Rome :where to stay, near Vatican or more central Spanish steps or coliseum or parthanon?

[GobbolinoCat]

Found great hotels /air b n b near all... Not huge fan of walking and scared at night. Two dc both over 10 under 16.

I would stay near the Pantheon as it seems the most central (and the most expensive) area. We stayed many times at Hotel Accademia which is right round the corner from Trevi Fountain and a couple streets from Pantheon etc. You can be out in Rome at midnight and you'll still see lots of tourists with kids and buggies etc.

I can also highly recommend RomaCabs for tours and transfers, Stefano and his team are fab!

We stayed across the river in Trastevere. Really easy transport into the hussle and bustle, but felt like a more chilled pace with great restaurants. We were there with my then 10 and 13 year old. Huge AirBnB above a piazza.

Honestly you won’t feel scared in any of the central areas in Rome at night! It’s so busy, just the same as during the day. We stayed nearer the train station, Hotel Uno and just walked everywhere. I was 6 months pregnant at the time and found we didn’t need any sort of transport, just very comfortable shoes.

Campo di Fiori (lovely Square - can walk everywhere and close to the bus to take you up the hill to the cannon!).

Campo du Fiori hotel is on the corner!

I wouldn't stay near the Vatican. It's quite a distance from central Rome and is not a very interesting area.

We stayed near the Colosseum because we wanted to catch the forum early in the morning and we’d stayed in the area before. The Mercure hotel near there has a rooftop pool looking directly towards the Colosseum (handy if the afternoon heat becomes too much for walking) and in the evening you can book the rooftop restaurant. Rooms aren’t huge but big by Rome standards.

I don't want to go in summer it will be too hot.

@Whatevershallidowithmylife the academia looks good but a little pricey

Another vote for the Colosseum area. A friend and I plan to stay there next Spring. No concerns about safety at night in busy areas.

@grandkk454 @MinnieMountain thank you.

Are there squares and places to eat around there?

Near Campo di Fiori. Not far to walk anywhere, near the bus and metro, loads of places to eat.

Rome is not scary. It's full of tourists at all hours.

Vote for Pantheon area. Bang on central so great to walk to anywhere. We never bothered with the train.

We always stay just outside the Vatican walls.
2 mins to St Peter's but a really lovely quiet area in the evening once the crowds have gone, 10 minutes over to Trastevere, half an hour to Piazza Navona then through to Trevi and the Piazza di Spagna.

Only really use the Metro to get out to the Colosseum and if feeling very tired to come back in the evening (from Repubblica)

We stayed at the Hotel Traiano which is just a flight of steps away from Trajans Column. Everywhere was within easy walking distance except the Vatican. Lots of local restaurants nearby.

We stayed just off the Piazza Navona. Perfect for walking to all the central attractions, including the Vatican, just across the river. We only needed to catch a bus to the Colleseum as it was too far for little legs to walk. I want to go back now!

We stayed in Hotel Miami near the main train station. It was a good location in terms of the public transport. Buses were regular on the road outside the hotel and it was a 5 minute walk to the metro station. We used the buses a lot, to go to the campo Di fiori area and stops in between. Could also have got a bus from there to St Peters Sq and walked to the Vatican that way but we used the metro instead. Also used the metro to get to the Spanish steps and then walked to the other sights nearby (trevi fountain etc).

Just remember to validate your tickets!

There were loads of restaurants and shops near the hotel, the road it's on was well lit and felt safe even late at night, and there were two supermarkets practically beside the hotel, one bigger one and one corner shop type thing.

Hotel Miami was really clean and the staff were really helpful. The room was bigger than I was expecting and had a fridge. No kettle but one could be requested. The room was turned down and fresh towels added every day. Also safety wise the building had a doorman, though I don't know if that was 24 hours, but the reception for the hotel itself was manned 24 hours.

There could be locations closer to squares that might be nicer but for the price and the convenience we were really happy with our stay.

There’s plenty of squares and places to eat in all parts of Rome OP.

You need to decide what you want to see and what your budget is. That’s why I chose the Monti district- it’s close to the big ticket ancient stuff.

Rome is lovely to walk around at night, just use normal caution that you would anywhere of not waving your phone around or wearing very expensive jewellery, keep your bag tucked under your arm.

But honestly, there's people around at all hours and it's a lived in city so it's residents not just tourists.

We stayed in Prati and really liked it. Loads of nice little restaurants and very quiet in the evenings. 10 minute walk to the Vatican etc and got Ubers to the Roman stuff. Saw Trevi fountain etc but it was all very hectic, and liked staying somewhere peaceful.

We stayed in Trastevere and were glad we had. It’s really pretty, there are loads of places to eat and drink in little squares, alleyways etc, and it’s only a short walk to the central bits.

We stayed near here Campo di Fiori which worked well with kids of similar ages.

Pantheon or Spanish steps aren’t too far away from most things and are both fairly central. We walked everywhere from here except we but got taxis for early morning slots at Colosseum and St Peters.

Top tip watch a few films about Rome even old ones before visit to get them in the mood for the visit and have lots of gelato stops. Our two loved it but do watch for pickpockets especially in the Colosseum and going into the Pantheon.

Travestere was lovely but it felt very dark and I honestly felt uncomfortable in a few places and this wasn’t particularly late at night.

@Itsanothermanicmonday

How did you get taxis? I know in Paris for instance I can't get one. I struggle because it's not like London with wonderful trained legal taxis everywhere!.. How would we access them please

Which films, obviously roman holiday, gladiator is too old for one but any others?