Hotels
Hotels in Florence: ten places to stay on both banks of the Arno
At seven o'clock Giotto's bell tower strikes the hour, and Piazza del Duomo still belongs to the street sweepers and a handful of runners. An hour later it is full. Florence is a small city with an enormous number of visitors, and your hotel decides whether you get the first hour or only the second.
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Florence has a population about the size of Cardiff and receives many millions of visitors a year, nearly all of whom want to see the same five things. The historic centre is so compact that you walk from the Duomo to the Ponte Vecchio in eight minutes, which is both the city's strength and its problem. The streets between the cathedral, the Uffizi and the bridge are packed from mid-morning until evening. Cross the Arno into the Oltrarno, the other bank, and within a hundred metres it goes quiet: workshops, wine bars and squares where people actually live.
We have chosen ten hotels in four areas: around the Duomo and Piazza della Repubblica, and along the river by the Ponte Vecchio and in the Oltrarno. The others are by Santa Maria Novella, where the trains come in, and in the quiet eastern centre towards Santa Croce. Some are among the most expensive in Italy; others are here because they deliver unusual quality in a city where hotel rates have climbed steeply. For each we say who it suits and who should sleep elsewhere. Links go to Hotels.com, and the hotel is always chosen before the link.
In short: where to stay in Florence
Stay around the Duomo and Piazza della Repubblica if this is your first visit and you want to walk to everything without thinking about a map. The Oltrarno, south of the river, suits travellers who want quiet evenings, artisan workshops and trattorias full of locals, and who do not mind five minutes across a bridge. Santa Maria Novella is practical for the train and a short walk in. Santa Croce and Borgo Pinti offer gardens and silence a quarter of an hour from the crowds.
Our first choice: Hotel Brunelleschi. Check availability and prices
Best for romance: Villa Cora
Best for families: Four Seasons Hotel Firenze
Best for a first visit: Hotel Brunelleschi
Best for value: 25hours Hotel Piazza San Paolino
Best for design: Portrait Firenze
How to choose a hotel in Florence
Choose your side of the river: The north bank has the Duomo, the Uffizi and almost all the tourists. The Oltrarno on the south bank has the Pitti Palace, the Boboli Gardens and the evenings where Florentines themselves eat. Five minutes separate them on foot, and the mood could not be more different.
The centre is car-free, and that includes your taxi: Large parts of the historic centre are closed to traffic, and taxis often have to drop you some distance away. Ask the hotel where the nearest drop-off point is before you book, especially with heavy luggage.
Ask for a courtyard room on the busy streets: The lanes around the Duomo and Via de' Tornabuoni are narrow and tall, and the sound of suitcase wheels on cobbles lasts late into the night. An inward-facing room is calmer, even if it means losing the view.
A roof terrace is what Florence does best: The city is flat and the dome rises above everything, so a fifth-floor terrace gives you the entire skyline with a drink in hand. If you have to choose, pick the hotel with a terrace over the one with a pool.
Breakfast at the hotel or at the bar: An Italian breakfast is a cornetto and a cappuccino standing at the counter, at a fraction of what the hotel charges. The best hotels in this guide serve a breakfast worth paying for; the simpler ones do not.
The lobby
The lobby at Hotel Brunelleschi.
Around the Duomo and Piazza della Repubblica: in the thick of it
The cathedral with Brunelleschi's dome is the city's centre of gravity, and the streets around it are the busiest in Florence. Two blocks south lies Piazza della Repubblica with its cafés and carousel, and from there it is a couple of minutes to the Uffizi and Piazza della Signoria. You stay here to walk to everything, and you pay for it in both rates and crowds.
Hotel Brunelleschi: the round tower two minutes from the dome
Hotel Brunelleschi is built around a round medieval stone tower and a deconsecrated church, in a small lane two minutes from the Duomo. From certain rooms, and from the suite at the top of the tower, you look straight at the dome, so close you can count the roof tiles.
We recommend it for a first visit: you sleep exactly in the middle of the centre, yet in a cul-de-sac that is surprisingly quiet. The style is classic and warm, with wooden floors and deep colours, and the restaurant inside the tower is one of the better places to eat in the city. It is expensive, and the surrounding lanes are packed by day, so it is the wrong pick if you want a garden and air around you.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Hotel Brunelleschi
The view
The view from Hotel Savoy.
Hotel Savoy: the corner of Piazza della Repubblica
Hotel Savoy stands directly on Piazza della Repubblica, the city's great open square with its cafés, carousel and buskers. The terrace facing the square is where to sit with an aperitivo as the lights come on. Rooms on the upper floors have the dome in the window.
