5 Best Hotels in Ancient Rome, Rome

Monti's first true luxury boutique hotel is a tribute to the artists and craftsmen that populate the neighborhood, with a whimsical design full of nods to ancient Rome. Rooms and suites feature colorful prints on the headboards, curtains, and walls, as well as bespoke furniture, Nespresso machines, and hand-painted espresso cups. A breakfast buffet with high-quality products is set up in the ground-floor restaurant, which serves excellent Roman and Italian cuisine for lunch and dinner, while the rooftop bar is a charming spot for creative cocktails. The sunny yellow spa has a Jacuzzi and treatments using Susanne Kaufmann's holistic skincare line.

Just one block from bustling Via Nazionale and some of Rome's great shopping, this friendly hotel has clean, modern rooms. Guest rooms have big windows, desks, parquet floors, and baths with faux-marble tiles, and a generous buffet breakfast.

This friendly home away from home in a quiet residential area close to the Colosseum has been run by the Khan family since 1971. Its carefully and courteously attentive staffers go the extra mile for their guests. Clean and comfortable guest rooms have basic antique furnishings and big windows—some even with a view of the Colosseum—and all have air-conditioning, TVs, and Wi-Fi. Higher priced rooms have terraces or balconies as well. In the high season, the on-site restaurant serves dinner as well as breakfast, and the bar is always open for a drink.

Step out of this charming, clean, well-run hotel, and you'll feel like you've landed in the middle of an ancient imperial stomping ground; a stone's throw from the Forum, it's surrounded by the breathtaking splendor of ancient ruins. Guest rooms are on the small side but are modern and offer good value for the location; they feature large comfy orthopedic beds with hounds-tooth-plaid headboards, parquet flooring, marble baths, air-conditioning, and soundproof windows. The Aurora Bistrot & Bar, located in the lounge of the hotel, serves brunch every day and aperitivo in the evenings.

It would be hard to find a modern hotel closer to the Roman Forum—the ancient ruins are practically right outside the door. Rooms feature sleek contemporary furniture and wallpaper stamped with villas from Rome's past. Don't miss drinks on the rooftop terrace, which provides bird's-eye views of Piazza Venezia, Trajan's Column, and the domes of the Santissima Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano Church.