Tuscany’s capital is a Renaissance wonderland of artwork and terracotta tiles. Florence is likely one of the hottest metropolis breaks in Europe, and it’s received the movie star standing to show it. You’ve received the Florence Cathedral, cobbled streets filled with unbiased boutiques, and the Arno River working by the town middle. Florence is filled with artwork and tradition – however the place do you keep to see all the primary sights? How do you select the place to keep in Florence?
Best Places to Stay in Florence
Florence is an attractive metropolis to go to. There’s artwork and sweetness in every single place. When it comes to the primary sights, you’ve gotten the Etruscan Archaeological Museum, the bustle of Piazza del Duomo, and the grandeur of Palazzo Vecchio. You’ve received rather a lot to look ahead to.
Where to keep in Florence is totally different for everybody and each go to. Central Florence has practically ten totally different areas, every with a mixture of trendy boutique resorts and sights. You can go native and keep away from the vacationers or pay the worth and be inside strolling distance of all the things. After numerous visits to the town, we’ve whittled it down to six neighborhoods for you to select from – we would like you to have the very best.
1. Centro Storico
Centro Storico is the guts of Florence and its historical past. Picture church buildings that date again centuries, slim streets, and views of the gorgeous important attraction in the town: Florence Cathedral. Centro Storico is absolutely the hub of the town, and everybody is aware of it. All the very best resorts get booked out over the summer time, and crowds of vacationers descend on the neighborhood year-round. Most of Florence’s important points of interest are condensed into this tiny pocket of historical past, and the temptation is an excessive amount of for many guests to resist. It’s even UNESCO-recognized.
With this nice location, you’re inside straightforward strolling distance of points of interest just like the Uffizi Gallery, Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio, and the National Museum of Bargello. The neighborhood is a vigorous mixture of main websites. You can’t beat staying right here if you’d like to discover on foot.
In abstract, Centro Storico is the place to keep in Florence if you happen to’re a first-time customer, dedicated to sightseeing on foot, or solely have a few days in the town. It is completely handy, with the added bonus of being completely attractive (primarily thanks to the Duomo’s terracotta domes).
Luxury: Rocco Forte Hotel Savoy
Rocco Forte Hotel Savoy is a chic 5-star lodge proper subsequent to the Uffizi Gallery. You can guide rooms with distinctive views, together with certainly one of Piazza del Duomo or the well-known bell tower. Rooms don’t come low cost, however you’ll get world-class therapy in change.
Rocco Forte Hotel Savoy is well probably the greatest luxurious resorts in the historic middle of Florence.
Mid Range: Hotel Della Signoria
Hotel Della Signoria is a three-star property with a five-star location, simply steps from Piazza della Signoria and Ponte Vecchio. It gives a spread of rooms, together with a superior room with a non-public terrace.
This lodge is nice worth for cash and a pleasure to expertise. The terrace room is certainly an amazing shout, providing a little bit of solace in the busy metropolis middle.
Budget: Dante’s Rooms
Dante’s Rooms is your easiest selection for price range lodging in the middle of Florence. You get all of the fundamentals: free wi fi, comfy beds, and TVs in every visitor room.
Does it have a rooftop pool? No, however the cut price keep is well worth the trade-off. If you’re keen to go for a extra B&B type expertise, Dante’s Rooms is an excellent price range lodge selection in central Florence.
Pros Of Staying in Centro Storico
Walking distance from main points of interest just like the Duomo, Uffizi Gallery, Piazza della Signoria, and Palazzo Vecchio.
Plenty of buzz and an thrilling environment.
Lots of lodge selections.
Cons Of Staying in Centro Storico
Heavy crowds.
Hotels can include a hefty price ticket.
You solely see the “main area”, with out the encircling countryside or suburban areas.
2. Santa Maria Novella
Santa Maria Novella is no-nonsense. The neighborhood is centered across the Santa Maria Novella prepare station. It is filled with in-and-out guests and, as such, has loads of budget-friendly lodging. It can get sketchy across the prepare station at night time, with drug use and the odd opportunistic lurkers prepared to bag snatch. But as a complete, the Santa Maria Novella district is the place to keep in Florence if you’d like an inexpensive and easy place to keep. You are only a brief stroll into the historic metropolis middle and to all the primary sights, simply with out the expense of paying by the roof for extra central lodging.
Apart from the primary prepare station (very useful for day journeys), the neighborhood has the attractive marble Basilica of Santa Maria Novella. You also can try the antiques alongside Via dei Fossi, a preferred procuring avenue, and a number of the metropolis’s extra budget-friendly nightclubs, like Space Club. There are museums, too, together with the Marino Marini Firenze Museum and Palazzo Strozzi.
