Rome, from the Spanish Steps to Piazza del Popolo
Rome's grand hotels sit where the Grand Tour left them – on the slope of the Pincio between the Spanish Steps and Via Veneto, and along the streets that run down from Piazza del Popolo through Campo Marzio toward the river.
The collection
6 hotels
Hotel de Russie, a Rocco Forte Hotel
Five-star · Piazza del Popolo & Campo Marzio
Rocco Forte's Rome flagship, built around a terraced secret garden between Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps.
From $1,000 per night
Hotel Eden, Dorchester Collection
Five-star · Spanish Steps & Via Veneto
An 1889 hotel above Via Veneto whose rooftop – La Terrazza and Il Giardino – looks over the domes of Rome.
From $1,000 per night
Hassler Roma
Five-star · Spanish Steps & Via Veneto
The Wirth family's house at the top of the Spanish Steps since 1893 – 82 rooms and Imàgo on the sixth floor.
From $1,100 per night
Hotel de la Ville, a Rocco Forte Hotel
Five-star · Spanish Steps & Via Veneto
A palazzo from the age of the Grand Tour at the top of the Spanish Steps – 104 rooms and a rooftop bar over the city, by Rocco Forte.
From $1,100 per night
J.K. Place Roma
Five-star · Piazza del Popolo & Campo Marzio
Michele Bönan's townhouse on Via di Monte d'Oro – the most intimate of the six houses we list in Rome.
From $1,000 per night
Bvlgari Hotel Roma
Five-star · Piazza del Popolo & Campo Marzio
The Roman jeweler's hotel in its own city – a 1930s palazzo facing the Mausoleum of Augustus, opened in 2023.
From $1,700 per night
Rome's grand hotels sit where the Grand Tour left them – on the slope of the Pincio between the Spanish Steps and Via Veneto, and along the streets that run down from Piazza del Popolo through Campo Marzio toward the river. We looked at every serious address in the city and kept only those whose service holds up to the view from the terrace. All six hold five-star standing. Six made the cut.
“Because Rocco Forte built its Rome flagship around a terraced secret garden between Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps, and the house holds five-star standing.”
From our editors · Hotel de Russie, a Rocco Forte Hotel
The neighborhoods
Spanish Steps & Via Veneto
The slope of the Pincio – the Spanish Steps rising from Piazza di Spagna to Trinità dei Monti, Via Condotti and its tailors at the foot, Via Veneto curving up toward the gates of the Villa Borghese – with three of the six hotels.
Piazza del Popolo & Campo Marzio
The northern gate of the old city – Piazza del Popolo and its twin churches, the Pincio terrace above, and the quarter of Campo Marzio running south along Via del Babuino, Via Margutta and Via di Ripetta to the Ara Pacis and the Mausoleum of Augustus – with the other three.
Good to know
Which part of Rome should I stay in?
Three of the six sit on the slope of the Pincio between the Spanish Steps and Via Veneto – Hassler Roma and Hotel de la Ville at the top of the steps, Hotel Eden a few minutes up the hill above Via Veneto. The other three are in Campo Marzio, the quarter that runs south from Piazza del Popolo toward the river – Hotel de Russie between Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps, J.K. Place Roma on Via di Monte d'Oro, Bvlgari Hotel Roma on Piazza Augusto Imperatore. Choose the Spanish Steps for the view from the top and Via Condotti at your feet; Campo Marzio for quieter streets and the Pantheon and Piazza Navona on foot.
When is the best season for Rome?
Spring and autumn – April to June and September to October – bring mild days, long evenings and the city at its most walkable, and they are the weeks that fill first, Easter above all. July and August run hot, and Rome empties in the middle of August when its own residents leave for the coast. November through March is cooler and quieter, with the churches and museums to yourself on a weekday morning and the Christmas weeks the one busy stretch.
Do I need a car in Rome?
No. From any of the six, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and Piazza Navona are on foot, and the historic center is largely closed to through traffic in any case. The Vatican Museums and St. Peter's are across the river – about half an hour on foot from Piazza del Popolo, ten minutes by car – and the Colosseum and the Forum are a short drive or a long walk down Via del Corso. The concierge arranges a driver when you want one; the taxi ranks at Piazza di Spagna and Piazza del Popolo cover the rest.
How do I reserve a stay?
Search your dates on any hotel's page to see rates and what is available, then book the room or suite you want. A concierge is on hand throughout – to weigh the Spanish Steps against Piazza del Popolo before you book, and to arrange a driver to the Vatican, a table on a rooftop, museum tickets and a day at the Galleria Borghese once you have.
