Where to Stay in Rome?

The best neighborhoods and hotels

Latest update: March 31, 2023

The best areas to stay in Rome on a map

Rome is simply huge with almost 3 million inhabitants. So it is not that easy to find the perfect part of town for an accommodation.

To make it easier for you, you will find all the districts in the center of Rome that we recommend for your stay on the following map.

For your orientation, we also marked the most famous sights of Rome on the map.

The following 5 neighborhoods in Rome are good places to stay during a city trip:

Historical city center: For first-timers to Rome
Trastevere: Ideal for night owls
Vatican and Prati: For the quieter culture lovers
Monti: For those who seek the hip alternative
Testaccio: Perfect for foodies and budget accommodation

You will learn in the next sections what each particular part of the city has to offer. We will also give you our personal hotel tips for Rome in every price range.

Staying in the historic city center: for first-timers

You are in Rome for the first time and want to see as much as possible in a short time? Make sure to book your accommodation in the historic city center.

In Rome’s historic center life and tourism are bustling. Here you will also find the most famous shopping streets of Rome: Via Condotti and Via del Corso.

Many of Rome’s most famous sights such as the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps and Piazza Navona are located there.

Pros of staying in the historic city center:

• Many of Rome’s museums and sights are within walking distance
• You live very centrally and are well connected by public transport
• There are numerous restaurants, fashion boutiques and souvenir shops

Cons of staying in the historic city center:

• Accommodations are usually fully booked far in advance
• Accommodation and restaurant prices are relatively high
• The streets are always crowded with tourists

The best places to stay in the historic city center

Most accommodations in the historic city center are guesthouses, boutique hotels and aparthotels. There are hardly any large hotel chains or hostels.

If you want to treat yourself to a real luxury hotel in Rome, we recommend The First Roma Dolce. They also have spacious family rooms – perfect if you’re looking for accommodation with kids in Rome.

Staying in Trastevere: for night owls

If nightlife is an important part of your trip, Trastevere is the right place to stay. However, you will have to travel a bit longer to get to the city’s top attractions.

Trastevere is the most beautiful neighborhood of Rome and is located opposite the historic center. When the stores in the city center close, this is where the Romans go after hours.

Besides countless bars, clubs and restaurants, the streets are always full of street musicians and university students.

In the summer months there is a large night market along the riverbank where you can eat, drink and shop until long after midnight.

Our tip: You can find the best grattachecca (scraped ice with syrup) in Rome at La Fonte d’Oro in Trastevere. Be sure to try it! Want more real insider tips? Then check out our other hidden gems of Rome.  

Pros of staying in Trastevere:

• There is always something going on, no matter what time of day or night it is
• There are a lot of great restaurants at decent prices
• Overnight rates are slightly lower than in the rest of the city

Cons of staying in Trastevere:

• There is no subway station, so you can only get around by bus
• Due to the buzzing nightlife, it can be quite noisy at night
• There are only a few good hotels. You will mostly find guesthouses and B&Bs

The best places to stay in Trastevere

For your stay in Trastevere we recommend the In Travestere House. The small bed & breakfast offers a top location for going out and is very authentic.

Staying in Prati – Vatican City: for quiet culture lovers

Staying in Prati is a perfect choice if you plan to visit Vatican City or if you want to stay in a quiet neighborhood.

The Prati neighborhood is north of Vatican City and you’re super close to sights like the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, and Castel Sant’Angelo.

Prati is connected to the historic center by subway. It’s just two stops to the Spanish Steps on the A line, and four stops to the central train station.

It is one of the more elegant and neat parts of Rome, where the well-heeled Romans live: chic cafes, spacious streets and luxury designer boutiques.

Pros of staying in Prati:

• You have a very wide choice of good accommodation
• The area is very well managed and quieter than other parts of Rome
• Vatican, Vatican Museums and Castel Sant’Angelo are within walking distance
• Connection to the city center by subway line A

Cons of staying in in Prati:

• The accommodation prices are a bit higher
• As Prati is more of a residential area, there is hardly anything going on in the evenings

The best places to stay in Prati:

You have a better selection of larger hotels in Prati than in the city center, as there is simply more space. Among them are also some of the most beautiful boutique hotels in Rome.

Our top recommendation for Prati is the Hotel Isa. Enjoy your breakfast on the roof terrace with a view over the rooftops of Rome.

Staying in Monti: for those who seek the hip alternative

You like shopping in hip thrift stores and love the suburban flair, but you still want to be close to Rome’s main attractions? Then Monti is the perfect choice for you.

Monti is Rome’s oldest district and was the red light district in ancient times. Today, you will find hip wine bars, independent fashion labels, Asian mini-markets and alternative art galleries – a true hipster neighborhood.

Pros of staying in Monti:

• You are strategically located between the central train station and the historic city center
• There are stops of the subway lines A and B
• You can walk to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum
• There is a wide range of accommodation

Cons of staying in Monti:

• In parts the roads are very busy
• Prices in bars and restaurants are quite high

The best Places to stay in Monti

Our personal recommendation is the Boutique Hotel Galatea. The continental breakfast is delicious and the entire staff is super friendly – making your stay very special.

