Picolo recommends · Luxury hotel in Rome
Hotel de Russie in Rome
A Rocco Forte hotel between Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps, built around a terraced garden that Jean Cocteau called ‘paradise on earth’.
Piazza del Popolo
The hotel lies a few steps from the square that Valadier, its architect, also redesigned. Photo: Leonardo Di Manici / Unsplash
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In short about Hotel de Russie
Hotel de Russie is a 120-room Rocco Forte hotel on Via del Babuino, between Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps. Book it for the 2,800-square-metre Secret Garden, meals outdoors under the trees and an address from which you can walk to most of the old town.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Hotel de Russie
Via del Babuino is a street of antique dealers and fashion boutiques, loud with scooters by mid-morning. Step through the door at number 9, cross the lobby and the noise falls away. In front of you the garden climbs in terraces towards the Pincio, with palms, white climbing roses and the sound of running water.
The Secret Garden
Valadier laid out these terraces two centuries ago, and meals at Le Jardin de Russie are served facing them. Photo: Hotels.com (Expedia Group)
Picolo's verdict
Why we like Hotel de Russie
The garden changes what a city hotel can feel like. You eat breakfast outdoors, under orange trees, in the middle of the old town.
The location is just as strong. Piazza del Popolo, the Spanish Steps and Villa Borghese are all a short walk from the door.
The Pincio terrace
Climb the steps behind the hotel at sunset for one of the best free views in Rome. Photo: Anna Hunko / Unsplash
Picasso, Valadier and a television company
Giuseppe Valadier, the architect who redesigned Piazza del Popolo, drew up this building in the early 19th century, and the Secret Garden too. In February 1917 Pablo Picasso and Jean Cocteau took adjoining rooms here while preparing the first Cubist ballet. According to the hotel, they leaned out of their windows to pick oranges from the trees.
The building has lived several lives since, including a spell as the head office of Italy's national broadcaster. Rocco Forte reopened it as Hotel de Russie in 2000, and today it is one of the best-known addresses in the city.
Rooms and suites
Rooms are calm and residential in style, with marble bathrooms. Ask for one facing the garden: the street side looks onto Via del Babuino and the little Piazzetta Valadier. The Picasso Suite has its own terrace over the garden and the slopes of the Pincio.
Eating and drinking
Le Jardin de Russie serves Italian food under the creative direction of chef Fulvio Pierangelini, on a terrace at the foot of the garden. Stravinskij Bar is named after the Russian composer, and at aperitivo time it fills with locals as much as hotel guests.
The spa
The De Russie Spa has a salt-water hydropool and a Turkish steam room, with treatments using Irene Forte's own skincare. It is a place to recover between sights rather than a destination in itself.
Who it suits
Couples, first-time visitors who want to walk everywhere and anyone who values a garden over a rooftop. With 120 rooms this is a polished, busy five-star hotel, not an intimate hideaway. If you want only a handful of rooms and total quiet, look at Hotel Vilòn instead.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Hotel de Russie
Book your stay
Hotel de Russie in Rome
Ask for a room over the Secret Garden, and book early for spring and October.
Villa Borghese
Rome's great park starts just above the hotel, with the Galleria Borghese at the far end. Photo: Ajrina Baradja / Unsplash
What to do near Hotel de Russie
Piazza del Popolo: the oval square with its obelisk and twin churches. Inside Santa Maria del Popolo hang two paintings by Caravaggio.
The Pincio: the terrace above the square gives a wide view over the rooftops towards St Peter's, best at sunset.
Villa Borghese and the Galleria Borghese: a large park with a museum of Bernini and Caravaggio. Tickets for the gallery must be booked in advance.
Via Margutta: a quiet street of artists' studios, known from the film Roman Holiday.
Via Condotti: the luxury shopping street at the foot of the Spanish Steps, ten minutes away on foot.
Getting there
From Fiumicino airport, take the Leonardo Express train to Termini, then metro line A to Flaminio, which is on Piazza del Popolo. A taxi from the airport to the centre takes around 45 minutes, depending on traffic. See our guide to where to stay in Rome if you are comparing areas.
Would you rather stay somewhere else?
Three other hotels nearby, each for a different reason.
Hotel de la Ville: For a rooftop bar: Rocco Forte's second Rome hotel sits at the top of the Spanish Steps, with Cielo bar on the roof. Check availability and prices at Hotel de la Ville
Hotel Eden: For dinner with a view: a Dorchester Collection hotel from 1889, with La Terrazza on the roof, a walk away through the Pincio. Check availability and prices at Hotel Eden
Hotel Vilòn: For privacy: 18 rooms in a 16th-century annex of Palazzo Borghese, ten minutes away on foot. Check availability and prices at Hotel Vilòn
Picolo also recommends
Hassler Roma
Ten minutes up the hill from Hotel de Russie, Hassler Roma stands at the very top of the Spanish Steps. The Wirth family has run it since the 1890s, and from the upper floors you look out over the domes of the whole old town. Dinner at Imàgo, the Michelin-starred restaurant on the sixth floor, is reason enough to come. Choose it if a view matters more to you than a garden.
Frequently asked questions about Hotel de Russie
Is Hotel de Russie worth it?
Yes, if a garden and a central location matter to you. Hotel de Russie is one of very few hotels in central Rome where you can eat outdoors among trees. From the door you can walk to Piazza del Popolo, the Spanish Steps and Villa Borghese. With 120 rooms it is busier than a boutique hotel, so ask for a garden-facing room.
Where is Hotel de Russie in Rome?
Hotel de Russie is at Via del Babuino 9, between Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps in the historic centre. Flaminio metro station on line A is a few minutes' walk away, and the Pincio terrace and Villa Borghese park rise directly behind the hotel garden.
Does Hotel de Russie have a pool?
Hotel de Russie has no swimming pool for laps, but the spa has a small salt-water pool for relaxing and a steam room. If a proper pool matters, look at Rome Cavalieri on Monte Mario, or the garden pool at Villa Agrippina Gran Meliá near the Vatican.
Did Picasso stay at Hotel de Russie?
Yes, Pablo Picasso stayed at Hotel de Russie in February 1917, in a room next to Jean Cocteau's, while they prepared the first Cubist ballet. According to the hotel, the two leaned out of their windows to pick oranges from the garden. One of today's suites is named after Picasso.
Can you visit the Secret Garden without staying at the hotel?
Yes, you can see the garden by booking a table at Le Jardin de Russie or ordering a drink at Stravinskij Bar, both of which are open to non-residents. Aperitivo time in the early evening is the liveliest. Book ahead in spring and summer, when outdoor tables go quickly.