Where to Stay in Rome? The Best Neighborhoods & Our Honest Recommendations

The Best Neighborhoods to Stay in Rome

Where should you stay in Rome? With nearly 3 million residents, the capital of Italy is no small city.

Most of the major sights, however, are located in the center. So you’ll definitely want to stay as centrally as possible to avoid long commutes.

These four central neighborhoods are all great options for where to stay in Rome:

• Historic City Center: Ideal if you need to see everything in a short amount of time
• Monti: Ideal if you love secondhand shops and art studios
• Prati: Ideal if you prefer an elegant, well-kept neighborhood
• Trastevere: Ideal if you want to go out at night

What makes each neighborhood special is covered in the sections below. We’ll also share our Rome hotel recommendations for every budget.

The Best Neighborhoods to Stay in Rome on a Map

The map below shows all the neighborhoods in central Rome that we recommend for your stay.

To help you get your bearings, the map also includes Rome’s most famous sights.

Staying in the Historic City Center

A hotel in the historic city center is the best choice if it’s your first time in Rome and you want to see as much as possible in a short amount of time.

The historic city center is a mix of charming alleyways, sprawling piazzas, restaurants, and of course many of Rome’s most significant landmarks.

Think the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, and the Colosseum — just to name a few.

One thing is always true about the center: it’s crowded and relatively expensive.

But if you only have a weekend in Rome and want to pack in as much as possible, staying here is absolutely worth it.

Advantages of staying in the historic city center:

• Many of Rome’s sights and museums are within walking distance
• You’re right in the heart of the city with solid public transit connections
• Countless restaurants, fashion boutiques, and souvenir shops on your doorstep

Disadvantages of staying in the historic city center:

• Accommodations here get booked up far in advance
• Nightly rates and restaurant prices are on the higher end
• The streets are always packed with tourists

Our Hotel Recommendations for the Historic City Center

Most places to stay in the old quarter are guesthouses and boutique hotels — large hotel chains and hostels are virtually nonexistent here.

Our top pick is the Palazzo Lupardi. It has just six rooms with wooden beam ceilings and terracotta floors — very Italian. Most importantly, it’s perfectly central and you can explore the entire historic district on foot.

Staying in Monti

A hotel in Monti is the best choice if you love browsing secondhand shops and want to be close to the major sights.

In ancient times, Monti was Rome’s red-light district. Today you’ll find hip wine bars, independent fashion boutiques, Asian mini-markets, and alternative art galleries.

Best of all, Monti is strategically well-located. It sits right between the historic center and Termini main train station — which is likely where you’ll arrive first when coming from Rome’s airport.

Advantages of staying in Monti:

• You’re in a strategic spot between the main train station and the old town
• Monti has stops on both metro lines A and B
• The Colosseum and the Roman Forum are walkable
• There’s a wide selection of Rome hotels to choose from

Disadvantages of staying in Monti:

• Some streets can be seriously busy with traffic
• Prices at bars and restaurants are pretty high

Our Hotel Recommendations in Monti

Our top recommendation in Monti is the Doria Palace Boutique Hotel. The location is perfect: the Colosseum is about a 15-minute walk away, and the main train station is just five minutes. Oh, and breakfast is served on the rooftop terrace. A total dream!

Staying in Prati

A hotel in Prati is the best choice if your trip is focused on the Vatican, or if a quiet, peaceful neighborhood is a top priority.

Prati borders Vatican City directly — which puts you within easy walking distance of the Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Basilica, and Castel Sant’Angelo.

From Prati, you can reach the historic center by metro or even on foot. On Line A, it’s two stops to the Spanish Steps and four stops to the main train station.

If your hotel sits between the Vatican and the Tiber River, you’re just one bridge crossing away from the old town.

It’s one of Rome’s more elegant and well-maintained neighborhoods: stylish cafés, wide tree-lined boulevards, and designer shops around every corner.

Advantages of staying in Prati:

• You have a wide selection of quality accommodation to choose from
• The area is very well-maintained and quieter than other parts of Rome
• The Vatican and Castel Sant’Angelo are within walking distance
• There are two metro Line A stops right in the neighborhood

Disadvantages of staying in Prati:

• Nightly rates are somewhat higher than in other areas
• Since Prati is more of a residential area, evenings are pretty quiet

Our Hotel Recommendations for Prati

Prati has larger hotels than the center, simply because there’s more space here. Among them are some of the most beautiful boutique hotels in Rome.

Our top recommendation is the Eccelso Hotel. The rooms are spacious, cozy, and the beds are incredibly comfortable. Plus, you’re just a 10-minute walk from St. Peter’s Square.

Staying in Trastevere

Trastevere is the right area to stay in if you want to go out at night and don’t mind a slightly longer trip to the major highlights.

