days in Rome we would focus one day on The Trevi Fountain & Pantheon, another on The Colosseum and Roman Forum and the final day in the Vatican area.

Best Areas to stay in Rome

Generally speaking, if you are a first time visitor to Rome you will want to stay as close to the city centre as possible, to allow easy access to the main tourist attractions.

This is particularly true if you have your heart set on getting time at places like the Trevi Fountain with smaller crowds as it tends to get busy from the second the sun rises until late at night.

In the city centre, there are 3 main areas to consider: Centro Storico which is the heart of the city and is walking distance to many sites. Alternatively, for luxury hotels in Rome, the area around the Spanish Steps is the most popular and for a trendy area, you could choose Monti.

Away from the city centre, there are two additional areas we would recommend. Firstly, for anyone looking for a more local feel to their trip, we would suggest Trastevere, which is where we often choose to stay.

For a quieter stay, you could choose the area around the Vatican, which will also be of interest if you are keen to focus your stay in Rome on visiting St.Peter’s Basilica etc. These two areas are also less expensive as they are less central

Centro Storico (Central)

This is the area we typically recommend staying in for anyone planning a trip to Rome for the first time to ensure you are at the heart of the action in Rome.

In this area you will be within walking distance of most of the cities major tourist attractions including the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona as well as the cities major museums and churches.

Depending on your budget there are 3 hotels in Centro Storico that we would recommend booking. For a luxury 5* stay, we would suggest Umiltà 36, which is an extremely luxurious hotel with a stunning interior and is just minutes away from the centre of Rome.

For a stylish hotel we would recommend the JE Hotel Rome, which has a sauna, fitness centre, bar & restaurant. This hotel is only a 2 minute walk from the Trevi Fountain.

The main disadvantage to staying around the Centro Storico area is that it naturally tends to be the most crowded. With that in mind if you are the type that prefers a more relaxed feel to your stay we would suggest one of the areas like Monti or Spagna, where you will still be close to the action with slightly less crowding.

Spagna (Best for luxury stays in Rome)

Next up is Spagna, home to the Spanish steps and the majority of the luxury hotels in Rome. Spagna is effectively still part of Centro Storico with easy access to the main sites but tends to be more of a focus for luxury stays.

Naturally, the Spanish steps is the big selling point here as far as tourist attractions go but it is also filled with boutique shops so this is perfect for anyone looking for a luxury stay in Rome combined with some shopping.

Our top luxury hotel pick in Spagna is Palazzo Dama, a 5* hotel with an onsite swimming pool just a short walk from the Spanish Steps.

We also love the V Collection, which is perfect for a stylish boutique hotel stay just metres away from the Spanish steps as well.

If you are visiting Rome on a budget then Spagna will not be the best area for you to stay in but it is still worth visiting as part of your trip to Rome. That being said, if you are visiting Rome on a budget and would like to get a hotel in Spagna, we would recommend trying Palazzo Tridente.

Monti (For trendy stays)

Next up we have Monti, home to the Colosseum and the place to go for a laidback feel while still being at the heart of the action.

In Monti, you will be able to take tours of the Colosseum and Roman Forum during the day, before visiting some of the family run restaurants in the evening.

One of our favourite restaurants in Rome was a very unassuming place called Ai Tre Scalini, just a few minutes from the Colosseum. The meatballs at this restaurant unbelievable and it is very reasonably priced as well.

One thing we would highlight about a stay in Monti is that the area does extend reas far as Rome Termini train station. The area around the train station has been known to suffer from some petty crime etc. so we would recommend avoiding hotels near Rome Termini where possible.

For a special occasion we would highly recommend booking a table at The Court for a cocktail at sunset. This bar is expensive but it has views of the Colosseum that will take your breath away.

In Monti we would recommend staying at Hotel Viminale, which provides easy access to the train station, without being too close and is just a short walk to the Colosseum. It also has a beautiful rooftop terrace with panoramic views of the city.

For a more budget friendly option we would recommend Roma Suite Monti, where you can get rooms for as little as €100 per night in off peak months and they are less than 1km from the Colosseum.

Trastevere (Live like a local)

Our favourite area to stay in Rome is Trastevere. This area is perfect for anyone wanting easy access to the city centre but the authentic feel of every day life in Rome. Trastevere accommodation is mainly guest house style rather than grand hotels so this should also be factored in if you are considering a stay here.

Trastevere has a relaxed feel with a laidback pace but there is plenty to do here. Crucially, if you are visiting Rome for great food, most of our favourite restaurants can be found in Trastevere. Two of the most popular restaurants you will find in Rome are Nanarella and Tonarello – we would recommend casting one of those regardless of whether you choose to stay in Trastevere.

Some of our favourite places to visit in Rome are in and around Trastevere. For a beautiful view of Rome at sunset, we would highly recommend visiting Giardino Degli Aranci, a public park lined with orange trees. This is a popular place to visit in the evening and provides panoramic views of the city extending to St Peter’s Basilica on one side and Vittoriano on the other.

This is a popular place to visit in the evening and provides panoramic views of the city extending to St Peter’s Basilica on one side and Vittoriano on the other.

If you are visiting Rome on a budget the you are more likely to find a hotel in Trastevere but the compromise is that it will take longer to get to the main tourist attractions. With that in mind, it is not necessarily the best option for first time visitors to Rome.

In Trastevere, we would recommend staying at Paper Suites Trastevere, which is where stayed the last time we were in Rome. These self contained rooms are clean and spacious, as well as being close to the train station. There is a bus stop just outside the door that will take you to the city centre in 20-25 minutes.

Vatican (Perfect for quieter stays)

Last but not least we have the Vatican area, this area is great for quieter stays and for families while still offering easy access to the city centre. The Vatican tends to offer hotels at a lowe price than other areas, so it is also great for anyone visiting Rome on a budget.

This area will also obviously appeal to anyone wanting to take a tour of the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica but there are lots of other great things to do there as well. The first thing we would definitely suggest doing is to get tickets to the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, where you will find an incredible view of the city.

Tickets for the Vatican tend to sell out well in advance and you will be allowed entry if you have a time entry slot. You also will not be allowed to enter without your passport so make sure to bring it with you.

Just a short walk from this area we would also recommend taking a walk along the river to Castelo Sant Agnelo, a unique red brick castle not far from the Basilica.

Finally, if you would like to have sunset drinks at a rooftop terrace we would highly recommend booking a table at Terrazza Les Etoiles, which again has beautiful views along the terrace.

In this area we would highly recommend staying at NH Collection, which is just 10 minutes from both the Vatican and Castel Sant Agnelo and offers a fitness centre, bar & restaurant on site.

For anyone visiting Rome on a budget, we would recommend The Vatican Rooms, which is less than 1km from St. Peter’s Basiica and offers rooms from as little as €79 per night during off peak months.