This is the hotel for travellers who want the classic grand city hotel, with attentive service, an elegant bar and guests who have packed carefully. The interiors are lighter and more contemporary than the old façade suggests, with Florentine touches in the fabrics and art. The square outside is lively until midnight, and rooms facing it hear the music, so ask for the back if you sleep lightly.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Hotel Savoy
The terrace
The terrace at Hotel Calimala.
Hotel Calimala: the roof terrace between the Duomo and the Ponte Vecchio
Hotel Calimala occupies an old building on Via Calimala, the street running from Piazza della Repubblica down to the Mercato Nuovo and the Ponte Vecchio. Its roof terrace, with a bar and restaurant, looks across to the dome on one side and the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio on the other.
It works best for travellers who want to sleep in the centre with contemporary design and a terrace to end the evening on, without the rates of the big names. Rooms combine old marble floors with newer furniture, and the staircase alone deserves a look. The street is one of the city's busiest for pedestrians, and the hotel has no large lobby. So it is the wrong choice if you want peace on the ground floor.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Hotel Calimala
The view
The view from Portrait Firenze.
The Ponte Vecchio and the Oltrarno: a river in between
The Ponte Vecchio, the old bridge lined with goldsmiths, is where the whole city crosses. On the north bank runs the Lungarno, the riverside promenade with palazzi facing the water. Cross over and you are in the Oltrarno, the district of the Pitti Palace, the Boboli Gardens and the workshops of Via Maggio. Around Piazza Santo Spirito the evenings last longer and the tourists are fewer. Further up the hill south of the city sit villas with a view over all of it.
Portrait Firenze: suites with the Ponte Vecchio in the window
Portrait Firenze stands on Lungarno Acciaiuoli, the riverside promenade on the north bank, so close to the Ponte Vecchio that you see the goldsmiths' shops from the river-facing rooms. The hotel belongs to the Ferragamo family's hotel group, and every room is a suite with a small kitchen and tall windows.
This is our pick for design: muted greys, brass, leather and a lobby that feels more like a private flat than a hotel. It is made for couples who want a high standard and an address they never need to explain, and the Uffizi is three minutes on foot. Rates are among the highest in the city and the hotel is small, so it is not for anyone wanting a pool, a spa or a big breakfast room.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Portrait Firenze
The view
The view from Hotel Lungarno.
Hotel Lungarno: the riverbank on the quiet side
Hotel Lungarno sits on the south bank of the Arno, the Oltrarno side, with the Ponte Vecchio a hundred metres to your left when you stand on the terrace. The walls carry a large art collection, and the riverside restaurant serves dinner with the bridge as a backdrop.
It is ideal for travellers who want a river view and quiet at the same time: in the evening this bank goes still. The Uffizi and the centre are five minutes across the bridge. The style is nautical and classic, in white and navy, and river-facing rooms have small balconies. Street-facing rooms are considerably less appealing, so here you should pay for the view or choose another hotel.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Hotel Lungarno
The pool
The pool at Villa Cora.
Villa Cora: the villa in the hills behind the Boboli
Villa Cora is a grand villa on Viale Machiavelli, the broad avenue that winds up the hill south of the Boboli Gardens towards Piazzale Michelangelo. The garden has a heated pool with a view, and the hotel offers a shuttle down to the centre for guests.
This is our pick for romance: frescoed ceilings, mirrored salons, a bar in the old library and a garden quiet enough to hear birdsong. It is right for couples who want somewhere to retreat to after a day in the city, and families who want a pool. The drawback is that you are a quarter of an hour's walk downhill from Porta Romana and the Pitti Palace. Uphill again at night, so it is not the hotel for anyone who likes to pop back to the room at lunchtime.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Villa Cora
The balcony
The view from one of the balconies at The St. Regis Florence.
Santa Maria Novella: where the trains come in
Piazza Santa Maria Novella, with its green and white marble church, is a couple of minutes from the railway station. The streets around it have become the city's hotel quarter, with everything from simple pensioni to some of the most expensive addresses in Italy. Via de' Tornabuoni and its fashion houses begin here, and the Arno is five minutes south. Practical, central and more mixed than you expect.
The St. Regis Florence: the palazzo on Piazza Ognissanti
The St. Regis stands on Piazza Ognissanti right down by the Arno, in a Renaissance palazzo with windows onto the river and across to the Oltrarno. The lobby and breakfast room sit under a glass roof with frescoes, and the river-facing rooms have the grandest outlook in this guide.
This is the hotel for travellers who want the large, formal luxury hotel with butlers, a bar and everything that goes with it, and who want the river directly outside. The location is central but calm: Tornabuoni is three minutes away, the Duomo ten. It is big and impersonal compared with the small hotels in this guide, so skip it if you want to know the owner and the dog at reception.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at The St. Regis Florence
The garden
The garden and grounds at 25hours Hotel Piazza San Paolino.