Trastevere is Rome’s nightlife neighborhood — and it’s genuinely beautiful. Ivy-draped alleyways, cobblestone streets, countless trattorias, and a whole lot of life. Especially in the evenings!

In Trastevere, Romans enjoy their nights with music, wine, and great food.

Trastevere borders directly on the Vatican and the historic center of Rome. The closer you stay to the Tiber River, the easier it is to walk into the center as well. Note that there are no metro stations in Trastevere.

During the summer months, a large night market runs along the riverbank, where you can eat, drink, and stroll until late at night.

Our tip: the best grattachecca (shaved ice) in Rome can be found at La Fonte d´Oro in Trastevere. Definitely give it a try! Want more genuine insider tips? Check out our other lesser-known spots in Rome as well.
Advantages of staying in Trastevere:

• There’s always something going on, no matter the time of day or night
• Lots of great restaurants at reasonable prices
• Nightly rates are somewhat lower than in the rest of the city

Disadvantages of staying in Trastevere:

• No metro stations — you can only get around by bus
• With so many nightlife venues nearby, it can get really noisy late at night
• There are only a few proper hotels — you’ll mostly find guesthouses and B&Bs here
• The classic Rome highlights are farther away on foot

Our Hotel Tips for Trastevere

For a place to stay, we especially recommend the Xenia Guest House. Great location in the center, close to the river. Super warm and welcoming hosts who are full of great tips for Rome.

Hidden Gem: Staying in a Monastery in Rome

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

Don’t picture the classic, strict monastery setting, though. The rooms are simple, but always very clean and come with everything a typical hotel room has: a private bathroom, TV, Wi-Fi, and breakfast.

And all of this at much lower prices than regular rooms in the city — you can get a double room for around 60 euros per night.

There are some house rules, of course: parties are off-limits and there are set curfew times — usually 11 PM or midnight — by which you need to be back in the evening.

Tips for Finding Affordable Hotels in Rome

Rome is Italy’s most visited city. That means it’s pretty much always packed with tourists.

And lodging comes at a price. In the historic center, even in the off-season you should expect to pay at least 130 euros for a double room.

Here are our most helpful pointers for saving a bit of money while still booking Rome accommodation that’s close to the major sights.

For even more recommendations, check out our tips for budget accommodation in Rome.

Staying near the Main Train Station

The neighborhood around Rome’s main train station shares its name with the station itself: Termini. The area is safe, but not particularly pretty — it’s a typical train station neighborhood.

That said, the hotels in Termini are decent and usually affordable. At a good hotel, you can find a double room starting from around 150 euros.

Staying near Termini is also a real plus for getting around: from the main station, you can hop on metro lines A and B and also reach the airport quickly.

Here are three affordable, highly rated hotels near Rome’s train station:

Hotel Domus Praetoria: simple rooms, but super affordable. Be sure to book well in advance!

La Casa di Amy: features a lovely green courtyard. No breakfast included, which keeps the price down.

Bespoke Roma Suites: stylish design rooms with seriously good value for the price.

Staying in Guesthouses in Rome

Unlike hotels, good guesthouses in Rome can be found almost everywhere — and usually at a great price.

Booking a guesthouse is especially worthwhile in the historic center or in Trastevere. That’s where you’ll find the widest selection of guesthouses and bed & breakfasts.

Even if you plan to spend most of the day out sightseeing, guesthouses are a great fit: a breakfast in the morning to fuel up and a comfortable bed in the evening to recover — when you’re on a sightseeing trip, you usually don’t need much more than that.

General Tips for Staying in Rome

Book Early

There really are a lot of places to stay in Rome — in the center alone, there are over 6,000 listed on Booking.com.

But Rome also attracts a huge number of tourists — around 40 million per year.

That means even though there are plenty of hotels, they’re almost always fully booked. And that goes for every month of the year.

So if you want a good room at a well-located hotel in Rome, book early. As early as possible!

You should especially try to avoid peak travel times — Easter, New Year’s Eve, and the Christmas season. No matter how far ahead you book, Rome accommodation is never cheap during those periods.

Heads Up: Tourism Tax

Rome charges an additional tourist tax on top of your room rate.

The amount applies per person, per night. How much you pay depends on the category of your accommodation:

1 to 2-star hotels: 5 euros
3-star hotels: 6 euros
4-star hotels: 7.50 euros
5-star hotels: 10 euros

The tourism tax only applies to the first 10 nights of your stay. From the 11th night onward, you’re off the hook.

When you see the room price on Booking.com, the tourism tax is not included.

There will always be a note below the price indicating that a certain amount in taxes and fees will be added.

The tourism tax is not paid when you book — it’s settled directly at your accommodation. You can pay it in cash or by credit card.

As a rule, you pay it at check-out, but sometimes it’s collected at check-in. This is especially common with vacation rentals.