Updated November 2, 2023
Published October 24, 2018
Heading to Rome? A visit to the Eternal City doesn’t need to break the bank. Here’s how you can live like an emperor but still have enough cash left over for that all-important gelato fix.
The Beehive Hostel
This friendly hostel is perfect for travellers on a budget. It's colourful and quirky (rooms are described as "sweets" and there are monthly storytelling sessions) and the gorgeous public areas – a small garden and a board game-filled lounge – are light and airy.
It's also one of Rome's greenest hostels – guests’ unwanted clothes are collected and donated to local charities and all of the hostel's toiletries and cleaning products are eco-friendly.
Prices start from £23.50 per bed per night.
Yellow Square
Although this probably isn't the best option for travellers who prefer to spend their evenings curled up with a good book, Yellow Square has certainly acquired a cult following – largely made up of party-loving backpackers.
And it's not just a single property, but an entire square as its name suggests, taken over by the owners and filled with the hostel's bar, restaurant and hair salon (yes, you did read that correctly).
It's also popular with creative types, thanks to the fact that musicians and artists can offer artwork or performances as payment for stays.
Prices start from £28 per bed per night.
Generator Rome
Marketed as a boutique hostel, the Generator Rome is a fantastic option for solo travellers more likely to be found exploring the Colosseum than nursing grappa-fuelled hangovers.
Accommodation options range from shared dormitories to private rooms with up to six beds. Whichever you choose, you’ll find bright and contemporary rooms with home comforts such as beautiful lampshades and fluffy towels.
Its location, on the edge of the Monti neighbourhood and close to the Colosseum and the Basilica of St John Lateran, makes finding your bearings easy.
Prices start from £31.50 per bed per night.
The Blue Hostel
This Italian crash-pad is truly a hostel with history – it’s housed in a former convent which dates back to the 17th-century.
The rooms come with the extras usually found in boutique hotels (including Nespresso machines) and the location is fantastic, in the historic neighbourhood of Monti, just a ten-minute walk from the Colosseum and few steps from the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, whose bells will double as your daily wake-up call.
Prices start from £93 per double room per night.
Holiday Inn Rome
Thanks to its close proximity to the airport, this Holiday Inn is one of Rome's best business hotels, albeit one with features (including a gorgeous outdoor swimming pool and a large gym) usually associated with larger properties.
You’ll find the Fiera di Roma conference centre on the doorstep, as well as the Vatican Museums, and the free shuttle bus to the nearby Battistini metro station makes getting further afield wonderfully easy.
Prices start from £97 per double room per night.
Hotel Villa San Pio
The Villa San Pio is a luxury hotel without the price tag. Located near the old town, its rooms are tucked inside three individual villas perched on Rome’s Aventine Hill – hence the spectacular views.
The friendly staff will happily arrange guided tours of the city, and those post-tour aches and pains can be soothed away with a massage by the hotel’s in-house masseuse. We also love the breakfasts – enormous Italian feasts served in a beautiful garden gazebo.
Prices start from £83.50 per double room per night.
Hotel San Anselmo
Once a private villa, the Hotel San Anselmo was transformed into a charming hotel in the 1960s and is the perfect choice if you're looking for a quieter base from which to plan your explorations.
You'll find it in the heart of one of Rome's most sophisticated neighbourhoods, surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens and with easy access to the Circus Maximus and the Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta.
Rooms are spectacular affairs filled with antiques, damask-draped four-poster beds and lots of gold. A hotel truly fit for an emperor.
Prices start from £87 per double room per night.
Hotel Campo De' Fiori
Liberace would have loved this ivy-covered boutique hotel with its abundance of velvet, gleaming chandeliers and vast expanses of marble. You’ll find it in Rome's Centro Storico, and although this is one of the city's busiest areas, sound-proofed rooms ensure you'll sleep easy.
There's no restaurant, but you can grab a bottle of wine at the cosy bar and drink it on the hotel's spectacular three-level rooftop terrace.
If you don't fancy staying in the main building, the hotel also has a number of self-catering apartments nearby.
Prices start from £141 per double room per night.
Starhotels Michelangelo Rome
This four-star hotel is ideal if you're after a little luxury but don't want to break the bank. It's right next to the Vatican City and just a seven-minute walk from St. Peter's Basilica.
The 179 rooms are airy, modern tributes to Italy's capital with classic red and ochre fabrics and sleek black-and-white prints depicting the city's most famous sights on the walls.
When it’s time to dine, head to the hotel’s fantastic Dome restaurant for Italian delicacies such as parmigiano risotto.
Prices start from £98 per double room per night.
*All prices are based on the lowest room rate for February 2024 and are correct at time of writing. Please note that hotel prices are affected by seasonality and are subject to change.
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