We’d recommend staying in the lower-eastern area of Santa Maria Novella, away from the prepare station and alongside the Arno River. It has extra of a central attraction and is a brief strolling distance from Centro Storico anyway, which is a pleasant contact. Santa Maria Novella is well probably the greatest neighborhoods if you’d like a extra budget-friendly different to Centro Storico with out sacrificing a lot for handy sightseeing.
Luxury: Portrait Firenze
Portrait Firenze is a beautiful 5-star lodge simply 30 meters away from Ponte Vecchio. Portrait Firenze is the place to keep if you’d like luxurious with water views, they usually have superb lodge rooms with marble loos and home windows overlooking the Arno River.
This luxurious property is well probably the greatest resorts, centrally positioned, providing tasteful decor and upscale rooms.
Mid Range: Novella House
Novella House is filled with character, with a boutique lodge inside that includes patterned wallpapers and frescoed ceilings. It is fantastically positioned in the Santa Maria Novella district, inside a straightforward stroll of Ponte Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria.
Novella House is ready in a Seventeenth-century constructing, which is simply the cherry on high. It is a historic spot and probably the greatest resorts if you’d like loads of character.
Budget: Foresteria Sociale Florence Center by New Generation Hostel
Foresteria Sociale Florence Center by New Generation Hostel is ideal for anybody who likes a cut price. The least expensive rooms are dormitory choices, with female-only and mixed-sex rooms obtainable. There are additionally costlier non-public rooms with mid-range costs if you happen to favor privateness however nonetheless desire a hostel atmosphere.
You also can entry a shared kitchen, loos, and laundry services.
Pros Of Staying in Santa Maria Novella
It is barely cheaper than Centro Storico.
It continues to be in the town middle, which means you’re inside strolling distance of main points of interest.
It has a enjoyable environment.
Cons Of Staying in Santa Maria Novella
The space across the prepare station and Piazza Santa Maria Novella may be sketchy at night time.
You’re nonetheless in the town middle, so the very best resorts may be costly.
Santa Maria Novella nonetheless will get crowded with vacationers and native individuals utilizing the prepare station.
3. San Niccolò
San Niccolò is an attractive place to keep in Florence. The historic neighborhood is a community of cobbles and twisting streets backed by artisan workshops earlier than exploding into open expanses of inexperienced areas and villa gardens. It completely balances historical past, tradition, and nature. And for these wanting to dodge the crowds, it sits a protected distance away from Florence’s manic metropolis middle, overlooking the cityscape from throughout the Arno River.
San Niccolò is on the town’s south financial institution, which is the other facet of the Arno River to Centro Storico and Santa Maria Novella. Because of this, you will have to plan some additional journey time to attain the town middle and sightsee issues like the most important attraction of Florence Cathedral. However, it solely takes round 20 minutes to stroll from San Niccolò to Florence’s central vacationer district – how straightforward is that? You’ll cross over the enduring Ponte Vecchio bridge or Ponte alle Grazia, each of that are pedestrian-friendly.
There can also be a lot to see and do in the neighborhood itself. The Piazzale Michelangelo is a panoramic viewpoint overlooking Florence, with a bronze David reproduction standing guard. The Terzo Giardino and Villa Bardini are additionally nice locations for peaceable walks in serene nature.
San Niccolò is the place to keep in Florence if you’d like to expertise a quiet tradition in the town. It’s filled with gardens and serenity, with an opportunity to expertise Florence with fewer crowds.
Luxury: Hotel Lungarno
Hotel Lungarno is one other stunning riverfront property. It is positioned only a brief distance from Ponte Vecchio and gives suites overlooking the water. The lodge is adorned with worthwhile artwork, together with unique items by Picasso.
Onsite eating places and advantageous eating choices can be found, and practically each visitor room or suite gives gorgeous marble loos.
Mid Range: Serristori Palace Residence
Serristori Palace Residence is positioned in the far west of San Niccolò. The Nineteenth-century constructing has a mix of luxury-furnished flats, providing you with the right self-catering base.
Every condominium has a kitchen and laundry services. You additionally get entry to a small however fairly shared backyard. It’s a soothing base for visiting San Niccolò on a mid-range price range.
Budget: QK Costa58 Home Tower
QK Costa58 Home Tower is as budget-friendly as this neighborhood will get. Luckily, the attractive setting of this property makes these additional pennies worthwhile. Forget reserving a cookie-cutter lodge with a swimming pool or rooftop terrace. Instead, you may be staying in an actual medieval tower. You enter the stone tower by basic wood doorways – an actual expertise.
