Rome, Italy Family Hotels Guide

When in Rome, you’d prefer to do as the Romans do and stay in a nice villa. Maybe one with lots of frescoes, and extra bedrooms available for extended family. But Italy’s capital can be unwelcoming if you’re trying to find a hotel room large enough to lay several sleepy heads.

We know it’s challenging to find accommodations that sleep more than two people. Connecting rooms are rare as well. That’s why we’re rounding up the places where families of three or more are truly welcomed. Of course, they are also convenient for sightseers and a good value.

Tip: November to March is considered the low season and cheapest.
Another Savings Tip: Many of the suggested hotels provide a discount for multi-night stays, so be prepared to settle in.

The Top Moderately Priced Rome Family Hotels

Hotel Villa San Pio
Via Santa Melania, 19
00153 Rome, Italy
+39 06/570057
Friends recommended the San Pio because it’s as close as they come to a private villa! Expect the grace of a bygone era, with frescoed hallways and a beautiful garden. It tops Aventino Hill, arguably Rome’s most affluent neighborhood. Walkers love Aventino because it’s uphill from from the hip Testaccio quarter and the Roman Forum. (Trams and buses are available close by.) Older kids will appreciate the luxurious, Old World rooms, capuccino makers and delicious breakfast. Young ones will enjoy running around in the gated garden. San Pio concierges are happy to help you make plans and show the four-bedded family room.
Rates: $-$$$

Starhotel Michaelangelo
Via della Stazione di S. Pietro, 14
00165 Rome Italy
+39 06/398739
A short walk from St. Peter’s Square, Starhotel Michaelangelo is a 4-star hotel, part of a boutique hotel chain. A maximum of three people may stay in each room. Extra beds added for under 16s incur no additional charge — a bargain in Rome. This hotel’s restaurant serves international cuisine. There is also room service, concierge, laundry service and two meeting rooms. Note: a maximum of two kids under 16 stay for free in a room with at least one adult.
Rates: $$-$$$ for special weekend rates; many online specials.

Hotel Duca d’Alba
Via Leonina, 14
00184 Rome Italy
+39 06/484471
This restored, 27-room hotel is typical of Italy’s squished-into-a-room tiny family accommodations. The ambiance, however, is distinguished by really first class design. Features include marble flooring in the lobby and a comfortable, elegant breakfast room. (A substantial cold buffet is included in rates.) Rooms have ornate marble sinks in tiny bathrooms, phone, minibar, TV & A/C, and stylishly compact furnishings. Despite its compact profile, the convenient location just minutes from the Via Cavour metro stop and about a 10-minute walk from the Colosseum make it a good choice.
Rates:$-$$$

Budget Watchers’ Clean, Friendly Rome Hotels with Room to Spread Out!

Maison Giulia
Via Giulia 189/A
00186 Roma, Italia
+39 06/68808325
This welcoming, seven-room guesthouse is on a quiet cobblestone street just off the Tiber River. It’s also near Campo di Fiori — Rome’s big outdoor market — in a posh diplomatic neighborhood. Decor is eclectic and artsy but it’s charming. The gracious staff are happy to recommend restaurants and attractions; WiFi and breakfast are included. Unusual in such a small place are the three- and four-bedded guest rooms. Their 2BR and 3BR furnished apartments nearby have a required minimum three-night stay.
Rates: $-$$ 

Hotel Grifo
Via del Boschetto, 144
00184 Rome Italy
+39 06/487139
The 3-star Grifo is in the Monti District, near the Colosseum, close to the Piazza Venezia and the Ministero dell’Interno. Furnishings are more eclectic than designed, with light wood pieces and pastel shades. Go for the charming neighborhood views from a simple roof garden where they serve drinks and complimentary breakfast. They have some family triples and quadruple rooms, with all the amenities you need.
Rates:$-$$

Hotel Parlamento
Via delle Convertite, 5
Spagna 00187 Rome Italy
+39 06/69921000
The Parlamento is near the Trevi Fountain, between Rome’s Parlamento and Piazza S. Sebastiano. Twenty-three rooms on the fourth and fifth floors of a 16th-century Palace are part of a larger apartment building. Rooms – some triples and several quads – are simple but clean. Parlamento came recommended to us by Clare Jordan, then seconded by another FTF traveler, all of whom enjoyed their stay. Great rates include breakfast, and it’s family-owned and tended, so very nice atmosphere.
Rates: $-$$

Fabulous Luxe, Family-Welcoming Rome Hotels

When budget is not a consideration! If you want to treat the family, these classic hotels deliver an authentically luxe Italian lifestyle.