Staying in Testaccio: for foodies and budget accommodation

Testaccio is the best place for you to stay if you already know Rome’s main sights, don’t want to spend a lot of money, and really want to experience the typical Roman way of life.

Testaccio is a small neighborhood on the Tiber River, south of the historic city center. It’s the perfekt location for visiting the Colosseum. You’re only two subway stops away from the Colosseum and three from the central station Termini. The nightlife district of Trastevere is within walking distance as well.

The district is quite modern and not at all touristy. Mostly students and people with average income live here. This part of Rome is known for its vibrant nightlife and very tasty traditional taverns.

Pros of staying in Testaccio:

• Room rates are relatively low
• You get to know the authentic Roman life
• Testaccio is home to some of Rome’s best restaurants

Cons of staying in Testaccio:

• You have to take public transportation to get to the main points of interest
• The range of accommodation is quite small

The best places to stay in Testaccio

Unfortunately, there are not as many accommodations in Testaccio as in other parts of Rome, but the rates are a bit cheaper than in the historic center or in Monti.

We especially recommend the guesthouse Seven Suites: super cute, cozy and a savory Italian breakfast.

Tips for finding cheap hotels in Rome

Rome is the most visited city in Italy. That means it is actually always full of tourists.

So accommodations certainly are expensive. On average, you have to expect at least 90 euros for a standard double room in the old town.

However, there are also more affordable neighborhoods that are still part of Rome’s center, but are located significantly further out. To get to the main sights in Rome, you will have to go by bus or subway.

Here are our most helpful tips on how to save a little money and still book accommodation in Rome that is close to the sights.

Staying in Rome Termini

The area around the central station of Rome is called the same as the station: Termini. The area is not that nice and some of the buildings are a bit run down.

The streets are also not particularly welcoming, especially at night. Nevertheless, it’s not dangerous – just a typical train station district.

The hotels in Termini are not bad though and mostly cheap. In a good hotel with 2 to 3 stars you can get a double room for about 70 euros.

A hotel in Termini also makes getting around easier: From the central station, you can hop on the subway lines A and B and have direct connections to Rome’s airports. This is especially convenient if your return flight is early in the morning.

You can find all hotels in Rome Termini here.

Insider tip: Spend the night in Rome in a monastery

Rome is home to the Vatican, so naturally there are many monasteries – most of them near Vatican City. And these monasteries often offer rooms for tourists.

Don’t think of it as the classic, strict monastery, though. Rome’s clerics nowadays provide various types of accommodation.

And at much lower rates than the usual rooms in the city: you can get a double room for as little as 40 to 60 euros per night.

The rooms are simple, but always very clean and with everything you need: a private bathroom, TV, Wi-Fi and breakfast.

Of course, there are some rules in such accommodations: Party tourism is taboo and there is a curfew in the evening at which you have to be back in your accommodation. That is usually at 11 pm or midnight.

Staying in guesthouses in Rome

Compared to hotels, you can find good guesthouses almost everywhere in Rome, and usually at a good price.

Booking a guesthouse in the center or in Trastevere is particularly easy, as you have a large choice of guesthouses and bed & breakfasts there.

Even if you want to spend most of the day sightseeing in Rome, guesthouses are great: a tasty breakfast in the morning to get you through a long day of sightseeing and a comfortable bed in the evening to recharge your batteries – you usually don’t need a lot of frills during a sightseeing vacation anyway.

General tips for staying in Rome

Book early

There are very many accommodations in Rome. In the city center alone there are over 6,000 listed on Booking.com.

But there are also a lot of tourists coming to Rome – about 40 million every year.

This means that even though there are a lot of hotels, they are pretty much always fully booked. And this is true for every month of the year.

So if you are looking for a suitable room in Rome in a good and centrally located hotel, you need to book early. As early as possible!

Above all, you should avoid peak tourist seasons. This is for example the time around Easter, New Year’s Eve or Christmas. It doesn’t matter how early you book – on these days accommodation in Rome is never cheap.

Important: tourist tax

In Rome, there is an additional tourist tax that you must add to your overnight rate.

The amount is per person and per night. How much the tax is depends on the category of your accommodation:

1 to 2 star hotels: 3 euros.
3 stars hotels: 4 euros.
4 stars hotels: 6 euros.
5 stars hotels: 7 euros.
Hostels, apartments, cottages, bed & breakfast and guesthouses: 3,50 Euro.

The tourist tax applies only for the first 10 nights of your stay. From the 11th night on you don’t have to pay the tourism tax anymore.

When you check the room rates on booking.com, the tourist tax is not yet included.

However, there is a note below the price that a certain amount of taxes and fees will be added.

You don’t pay the tourism tax when you book your hotel – you will pay at your accommodation. You can do this in cash or with a credit card.

Usually you have to pay it at check out, but sometimes it is required at check in. This is especially the case with vacation apartments.

Where in Rome did you stay?

You have already been to Rome and have hotel recommendations? In which part of the city did you stay? We are looking forward to your comment!