Florence, the birth place of Italian Renaissance as well as the modern world as we know it today, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and is a must visit. During the 250 years of Italian Renaissance, Florence was most important political, economical and cultural center in Europe and today, it is one of the most important tourist centers in Italy.
Florence has only 336,000 residents but houses 80 museums (the city itself is a large, open air museum). Major museums in Florence are City Hall, the Palazzo della Signoria (a.k.a Palazzo Vecchio), the Archeological Museum, the Museum of the History of Science, the Palazzo Davanzatti, the Stibbert Museum, St. Marks, the Medici Chapels, the Museum of the Works of Santa Croce, the Museum of the Cloister of Santa Maria Novella, the Zoological Museum (“La Specola”), the Bardini, and the Museo Horne. And of course a must-visit place is the Accademia where David, a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture by Italian giant Michelangelo stands 5.17 meters tall.
Walking along the shores of Arno River, bridges on it and narrow streets from Medieval times is another “must-do” in Florence. If you want some shopping, you should also visit Via Tornabuoni, Via del Parione and Via Maggio.
Any way, let’s talk about the title of the post here: Where to stay in Florence? Florence hotels are expensive and Florence is one of the most expensive place in Italy in terms of accommodation. Most hotels in Florence occupies historic town houses or palazzos (small palace (palazi) like residences in Florence from Renaissance era. But there are many hotels in Florence catering to all budgets from B&Bs to 5-star boutiques so it is still possible to stay in Florence without opening up a big hole in your travel budget.
The best place to stay in Florence is of course its historic city center. Florence city center (Firenze Centro Storico) is quite small and almost every main attraction here can be accessed on foot if you stay in here. Florence is really one of the most beautiful city in the world and you should definitely stay in the middle of this beauty surrounded with history, culture and art. But if you want a budget hotel in Florence, you can find it outside storico.
A little warning here : There are Florence budget hotels around the rail station but this place is not very safe. If you are also into big hotel chains, they are quite outside Florence city center.
Piazza della Signoria
Piazza della Signoria is the beautiful square in Florence where you can find infamous Uffizi Galleries (one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world). This “L” shaped square is an ideal place to start your Florence tour and the area around it is ideal to stay in Florence. This is the center of Florence and the 14. century The Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace) here is the city hall of Florence. There is also a copy of Michelangelo’s David in the square.
For hotels near this beautiful Florence square as well as their price comparisons, you can check Florence Piazza della Signoria hotels page.
Florence has only 336,000 residents but houses 80 museums (the city itself is a large, open air museum). Major museums in Florence are City Hall, the Palazzo della Signoria (a.k.a Palazzo Vecchio), the Archeological Museum, the Museum of the History of Science, the Palazzo Davanzatti, the Stibbert Museum, St. Marks, the Medici Chapels, the Museum of the Works of Santa Croce, the Museum of the Cloister of Santa Maria Novella, the Zoological Museum (“La Specola”), the Bardini, and the Museo Horne. And of course a must-visit place is the Accademia where David, a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture by Italian giant Michelangelo stands 5.17 meters tall.
Walking along the shores of Arno River, bridges on it and narrow streets from Medieval times is another “must-do” in Florence. If you want some shopping, you should also visit Via Tornabuoni, Via del Parione and Via Maggio.
Any way, let’s talk about the title of the post here: Where to stay in Florence? Florence hotels are expensive and Florence is one of the most expensive place in Italy in terms of accommodation. Most hotels in Florence occupies historic town houses or palazzos (small palace (palazi) like residences in Florence from Renaissance era. But there are many hotels in Florence catering to all budgets from B&Bs to 5-star boutiques so it is still possible to stay in Florence without opening up a big hole in your travel budget.
The best place to stay in Florence is of course its historic city center. Florence city center (Firenze Centro Storico) is quite small and almost every main attraction here can be accessed on foot if you stay in here. Florence is really one of the most beautiful city in the world and you should definitely stay in the middle of this beauty surrounded with history, culture and art. But if you want a budget hotel in Florence, you can find it outside storico.
A little warning here : There are Florence budget hotels around the rail station but this place is not very safe. If you are also into big hotel chains, they are quite outside Florence city center.
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| Florence Italy |
A good tip to find relatively cheap hotels in Florence is visiting the city in the weekend. Some Florence business hotels like Starhotel Michelangelo offers weekend room discounts where the business travelers do not visit the city. You should also book your Florence hotel online where you can find many discounts.
Florence Historic City Center (Firenze Centro Storico)
Between 14th and 17th century, during when Florence was the center of the world, bankers, merchants and royals have built many elegant and gorgeous buildings in the city. Today, the historic center of Florence (Centro Storico) houses most of the tourist attractions in the city. Here you will get lost in historic churches, cathedrals, museums, art galleries, streets, squares and bridges. The best way to experience all these is to go around on foot.
As we have written above, this small area is expensive to stay but nevertheless it worth to stay here. For an up-to-date, price compared list of hotels in Florence historic city center, you can check Florence hotels in historic city center page.
Let’s now look at some major district in Centro Storico.
The Duomo
The center of Florence historic center is the most famous structure in Florence: The Duomo a.k.a Basilica of St. Mary of the Flowers. The area around this beautiful building is an ideal place to stay in Florence because this is half way between one of the most visited tourist attractions in the city, Uffizi Galleries and Ponte Veccho which is famous with jewelry and shops and art galleries (other side of Arno River). Plus, Accademia, where you will see Michelangelo’s David, is a short walking distance away.
For hotels around The Duomo, with their latest prices and customer reviews, you can check Florence Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore hotels page.
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| The Duomo, Florence Italy |
Piazza della Signoria is the beautiful square in Florence where you can find infamous Uffizi Galleries (one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world). This “L” shaped square is an ideal place to start your Florence tour and the area around it is ideal to stay in Florence. This is the center of Florence and the 14. century The Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace) here is the city hall of Florence. There is also a copy of Michelangelo’s David in the square.
For hotels near this beautiful Florence square as well as their price comparisons, you can check Florence Piazza della Signoria hotels page.
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| Piazza della Signoria Florence (The building is Palazzo Vecchio) |
Oltrarno
Oltrarno means beyond the Arno; it is located south of the River Arno. It is located on the other side of Arno compared to the historic center. Oltrarno was a district inside the city walls which were constructed in 14. century. Artists and aristocrats lived here. Famous Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens are in Oltrarno as well as Piazza Santo Spirito with its restaurants and colorful night life.
For hotels near Oltrarno as well as their price comperisons, you can check Florence Oltrarno hotels page.
Piazza Santa Croce
If you want to see how residents of Florence live, you should head to Piazza Santa Croce at the tip of historic center of Florence. The bonus here are the infamous restaurants. Basilica of Santa Croce in the square is the largest Franciscan church on the planet.
For hotels here check Florence Piazza Santa Croce hotels page.
Santa Maria Novella
Santa Maria Novella is on the western border of the historic center of Florence and is the area around Florence central train station. There are some nice hotels here and the area is known to house budget hotels in Florence but it is generally not safe here. If you really want to try to find a nice hotel here check Florence Santa Maria Novella hotels page.
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