Where to Stay in Rome: Best Areas, Villages and Types of Stays

Rome’s Centro Storico is the historic center, made up of ten rioni (traditional districts) from Ponte to S. Angelo. Roma Termini is the station the Leonardo Express serves from Fiumicino airport. The train is non-stop, leaves every 15 minutes, takes 32 minutes and costs 14 euro.

At a glance

• Historic center: Centro Storico, ten rioni from Ponte to S. Angelo
• From Fiumicino airport: Leonardo Express to Roma Termini, 32 minutes, 14 euros, every 15 minutes
• From Ciampino airport: Airlink train + bus to Rome Termini, €2.70
• Tourist tax: €2 per person per night in B&Bs, apartments and 1 to 3 star hotels; €3 in 4 and 5 star hotels
• Tax limit: 10 consecutive nights in the same facility

The best areas to stay in Rome

Centro Storico: for a first stay among the monuments

The historic center covers ten rioni, from Trevi and Campo Marzio to Ponte and Campitelli. Tourist-use lodgings have no official classification, so read the listing details before booking.

Piazza della Rotonda: next to the Pantheon

The Pantheon stands on this square, which is busy. Santa Maria sopra Minerva is directly behind it, with Bernini’s elephant in the square in front and a Michelangelo work inside. San Luigi dei Francesi, with three works by Caravaggio, is five minutes in the opposite direction. The fountain in the middle of the square, topped by an Egyptian obelisk, is by Giacomo della Porta from 1575. It suits a short stay spent on foot.

Roma Termini: for arrivals by train and late flights

Termini is the end of the Leonardo Express from Fiumicino, with departures every 15 minutes, and the Rome Termini end of the Ciampino Airlink train + bus service. Night buses from Fiumicino run especially toward Roma Termini. Regional FL1 trains also link Fiumicino with other stations in Rome, every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 30 minutes on holidays. It suits a short stay with an early or late flight.

Vatican area: for the Vatican Museums

Airport buses from Fiumicino serve the Vatican area, as well as Roma Termini, Roma Tiburtina, Aurelia, Ostiense and Ostia. Buses leave from terminals 2 and 3, and several companies run them. On a crowded morning the queue at the Vatican Museums entrance can exceed two hours, so staying here helps with an early start.

Where to stay in Rome with kids, as a couple or on a budget

• First visit on foot: Centro Storico or the Piazza della Rotonda area · B&B, apartment or hotel · walking from the Pantheon
• Arriving by train or on a night flight: Roma Termini · hotel or apartment · Leonardo Express or night bus
• Budget: any area · B&B, guest house or 1 to 3 star hotel · tourist tax of €2 per person per night, against €3 for 4 and 5 star hotels
• High end: 4 and 5 star hotels · tax of €3 per person per night

What is the best area to stay in Rome?

For a stay built around a flight, Roma Termini is the practical base. The Leonardo Express takes 32 minutes from Fiumicino and night buses head there too.

Hotel prices and when to book in Rome

Rome charges a tourist contribution on top of the room rate. It is €2 per person per night in agriturismi, B&Bs, holiday homes, apartments, guest houses, tourist residences and 1 to 3 star hotels, and €3 in 4 and 5 star hotels. Campsites pay €1 per person per night, for up to 5 nights. The contribution can reach a maximum of 10 euros per night of stay, and it applies for up to 10 consecutive nights in the same facility.

If the contribution was paid at booking, the operator still issues a receipt at the end of the stay. Accommodation in the enclave of Polline and Martignano is exempt. Piazza della Rotonda and the Vatican Museums queues are busy, so book lodging near them early and plan the visit for the morning.