The double room is your most budget-friendly possibility and has nice views over the town under.
Pros Of Staying in San Niccolò
There are extra peaceable areas of nature and inexperienced area.
There are artisan workshops, villas, and off-the-beaten-track tradition.
You expertise fewer crowds.
Cons Of Staying in San Niccolò
There are fewer resorts to select from.
You are farther from the town middle.
There are fewer main vacationer points of interest.
4. Santa Croce
Santa Croce is broadly hailed as essentially the most “charming” place to keep in Florence. It has tons of lingering heritage, being the ultimate resting place of big names like Galileo and Michelangelo. You have bars and cafes, plus recent produce bought on the healthful avenue market of Sant Ambrogio. It’s a romantic and ever so barely eclectic neighborhood. You’ll discover monumental tombs of the late and greats on one avenue and al fresco eating and markets on the subsequent. We love its sense of avenue tradition and outside residing. And if you’d like someplace with historical past however laidback tradition, city Santa Croce is the place to keep in Florence.
Santa Croce sits east of the town middle, lower than a 15-minute stroll from all of the central sightseeing and points of interest just like the Uffizi Gallery. The south border overlooks the Arno River, whereas the east borders the Florence ring street, offering swift entry for these driving or catching a taxi to the airport. It’s central sufficient to nonetheless be handy however far out sufficient to escape the stifle of different weekend metropolis breakers.
In Santa Croce itself, you’ve received the Florence National Central Library, Casa Buonarroti, the attractive Basilica di Santa Croce di Firenze, and monumental tombs. It’s nice for artwork, literature, and academia. And whenever you aren’t embracing artistic historical past in Santa Croce, you may be purchasing for recent fruit and greens. The basic consensus is apt; Santa Croce positively has a “charm”.
Luxury: YiD Cantoria
When staying in Santa Croce, YiD Cantoria is by far your finest luxurious possibility. The gorgeous condominium has a non-public entrance and inside designs to die for. Fresco-style paintings items adorn its partitions, and loads of wood notes. It’s a mixture between stylish and conventional, and it sleeps up to six individuals – group journey, anybody?
You additionally get a non-public balcony with attractive avenue views. It’s a superb selection for anybody wanting privateness and independence in Santa Croce.
Mid Range: Borgo Signature Rooms
Borgo Signature Rooms is a guesthouse in Santa Croce with splendidly embellished rooms. It is the place to keep if you’d like aesthetically pleasing guestrooms on a mid-range price range. The combination of wood furnishings and paintings is simply stunning.
As if all that wasn’t sufficient, you’re simply minutes from the Basilica di Santa Croce Firenze. Borgo Signature Rooms are useless centrally positioned.
Budget: Bargello Guest House
Bargello Guest House gives guestrooms in a B&B type with quite a few shared areas, together with a cushty lounge space. Each room has a non-public ensuite with complimentary toiletries and a TV for downtime after sightseeing.
Bargello Guest House is likely one of the few budget-friendly lodging choices in Santa Croce, so snap it up whereas it’s obtainable.
Pros Of Staying in Santa Croce
It is central and inside strolling distance of all the primary points of interest, together with the Uffizi Gallery.
It has an attractive market scene for laidback, genuine residing.
There’s tons of fascinating historical past, particularly artwork historical past and monumental tombs belonging to Galileo and Michelangelo.
Cons Of Staying in Santa Croce
It can get busy nonetheless.
You nonetheless have to stroll just a little longer than if you happen to stayed extra centrally (quarter-hour on common reasonably than 5 minutes or so).
Accommodation may be costly and promote out in peak months.
5. Santo Spirito
The Santo Spirito neighborhood is stylish, with an electrical sense of nightlife. This is the place you’ll be able to keep in Florence if you’d like events after darkish, and it has a classy assortment of vibrant bars that keep open lengthy into the early hours. Santo Spirito is a unbelievable place to embrace the native vibe and socialize in your journey to Florence. Oh, and it additionally has nice eating places, if these vigorous bars weren’t sufficient for you. Unsurprisingly, it’s thought of probably the greatest neighborhoods in Florence.
Santo Spirito is positioned south of the river, like San Niccolò. However, it’s barely extra central, positioned simply off the steps of the Ponte Vecchio bridge. Because of this, you’re already on the outskirts of the town middle and only a brief stroll to Florence’s important points of interest just like the cathedral and Piazza della Repubblica. It’s only a bit extra handy.
When you aren’t partying or strolling briskly over Ponte Vecchio for inner-city sightseeing, there’s a lot to do in Santo Spirito. The greatest attraction in the neighborhood is Pitti Palace. Pitti Palace is an artwork gallery advanced inside a Renaissance royal palace and opens onto the Boboli Gardens.
Santo Spirito is undoubtedly the place to keep if you happen to love to social gathering and expertise nightlife in new cities. However, it’s equally a superb place to let your hair down in nature and admire paintings – the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens are two of Florence’s most spectacular outer-city points of interest.
Luxury: Brunelleschi Imperial House
Brunelleschi Imperial House is an attractive two-bedroom condominium in central Santo Spirito. The design is extravagant, with heat lighting and spectacular options like a stone fire. You even get entry to a scorching tub. With all this on provide, the luxurious of self-catered lodging to slink again to for privateness, peace, and quiet after a protracted day is good.
The condominium sleeps up to six individuals. You have a spacious lounge and excellent kitchen services, so it’s an attractive spot if you’d like spacious lodging in Florence.
Mid Range: Hotel Palazzo Guadagni
Hotel Palazzo Guadagni oozes custom and sophistication. Its most eye-catching high quality is its stone rooftop terrace, adorned with stone columns. The complete property is embellished with antiques and frescoes. If you need someplace memorable to keep in Santo Spirito, that is the place to select.
Some rooms overlook the Pitti Palace, and a few bookings embrace a each day breakfast (on the terrace, after all). If you actually desire a memorable expertise, you’ll be able to guide one of many rooms that includes an open fireplace. This is a pleasant possibility in winter.
Budget: Home in Florence
Home in Florence is a conventional little condominium with terracotta-tiled flooring and a wrought iron mattress body. Staying right here is equal to stepping right into a novel or TV present. The property’s barely fundamental, rough-around-the-edges attract offers it that genuine vibe. Think of Emily in Paris if Emily moved to Florence as a substitute.
This one-bedroom condominium has all the things a pair or solo traveler wants. You get a kitchen, front room, and a rest room with a fantastically tiled bathe. Quaint and delicate on the pockets, Home in Florence is a unbelievable budget-friendly possibility in Santo Spirito.
Pros Of Staying in Santo Spirito
It has a classy bar scene for after-hours socializing.
It is only a brief stroll over Ponte Vecchio to attain the town middle.
You’ve received stunning points of interest like Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens.
Cons Of Staying in Santo Spirito
You nonetheless have a 15-minute stroll or so by way of the Ponte Vecchio to attain the northern metropolis middle’s points of interest, just like the Florence Cathedral and Piazza del Duomo.
It may be rowdy and busy in components.
There are fewer resorts, so guide in advance for peak months.
6. San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo is an attractive neighborhood to the northwest of the town middle. It’s proper on the cusp of being in the central historic district, making it some of the handy locations you’ll be able to keep in Florence. So, aside from its location, what precisely makes San Lorenzo so particular? In a phrase: meals.
The complete neighborhood revolves round hospitality and culinary experiences. It is the place you’ll discover the Mercato Centrale, promoting avenue meals from 9am till midnight seven days per week and a mix of low-light wine bars and upscale eating places. If you’re taking a meals tour in Florence, San Lorenzo is the place guides will take you. So, if you happen to’re a foodie, it’s possible you’ll as nicely skip that and simply guide to base your self there as a substitute.
It isn’t all meals in this culinary-focused neighborhood (though what could be mistaken with that?), and also you’ve received points of interest just like the Basilica di San Lorenzo and the Museo di Casa Martelli. You are additionally lower than a 10-minute stroll from main sights just like the Piazza del Duomo, so you’ll be able to simply spend your days sightseeing. This neighborhood is the place you’ll be able to keep for leisurely sightseeing and culinary experiences in the galore.
Luxury: Hotel Cerretani Firenze
It doesn’t get extra attractive than Hotel Cerretani Firenze on this facet of city. This 4-star lodge is simply 300 meters from Florence Cathedral, and a few of its rooms have views of the terracotta dome. Each room oozes class, with complimentary particulars like slippers and robes. You can select from a mix of superior rooms and suites. Almost each reserving features a complimentary each day breakfast service, with 24-hour room service obtainable.
Hotel Cerretani Firenze is ready in a Seventeenth-century constructing. It gives a lounge bar and onsite eating places, so mainly, all the things you want is inside its 4 partitions.
