Where to Stay in Rome: Rome’s Best Neighborhoods (Map + Video)

By Sean Finelli

Deciding where to stay in Rome is no easy feat. Rome has 22 districts known as rioni in Italian.

Each neighborhood has a distinct personality, price tag, and atmosphere to consider when you pick your temporary home in Italy’s capital city.

This guide will provide you with the key info you need to decide where to stay in Rome.

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Last Updated: Sept 1, 2020

Tip & Structured Activities

If you are planning a trip to Rome, bookmark this post in your browser along with other posts like how many days you should spend in Rome. This way you can retrieve them quickly!

Schedule at least one structured activity per day.  While strolling around Rome aimlessly can be very enjoyable – it is normally best if you know your way around.  Check out this list of our best tours for your visit to Rome so you can see the city from a local perspective.

We also have a great video on this subject!

Rome’s Top Neighborhoods

There are thousands of hotels in the city of Rome.  Prati, one of Rome’s neighborhoods near the Vatican, had 724 hotels in 2019! How can you pick?  We like to start by narrowing it down to a neighborhood.

While there are 22 rioni, or districts, in Rome, most visitors to the Eternal City stay in less than half of these. Deciding where to stay in Rome is easier once you’ve narrowed your choices down.

In this article, we’ll go over our 5 favorite neighborhoods to consider for your next visit to Rome.  We will also break them down and rate them based on data from 1000s of travelers who have been to Rome.  This way you can decide what is most important to you and make your decision easier!

The categories consist of:

• Beaty
• Nightlife
• Congestion
• Dining
• Attractions
• Transportation
• Shopping
• Cost

Here are some questions you should ask yourself:

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#1 Spanish Steps

The Spanish Steps and their surrounding neighborhood are widely regarded as the most beautiful part of Rome. Neoclassical buildings in beautiful condition line the streets. Home to most of the major sites first-time visitors to Rome want to see, staying here is advantageous.

Simply walk out the door and find yourself instantly immersed in the gorgeous and historic heart of the Eternal City. This is THE main shopping district in Rome. If you’re a fashionista, Via Condotti hosts some of the best haute-couture shopping in Europe.

Best Hotels Near Spanish Steps:

• Hotel Margutta 19
• Grand Hotel Plaza
• Babuino 181
• Hotel Valadier
• Hotel Borgognoni
• Hotel Caprice
• La Maison d’Art Spagna

Tips for Airbnb:

Spanish Steps is a beautiful area populated by Rome’s wealthiest families.  The apartments are beautiful and classical.  Try to get a place overlooking a nice piazza to really breathe in the feel of the area.  Piazza di Spagna is ideal but will come with a price tag.

Try to get a high-level apartment with an elevator.  The streets are often crowded and noisy until as late as 2 am and being 3rd floor or higher can help with noise.

Spanish Steps Rating:

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#2 Monti

A hipster hotspot, Monti is filled with artists and Romans lucky enough to inherit apartments along the pastel-colored streets. Despite the fact that Monti borders Rome’s major tourist attractions like the Colosseum, the neighborhood is a quiet treasure. The name “Monti” translates as “mountains” in English. The area was home to four of the seven famous hills that once made up the city of Rome. If your idea of a good time is exploring vintage clothing stores, consider staying in Monti. 

• See our full Monti neighborhood guide here.
• Watch our Monti neighborhood video here

Best Hotels Near Monti:

• Hotel Raffaello
• Hotel dei Borgia

Tips for Airbnb:

Monti is a bustling neighborhood. Try to find an apartment on a back-street of Monti.  These are referred to as Vicolo in Italian which means little street.

Piazza della Madonna dei Monti is a great square to get a drink and sit at the fountain. You can buy from the store and sit outside, which is legal, to save money if you are on a budget.

Monti Rating:

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#3 Piazza Navona/Pantheon

Rome’s most enchanting neighborhood is centered around the Baroque-style Piazza Navona. From well-kept Renaissance architecture to impressive fountains, this area is a sensory overload of beauty. Piazza Navona and the Pantheon could easily be split into two areas, but they share many features. Like the Spanish Steps, this is the spot for luxury. The rates are among the highest in Rome for posh hotels, chic B&Bs and upscale private apartments.

Best Hotels Near Piazza Navona/Pantheon:

• Hotel Raphaël
• G-Rough
• Eitch Borromini
• Hotel Indigo Rome – St. George
• Hotel Campo de’ Fiori

Tips for Airbnb:

Great area for an apartment rental.  Try to go for a top floor or a place with a terrace.  You’re right in the thick of things so you’ll get amazing views of the hundreds of Churches in the center.

Piazza Navona/Pantheon Rating:

 

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#4 Prati/Vatican

Across from Vatican City lies Prati, a calm and elegant modern Roman neighborhood. Perfect for anyone planning a religious trip or for groups of elderly people who might encounter trouble with old buildings that lack elevators, Prati is one of Rome’s best-kept secrets.

This is also one of the few districts in Rome not overtaken by tourism. This is surprising because the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica are located right here. The neighborhood also doesn’t look like a typical postcard of Rome, but it doesn’t lack charm with its modern European charm and its high-end shopping street, Via Cola di Rienzo.

• See our full Vatican neighborhood guide here.’
• Watch our Vatican Neighborhood video here

Best Hotels Near Prati

• Hotel Diplomatic
• Hotel dei Mellini
• Hotel Amalia

Tips for Airbnb:

With over 700 hotels, Prati is has a ton of choices.  You can get lower prices here and good value but you’re not going to be in the classical “Rome” part of the city.  This area was heavily modernized by Benito Mussolini for better or worse.

You will find some great Airbnbs but watch out for high floors with no elevators.  It is more common then you would think and people normally assume all buildings have an elevator.  They don’t! Welcome to Italy ( ;

Prati Rating:

 

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#5 Trastevere

Trastevere, whose name translates to “beyond the Tiber”, is a charming, bohemian neighborhood. Filled with great spots for food and drink, plus a plethora of independent shops, the atmosphere is hip and social. Trastevere has a buzzing nightlife scene for tourists and locals alike.

In fact, our best Rome food tour takes place right here, exploring the best food in the neighborhood. Stay here if your idea of a perfect neighborhood is more offbeat than glamorous, and you enjoy a lively and friendly atmosphere with picturesque cobblestone streets.

• See our full Trastevere neighborhood guide here.
• Watch our Trastevere neighborhood video here 

Tips for Airbnb:

There are some hotels in Trastevere but the area is really dominated by apartment rentals.  Avoid staying on roads like Vicolo del Cinque, Piazza Trilusa, or Piazza S. M. in Trastevere unless you are ok with noise until late. These areas are brimming with people year-round and closing your windows does not always work.

The best area to stay if you want to be near the action but not in the action is in the box between Viale di Trastevere, Tiber Island, and Porto di Ripa Grande and Via di Porta Portese.  Basically, anywhere within 3 or 4 blocks of Via della Lungarina.

Trastevere Rating:

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I Want More Italy!

• Check out our YouTube video and step-by-step guide about how to do Rome in a Day. If you’d rather let us guide you, check out our Rome tours.
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