FlyerTalk Forums - Where to stay in Rome [Merged thread]

Where to Stay In Rome

There is an abundance of choices when deciding where to stay in Rome. We encourage you to post on this thread with questions about specific properties or with your specific needs - whether it be using hotel points, or wanting to be near certain attractions or transportation, etc. And the more details you give us (i.e. what time of year your stay will be, your budget, how many in your party), the more fitting our suggestions can be.

The consensus for the "ideal" area for the typical tourist to be based in - is around the Pantheon. The reason is three-fold.

First: The places most visitors will want to see are situated in a relatively small area within the city of Rome, and somewhat encircle the Pantheon. This map is put out by a particular hotel, but it's representative of the typical "tourist" map with the major landmarks noted. Arguably, the two sites of popular interest that are the furthest away from each other are the Vatican and the Colosseum, and according to Google maps the walking distance between them is 3.5 km, or 2.17 miles. If you were based around the Pantheon, then your walk to the Vatican would be about 2 km, or 1.25 miles and your walk to the Colosseum would also be around 2 km /1.25 miles.

Second: The area around the Pantheon is on level ground, which means you won't have to climb/and descend Rome's fabled hills every time you venture out. Here is a map of Rome's walls but it also shows its hills, colored grey, with the flat-ish areas colored beige.

Third: The area you see around the Pantheon is comprised of Rome's most quintessential piazzas and labyrinthine cobblestone streets. Here is google's satellite view of this area and beyond.

But certainly there are also wonderful spots to be based in throughout the whole area seen on that satellite map, which will put you basically in the center, if not perfectly equidistant to all the sites. (And all the common sense rules apply regarding avoiding a noisy choice: avoid being directly on a busy road, or piazza, unless assured of double paned windows).

Rome's Tourist Accommodation Tax

Below is a cut and paste from the official 060608 site (made in May 2017; verified for current accuracy in April 2019). And here's the link to the 060608 page for the most up to date information:
Roma Capitale - Tourist Accommodation Tax

Quote:

Anyone staying in a hotel, bed& breakfast, holiday home, guest house or camp site in Rome, with the sole exception of hostels, is subject to pay an overnight accommodation tax for every day spent in the Eternal City.

The rates are per person.

Hotels:
1-2 Star Hotels: € 3,00 per night, max 10 days;
3 Star Hotels: € 4,00 per night, max 10 days;
4 Star Hotels: € 6,00 per night, max 10 days;
5 Star Hotels: € 7,00 per night, max 10 days;

Bed & Breakfasts, Guest Houses, Holiday Homes and Apartments:
- € 3,50 per night, max 10 days;

Tourist Farms and Residences:
- € 4,00 per night, max 10 days;

Camp Sites, Open Air Facilities and Equipped Park Areas:
- € 2,00 per night, max 5 days;

How to pay? You can pay cash or by card, at the end of your stay, directly on site. You will be given a personal receipt. The overnight accommodation tax is applicable up to a maximum of 10 consecutive nights within one solar year, provided that you spend the nights at the same accommodation facility. The payment is due for a maximum of 5 nights for the guests of camping grounds, open air facilities and areas equipped for temporary stops.
Exemptions. Persons who are residents of Rome, children up to age 10, all who accompany patients for health reasons, members of the State police force and the other armed forces, and one coach driver and one tour leader/tourist guide for every 23 group members.