Mid Range: B&B Lorenzo di Medici
B&B Lorenzo di Medici gives a spread of room choices, all together with complimentary each day breakfast and considerate perks like a shuttle service to the airport. The inside design is recent and fashionable – a classy base to your time in Florence. It’s simply that good step between affordable costs and luxuries you crave. And whereas these are guestrooms, not flats, you continue to get useful facilities like a microwave, fridge, espresso machine, and toaster.
It’s straightforward to see why the opinions are type to B&B Lorenzo di Medici. It’s a cool mid-range spot in this foodie neighborhood in Florence.
Budget Hotel: Hostel Archi Rossi
Hostel Archi Rossi is likely one of the few typical hostel lodging in Florence, and it doesn’t fail expectations. It gives a enjoyable atmosphere with white wrought iron beds in dormitories for up to 9 individuals. There’s hand-painted paintings in every single place and a very sociable structure. It’s an amazing place to keep if you’d like to stick to a price range and make loads of buddies.
You additionally get a shared kitchen, which is nice for saving cash when consuming out. Hostel Archi Rossi is affordable and cheerful.
Pros Of Staying in San Lorenzo
There are tons of of meals experiences.
You are simply minutes from main points of interest.
There’s an attractive church and historic points of interest.
Cons Of Staying in San Lorenzo
It can get busy, particularly in peak seasons.
It has fewer points of interest than different neighborhoods in Florence.
Accommodation may be costly.
Best Areas to Stay in Florence: FAQ’s
By now, you’re nicely ready to make your remaining determination on the place to keep in Florence. You actually are spoiled for selection, and the town has a number of the finest resorts, too – simply pondering of Hotel Palazzo Guadagni’s rooftop terrace makes us need to head again to Florence!
Before you make any remaining choices, although, listed below are some widespread FAQs. This part will assist solidify your selection, particularly if you happen to’re visiting Florence for the primary time.
What a part of Florence is the very best to keep in?
Centro Storico is the very best a part of Florence if you happen to’re visiting for the primary time or simply for a weekend. This is since you are proper in the center of all the things and only a nice stroll from points of interest like Piazza della Signoria, Florence Cathedral, and Piazza della Repubblica. It’s the guts of the town, which is great for a time restrict.
Where ought to I keep in Florence for the primary time?
Again, Centro Storico is the most suitable choice for first-time guests to Florence. Its quick access to central sights is unbeatable. It’s handy and thrilling for first-time guests to be so in the thick of it. Book in advance to keep away from steeper costs and peak occasions, although.
Where to keep away from staying in Florence?
We wouldn’t advocate staying on the outskirts of Florence, particularly because it’s such a metropolis break-style vacation spot. If you’re visiting for a weekend, save your time on ridiculously lengthy public transport journeys simply to attain the town middle.
What is essentially the most stunning space in Florence?
San Niccolò is gorgeous. It’s filled with beautiful gardens, wine bars that sprawl out in al fresco seating, and views of Florence’s cityscape from throughout the Arno River.
Where not to keep in Florence
In basic, anyplace in central Florence is nice. The worst you’ll have to put up with is vacationer crowds and the opportunistic petty crime that may typically entice – like pickpocketing or bag snatching. As a complete, central Florence is protected and simple to navigate, with most locations accessible inside a brief strolling distance.
However, we’d rule out neighborhoods in Florence’s outskirts. Not solely are these areas extra inclined to crime, however you’re additionally battling prolonged journey occasions on public transport simply to attain the town middle to sightsee. It’s the very last thing you need. Here are just a few in specific to keep away from:
1. Peretola: The area across the airport is just too removed from the town middle and has nearly fixed noise air pollution.
2. Le Piagge: A budget-friendly area that sadly struggles with low-level crime in northwestern Florence.
3. Galluzo: A fairly disagreeable area in the south of Florence, most well-known for its massive jail facility.
Instead, if you’d like a extra suburban and off-the-beaten-track place to keep, head to San Niccolò. It is ready on the other financial institution of the Arno River, away from the town middle, with extra inexperienced area and a laidback environment.
Why we love Florence
There’s no denying that Florence is likely one of the prettiest cities in Europe. We adore its attractive structure and the cultural issues to do. Choosing the place to keep in Florence is simply the cherry on high —good lodging is heaven-sent and helps you immerse your self much more deeply into the town and its tradition.
In Florence, the neighborhoods have such particular person senses of character. You’ve received San Niccolò’s laidback greenery and Santa Croce’s market buzz. Or Santa Maria Novella’s no-nonsense price range lodging scene. Wherever you select to keep, we hope you’ve gotten a unbelievable time.