25hours Hotel Piazza San Paolino: the playful hotel in the old convent
25hours occupies a former convent on Piazza San Paolino, a small square a couple of blocks from Santa Maria Novella. The rooms surround an inner courtyard under a glass roof filled with greenery. The interiors are split into two themes inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy, bright rooms on one side and dark ones on the other.
This is our pick for value: design, a good breakfast and a lively bar at a rate far below the neighbours on Tornabuoni. It is a strong pick for travellers who are under forty in spirit and like a hotel that does not take itself too seriously. The square outside is quiet, but the neighbourhood between the station and the river is less pretty than the rest of the centre. So pass on it if you want the Duomo from the window.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at 25hours Hotel Piazza San Paolino
The lobby
The lobby at Four Seasons Hotel Firenze.
Santa Croce and Borgo Pinti: the gardens of the eastern centre
East of the Duomo, Florence grows calmer with every block. Borgo Pinti and the streets around Piazza d'Azeglio are residential, with palazzi hiding large gardens behind their walls. The church of Santa Croce, with the tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo, lies ten minutes south. You stay here for silence and space, and walk a quarter of an hour to most things.
Four Seasons Hotel Firenze: the largest private garden in the city
The Four Seasons occupies the Palazzo della Gherardesca on Borgo Pinti. Behind the palazzo lies the Giardino della Gherardesca, a park of several acres with old trees, a pool and paths, walled so that you cannot hear the city. The palazzo's frescoes and stucco were restored over many years.
We recommend it to families who want space and a pool in the middle of the city, and to couples who want the very best and can afford it. The spa and the garden mean you can take a whole afternoon off from the museums. Rates are the highest in this guide, and the Duomo is a quarter of an hour on foot through streets of little charm. So it does not suit anyone who wants the city right outside the door.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Four Seasons Hotel Firenze
The terrace
The terrace at Hotel Regency.
Hotel Regency: the villa on Piazza d'Azeglio
Hotel Regency occupies an old town villa on Piazza d'Azeglio, a quarter of an hour east of the Duomo. The green square, with a playground and benches, looks more like London than Florence. The hotel has a small garden between two wings where breakfast and dinner are served when it is warm enough.
It appeals to travellers who want a classic, smaller hotel with personal service and quiet nights, and who treat Florence as a city to walk. The decoration is traditional, with wallpaper, heavy curtains and carpets, and may feel old-fashioned if you are used to Scandinavian design. The neighbourhood is calm and handsome but has no restaurants to speak of, so you walk to Santa Croce for dinner.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Hotel Regency
When to book
April to October is high season: Florence is full from Easter to mid-October, and the small hotels in the centre are booked three to four months ahead. May and late September are the best windows, with light and warmth but less of the crush.
Pitti Uomo and the trade fairs fill the city:The Pitti Uomo fashion fair in January and June and the big events at the Fortezza da Basso fill hotels across the centre. Expect high rates for several days at a time. Check the dates before you pick your week.
November to March is quiet, with exceptions: Winter brings short queues at the Uffizi, free tables and lower rates. Christmas week and New Year are the exceptions, and in some years Easter falls early and fills the city as soon as March.
Our first choice in Florence
Hotel Brunelleschi
We recommend Hotel Brunelleschi because you stay right in the centre, two minutes from the Duomo, yet on a dead-end lane that is surprisingly quiet. The hotel is built around a medieval stone tower and a deconsecrated church. From some rooms you look straight at the dome.
Frequently asked questions about hotels in Florence
Where should I stay in Florence?
Around the Duomo and Piazza della Repubblica for a first visit, the Oltrarno for quiet and evenings among locals, Santa Maria Novella for the train and practical distances. Santa Croce and Borgo Pinti offer gardens and silence a quarter of an hour from the crowds. See the hotels area by area above.
Is the Oltrarno a good area to stay in?
Yes, if you want quiet evenings and trattorias where Florentines eat. You cross the bridge to the Uffizi and the Duomo in five to ten minutes. At night you return to a district that does not shut down when the tourists leave.
How many nights do I need in Florence?
Two nights cover the Duomo, the Uffizi, the Ponte Vecchio and an evening in the Oltrarno. Three or four leave room for the Accademia and David, the Boboli Gardens, sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo and a day trip to Siena or Chianti. Book the Uffizi and the Accademia in advance to skip the queue.
Can I drive to my hotel in Florence?
The historic centre is a restricted traffic zone, the ZTL, where cameras fine cars without a permit. Hotels can register your number plate for entry, but it must be arranged before you arrive, and parking is scarce and dear. Many visitors park outside the centre and take the tram or bus in.
How far is Florence airport from the centre?
Peretola airport lies five kilometres west of the centre, and tram line T2 reaches Santa Maria Novella station in around twenty minutes. Many visitors fly into Pisa instead and take the train, which takes about an hour. A taxi from Peretola takes about a quarter of an hour.