Recommendations for neighborhood and hotel in Rome - Page 2

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post #16 of 19

4/19/12 at 12:50pm

Thomas

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A few years back we rented an 3-bedroom apartment on Via Merulana through an outfit called Roman Reference. I forget what we paid, but it was a modest city apartment that had few amenities but made a good crash pad. FWIW, we had between 4 and 6 people (us, in-laws, friends) sleeping there at a given time, fairly comfortably. We were a couple of kilometers from Termini, another metro station wasn't but a kilometer away, we still walked most places. Food was not included in the deal, we cooked a fair amount from the market just off the corner from us and ate mostly street food (pizza, gelato, panini) while we were out. I ended up picking up a decent knife from a tiny knife shop across the street from us.

I know, it doesn't sound like a baller vacay, and it wasn't meant to be. We did it on a budget because we were bringing the in-laws with us. They're thrifty (to put it mildly), but also wanted to see the Vatican among other sites while they were still capable of travel.

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post #17 of 19

4/26/12 at 1:13pm

Britalian

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You can go between Termini and Trastevere stations on regular rail line for 90 cents one way. Obviously, be careful if taking taxis.

post #18 of 19

4/27/12 at 1:23pm

romafan

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Quote:

Originally Posted by dopey

Don't sweat it too much. Rome is a fantastic city and made for walking. There is food everywhere and even the crappy gelato is good. Most of the public fountains are drinkable, which is a nice convenience for walkers (the Trevi fountain is not drinkable, though it has a section with potable water off on the side).
Personally, I stop in the Pantheon whenever I am near it because I think it is jaw-droppingly cool, but that is just me. On the other hand of the 50 other sights in Rome (or whatever), you should not feel bad if you only see a randomly selected five. They are all worthwhile.
Trastevere is a great neighborhood and you should not be put off by its hipness, but you are then mildly out of the center of town and on the other side of the Tiber (which is what it means), though nearer the Vatican.
I stayed a few times in the Via Veneto area, which is very toursity/diplomatic but has the advantage of being near the Villa Borghese park, which is fantastic. Our hotel was pricy, but you may find others in the area less so. I did not find many other parks in Rome, so if that is important, you might want to consider being near the Borghese (also has one of the best collections of Bernini sculptures in the Borghese museum inside the park and a great children's playground and activity center). You also have good access to the park from The Piazza Popolo area (which is also touristy).

We stayed near the V. Borghese park for the express purpose of having an outlet for the kids - bought a soccer ball and ended every day w/ an hour or so of running around - after spending all day walking around the city it was a little tough on the old man (

, but the boyz (8 yrs) had a blast and looked forward to it.

post #19 of 19

4/27/12 at 3:41pm

dopey

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Quote:

Originally Posted by romafan

, but the boyz (8 yrs) had a blast and looked forward to it.

Since I have been to Rome only during tourist season (summer), I have never really heard Italian spoken in public - except at the Borghese. That's the one public space where I saw mostly Italians.
Edited by dopey - 4/27/12 at 3:55pm