Rome on a tight budget

[NadiSel]

Hiya - I've booked a cheap flight for 2 adults and 4 children (ages between 8-14) to Rome in mid Feb. Step 1 of securing a cheap flight was successful. Now to get cheap accommodation.

I'm after tips for a cheap b&b/hotel/apartment. Anything considered! But I want to see the Vatican, Colloseum and Parthenon so it must be somewhere central or have good metro/bus links. I won't be hiring a car because I don't fancy the hectic driving.

Don't know if anyone has noticed that some places charge a whopping 45 euro extra if arriving after 6pm and another 45 euro if leaving early in the morning. Unfortunately my cheap flights mean I'm going to arrive after 10pm and depart at 6am so will fall foul of both extras!

Any tips?

Have you booked anywhere yet? We went on a last minute long weekend during October half term with our 3 children aged 8 & 6. We stayed just outside of Rome at camping village fabulous. It was perfect for us. We had somewhere to make a coffee in the morning and have a bite to eat before venturing out. Kids could run around outside. The sites amenities were mostly closed for the winter season but the bar & restaurant remain open. About 300 metres is the bus stop for Rome. Three routes take you to the underground station and from there you can easily travel anywhere in the city. All for €1,50 for 90 minutes travel. Children travel for free. We walked the city and when we wanted to stop for lunch we walked 2 or 3 streets back and found lovely little restaurants for lunch, spending between €20-25 per meal with soft drinks.

We also spent a day out at Ostia Antica, the old Roman port, which is vast and beautiful and well worth a visit if you have time. Again, €1,50each way. We got free entry as it was the last Sunday of the month.

We got a taxi from the airport but the bus/train would be relatively easy in hindsight.

Probably should've said that the journey time into Rome was approx 20 minutes. 10-15 minutes by bus and then 5-10 minutes by train.