Reid's favorite hotels in Rome

My favorite Rome hotels in every price category

I've spent more a decade combing the streets of Rome to find the best inexpensive lodgings in downtown Rome—because, truth be told, that's where you want to stay.

Sure, I threw in a few of the best inexpensive options near Termini (in case you're in Rome just for an overnight before your flight or train and want to be close to the train station), but most of these will be in the centro storico, the heart of the historic center.

Here are about two-dozen of my favorites, in every price category. I've also noted the neighborhood in which each is located. There's a full description of each neighborhood on the City Layout page, but in brief: "Termini" means near the train station, "Tiber Bend" means near the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and Campo de' Fiori, and the others are self-evident.

Inexpensive hotels, hostels, & campgrounds in Rome: Less than €100 ($130)

Moderate hotels in Rome: €100–€200 ($130–$260)

Premier hotels in Rome: More than €200 ($260)

» More hotels in Rome (from €36)

» B&Bs in Rome (from €30)

» Apartments in Rome (from €50)

 

Tips & links

Rome hotel & lodging links
What do the stars mean?

The star designations above (from none to three) merely indicate hotels with a little something—great location, value, style, owners, whatever—that makes them special (or extra-special, or extra-extra special, etc.).

This is entirely a personal opinion, and has nothing to do with official Italian hotel ratings or categories (which is based mostly upon the presence of minibars, satellite TV channels, and such, not the charm, location, comfort, or other factors that truly matter).

Where to find cheap hotels in Rome

As in many cities, the heartland of cheap hotels in Rome is the streets surrounding the main train station (Termini). Also as in many cities, the streets around the station comprise a boring 19th-century grid a good half hour by bus or subway from the city center and most of the sights.

Still, when the best hotels downtown are full, you're likely Sto find rooms available around Termini. The streets north/northwest of the station are the nicest and have a better clutch of quirky, fun, inexpensive hotels, while the streets to the south of Termini (towards the church of Santa Maria Maggiore) tend to be a bit seedier and full of bland—if relatively cheap—tourist-class hotels.

This odd arrangement is a legacy of the fact that, 15 years ago, things were reversed: it was the area to the south that was nicer (and therefore filled with cookie-cutter hotels catering to packaged tours and bus groups) while the area to the north was dicier (and hence full of backpacker flophouses, which—since the neighborhood has been cleaned up—have renovated themselves into funky little hotels).

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.

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
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

Share this page

Intrepid Travel 25% off

Search ReidsItaly.com