The best hotels in Rome

How to find, and reserve, the best hotels in Rome in every price range and neighborhood

Rome has 1,000 hotels—half of which are overpriced. I'm here to help you avoid those and find the hidden gems, best values, and most wonderfully cheap places to stay in Rome.

Something like one third of Rome hotels are slung into the streets around Termini train station—nothing wrong with the area (anymore; used to be dicey), but you didn't come all this way to see the train station, and the area is a good half hour away from the historic center by bus or Metro (about 45 to 60 minutes on foot).

If I had a choice, I'd stay in the center.

Then there are other lodging options—like B&Bs (2,000 of them) or apartments (281), hostels (200) and residences (37)—that can cost less than a hotel and offer a more interesting experience to boot.

Three ways to find a hotel in Rome:

Price categories

This site uses three broad price categories for lodging to indicate the cost of a standard double room in low season. (High season rates vary widly; expect them to be higher):

Under €100
€€€100–€200
€€€Over €200
  • Reid Recommends: My list of 26 personal favorite Rome hotels, in all price ranges. When friends or family ask for my advice on where to stay, this is the list I give them. » more
  • Book online: This is the route I usually go these days. There are several booking engines that have not only excellent collections of hotels in all price ranges (plus non-hotel alternatives, like B&Bs and apartments), but also user reviews, loads of photos, and—amazingly—often lower prices than the hotel itself is charging. ReidsItaly.com has partnered with some of the best of these:
  • The Rome tourist office: The official tourism website has a great database of all types of lodgings in Rome. But it is just that: a database. More than 4,500 entries you have to plow through, and each only contains the bare facts (number of rooms, price range, address, basic amenities offered, contact info). Useful if you have tons of time to research, but not so easy to get a quick overview of the best place available for your needs. » more

Tips & links

Rome hotel & lodging links
Reid's top 10 Rome hotels
Useful Italian for lodging
English (Inglese) Italian (Italiano) Pro-nun-cee-YAY-shun
Good day Buon giorno bwohn JOUR-noh
Good evening Buona sera BWOH-nah SAIR-rah
Good night Buona notte BWOH-nah NOTE-tay
Goodbye Arrivederci ah-ree-vah-DAIR-chee
Excuse me (to get attention) Scusi SKOO-zee
thank you grazie GRAT-tzee-yay
please per favore pair fa-VOHR-ray
yes si see
no no no
Do you speak English? Parla Inglese? PAR-la een-GLAY-zay
I don't understand Non capisco non ka-PEESK-koh
I'm sorry Mi dispiace mee dees-pee-YAT-chay
     
Where is? Dov'é doh-VAY
...a hotel un albergo oon al-BEAR-go
...a B&B un bed-and-breakfast oon bet hand BREK-fust
...a rental room un'affittacamera oon ah-feet-ah-CAH-mair-ra
...an apartment for rent un appartamento oon ah-part-tah-MENT-toh
...a farm stay un agriturismo oon ah-gree-tour-EES-moh
...a hostel un ostello oon oh-STEHL-loh
     
How much is...? Quanto costa? KWAN-toh COST-ah
a single room una singola OO-nah SEEN-go-la
double room for single use [will often be offered if singles are unavailable] doppia uso singola DOPE-pee-ya OO-so SEEN-go-la
a double room with two beds una doppia con due letti OO-nah DOPE-pee-ya cone DOO-way LET-tee
a double room with one big bed una matrimoniale OO-nah mat-tree-moan-nee-YAAL-lay
triple room una tripla OO-nah TREE-plah
with private bathroom con bagno cone BAHN-yoh
without private bathroom senza bagno [they might say con bagno in comune—"with a communal bath"] SEN-zah BAHN-yoh
for one night per una notte pair OO-nah NOH-tay
for two nights per due notti pair DOO-way NOH-tee
for three nights per tre notti pair tray NOH-tee
Is breakfast included? É incluso la prima colazione? ay in-CLOO-soh lah PREE-mah coal-laht-zee-YOAN-nay
Is there WiFi? C'é WiFi? chay WHY-fy?
May I see the room? Posso vedere la camera? POH-soh veh-DAIR-eh lah CAH-mair-rah
That's too much É troppo ay TROH-po
Is there a cheaper one? C'é una più economica? chay OO-nah pew eh-ko-NO-mee-kah
Rome's hotel tax

In January, 2011, Rome began charging a hotel bed tax. This is the city's doing, and sadly it is not a scam.

The following tax rates are per person, per night for all guests over the age of 10 and can be charged for stays of up to 10 days:

  • 1–3 star hotels: €2
  • 4–5 star hotels: €3
  • B&Bs: €2
  • Apartments: €2
  • Rental rooms: €2
  • Agriturismi: €2
  • Campsites: €1 (up to 5 days)

So a couple staying three nights in a four-star room would pay an extra €18.

Some hotels have begun folding this tax into their quoted rates; others tack it on when you go to check out, so be prepared.

How long does Rome take?

Planning your day: Rome wasn't built in a day, and you'd be hard-pressed to see it in that brief a time as well. Still, you can cram a lot into just a day or three.

To help you get the most out of your limited time in the Eternal City, here are some perfect itineraries, whether you have one, two, three, or four days to spend in Rome. » Rome itineraries

Rome tours

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