Hotel Hassler Roma
Trinita dei Monti, 6
00187 Rome Italy
+39 06/699340
Rome’s venerable Hassler Villa Medici has presided over the Spanish Steps in gilt and marble splendor for over a century. As with many of Europe’s great hotels, infants will be pampered and older children accepted, as long as they’re well behaved. (Dressed adorably helps too!) This place seems to be on Conde Nast Traveler‘s Gold List every year, with good reason. This is an ultra-splurge, the type of place where double rooms are large enough to accommodate an extra bed. (You may pay €100 and up for that privilege.) Babysitting is available upon request.
Rates:$$$$+

Hotel Forum
Via Tor De Conti, 25-30
00184 Rome Italy
39/ 06/6792446
It’s definitely the most luxe place in Rome’s historic quarter surrounding the Roman Forum. The 4-star hotel’s lovely roof garden restaurant has thrilled travelers for generations. Though not the fanciest, the Forum is cozy, comfortable and immaculately maintained. Spacious rooms (including a few family rooms) have all the amenities you could want, excellent service, a popular American bar and private parking. We love the location on Via dei Fori Imperiali, the original route for parades from the Colosseum to Piazza Venezia. Babysitting is available upon request.
Rates: $$-$$$ ($$$$ for a family suite of two connecting rooms)

Train Hoppers Love These Options Near Termini Station

Hotel Kennedy
Via Filippo Turati, 64
00185 Roma Italia
39/06/4465373
Considered a 3-star hotel, it was founded in 1963 to honor John F. Kennedy’s memory. The hotel is located between Termini Station and the Basilica of S. Maria Maggiore. Rooms boast a panoramic view of the Roman Aquarium Archaeological Park. The bedding options include single, double, twin, triple, and junior suite (two bedrooms connected and sharing a bathroom). Children are welcome and roll-aways are available. Rates include breakfast — a morning “all you can eat buffet” set to opera music.
Rates: $$-$$$

Gioberti Art Hotel
Via Gioberti 23
00185 Rome, Italy
+39 06/45210474
This small, colorful, contemporary hotel is one block from the central Termini train station. It’s great for quick stays because it’s just a half-hour away from the airport via the Leonardo Express train. While not wildly beautiful, the neighborhood is super convenient thanks to a well-stocked mall, ATMs and lots of snack food restaurants. Best yet is Palazzo Massimo, Rome’s greatest collection of classical sculpture just 2 minutes away. Elegant rooms are stylishly outfitted with built-ins, coffeemaker, fridge, workdesk, sofabed and unexpected niceties like a bathrobe so you can recover from jet lag in comfort. Check their website for family room specials; some doubles connect, too.
Rates: $-$$

Recommended Neighborhood Finds in Rome

Other recommended family hotels we’ve heard of but haven’t visited ourselves include:

• Hotel Abruzzi(+39 06/97841351). Twenty-six recently renovated rooms in a 3-star place near the Pantheon.
• Campo de’ Fiori (+39 06/68806865). Baroque style place on Rome’s historic Market Square. It has furnished apartments as well as rooms.

Budget Housing in Convents & Monasteries

Families may be interested in the experience of staying in an Italian monastery. If you have well behaved children, it’s an affordable lodging option favored by many Italians. These two vintage books are a great source of ideas:

GD Lodging in Italy’s Monasteries by Eileen Barish was last revised in 2015. It lists more than 400 monasteries around the country that welcome visitors. Ms. Barish cautions about their austerity of decor, though many display great Renaissance art. However, curfews, simple but hearty meals, and the “quiet and contemplative” atmosphere are very different than what many travelers are used to.

Beds and Blessings in Italy: A Guide to Religious Hospitality (last updated 2010) is in a similar vein, produced by Paulist Press with detailed listings of religious houses that accept overnight guests.