If you are preparing your next trip to Florence you might be wondering which is the best area to stay in Florence The best and most comfortable option is the historical centre, there are also others like the surrounding areas, much cheaper, or on the outskirts of the city in a rural hotel or in a Tuscan villa, great to enjoy the calm and beautiful landscapes of the countryside.
The best areas to stay in Florence
One of the great advantages of Florence is that you can walk to any point in its historical centre without any problem, it is a small and safe city where you hardly need to use public transport.
Among the most recommended areas for sleeping in Florence are the areas near Piazza del Duomo, Piazza de la Signoria, or near Santa Maria Novella.Piazza del Duomo, the best area to stay in Florence
In Piazza del Duomo you will find the Basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore, the spectacular Cathedral of Florence.It is one of the most central points and an excellent starting point to explore it, making one of the best places to stay in Florence .
From here it is easy to walk to Santa Maria Novella or Santa Croce, two of the most important churches in town, to Piazza de la Signoria, or the Accademia Gallery to name a few significant points.
Its surroundings are characterized by narrow medieval streets and it is one of the main shopping areas in Florence, with many bars, cafes and restaurants and one of the places where there is a concentration of hotels
– Accommodation near Piazza del Duomo
2.Piazza de la Signoria, the most central area where to sleep in Florence
The Piazza de la Signoria is one of the most interesting areas for tourists in Florence.Here you will find the Palazzo Vecchio, the Uffizi Gallery and, at a short distance, the Ponte Vecchio among other tourist attractions.
It is one of the most crowded areas and its hotels are not the best quality or price in town.However, it is one of the most sought after areas for tourists who wish to stay in Florence in one of the most central points and with more tourist attractions.
– Accommodation near Piazza della Signoria
3.Santa Maria Novella, well connected and with somewhat more affordable accommodation
The area around the train station of Florence (Santa Maria Novella Station) is not a nice area but it has the comfort of transport and the fact that you do not have to walk more than 5 or 10 minutes to be in the historical centre.It is an area with many hotels and where you can find a lot of economic offer.
In this area you can distinguish two areas: the one surrounding the train station and the other, much more pleasant, the one extending from the Church of Santa Maria Novella to the river.
If you’re looking for hotels that don’t shoot up in price and yet are very close to the historic centre this can be a good area for accommodation in Florence
– Accommodation in Santa Maria Novella
4.Via Faenza, cheap accommodation in Florence
Via Faenza is a street near Santa Maria Novella.The street and its surroundings is where the largest offer of cheap accommodation in Florence is concentrated It is an area of small streets with bars, shops and popular but very good restaurants at affordable prices for everyone
On the map it may seem that it is an area somewhat removed from the historic center.However, you have to take into account that the city is small, and from this area you can reach any tourist attraction on foot.
– Accommodation in Via Faenza
In addition to this post about where to sleep in Florence you will surely be interested in these others: Where to sleep in Rome, where to sleep in Venice, where to sleep in Milan
5.Piazza San Marco, a quiet area with tourist attractions
Piazza San Marco is situated in the northern part of the centre of Florence is very close to both Santa Maria del Fiore and Santa Maria Novella station From this area you can walk to any place in the centre of the city
The church that gives its name to the neighbourhood and which also includes a monastery dates back to the S. Giuseppe’s time. It is a somewhat quieter district than the busiest areas of the historical centre and stands out for its excellent family trattorias .
In the surroundings of this area there are important tourist attractions such as the Gallery of the Academy , the Hospital and Museum of the Innocents, the botanical garden Giardino dei Semplici, the National Museum of Archaeology, or the church Santissima Annunziata among others.
In short, staying in Florence in the San Marco district places you within walking distance from the Duomo and other parts of the city centre while avoiding the masses of tourists from other areas.
6.Santa Croze, local atmosphere in a central area
Santa Corze is one of the largest churches in Florence and the district where it is located, although still in what is considered the historic centre, is much less visited than other parts of the city.
If you are looking for a more local atmosphere without so much tourism this is another good option where to stay in Florence and it is one of the most recommended areas to go out to dinner and have a drink outside the tourist circuits of other districts of the city
– Accommodation in Santa Croze
7.Oltrarno and Santo Spirito, to enjoy the nightlife
Oltrarno is the area located on the other side of the river Arno when crossing the Ponte Vecchio.
In the neighbourhood you can find top level attractions such as the Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens , the Michelangelo and Natural History Museums, the church of San Salvatore al Monte, or the Palazzo Guicciardini.
Oltrarno is a much quieter and less crowded option than other more popular parts of the historical centre.In this neighbourhood you can enjoy a lot of handicraft shops, boutiques, and art galleries , as well as a number of cafes and excellent restaurants
Furthermore, at nightfall, the area around Piazza Santo Spirito and surroundings is one of the most recommended places for to go out for a drink .
– Accommodation in Oltrarno and Santo Spirito
8.Fortezza da Basso, a cheap option to stay in Florence
Another interesting neighbourhood to stay in Florence is Fortezza da Basso east of the train station .Its main advantage is its proximity to the centre and the station and it is possible to walk to both areas.
Except for the Fortezza da Basso itself which dates back to the 16th century it is not an area with significant points of interest.It is a residential area , without the crowds of tourists in the centre, in which you can find slightly cheaper accommodation than those in the more tourist areas of the city.
– Accommodation in Fortezza da Basso
Accommodation in Florence
Florence is one of the most important tourist destinations in Italy, with an important influx of tourists all year round.Despite this, the prices of its hotels are more moderate than other Italian tourist cities such as Rome, Milan or Venice.
In addition to the large number of hotels, there is also a good diversity in the types of accommodation on offer.
There are from cheap options such as hostels or Bed & Breakfasts,a very popular modality in this city, to others considerably more sumptuous in palazzos and rural Tuscan villas.
You can find good offers of hotels in Florence on this link:
