The Best Hotels in Florence

Florence is one of Italy's most compact major cities - almost every central address is within walking distance of the Duomo, the Uffizi and the Ponte Vecchio. That's exactly why choosing a hotel here is less about distance and more about character, neighbourhood and budget. The following five options span very different levels, from a five-star house with a dome view to a dorm bed beside the cathedral, and each one represents a clear idea of how to experience Florence.

The prices quoted are rough per-night guides and vary a great deal with season and dates; for firm rates, check the booking platforms on the day. For help deciding which neighbourhood suits you best, see the guide Where to stay in Florence?.

Neighbourhood first, hotel second

In Florence the choice practically always comes down to one of two areas. The Centro Storico around the Duomo, the Uffizi and the Ponte Vecchio is the tourist heart of the city - every highlight on your doorstep, but also the area with the most day-trippers, the most crowds and the highest prices during the day. If you want to be right in the middle of things and be first at the Duomo in the morning, this is the place.

The Oltrarno south of the Arno is the quieter, more authentic alternative, just a few minutes' walk across a bridge from the centre. By day it's shaped by workshops, antique dealers and artisans; in the evening it comes alive, above all around Piazza Santo Spirito. Santo Spirito and the neighbouring San Frediano are considered the trendiest, most lively corner of the Oltrarno, with bars and a young local scene - lively to the point of loud on weekends and in high season. That's a matter of taste, but worth deciding on deliberately.

The five hotels below split neatly across these two sides of the river. Three are in the Centro Storico or on the north bank, two in the Oltrarno - so you can also choose by the pace of the surrounding area, not just by star rating.

Hotel Savoy - five stars right by the Duomo

The Hotel Savoy, part of Rocco Forte Hotels, stands on Piazza della Repubblica in the Centro Storico, roughly halfway between the Duomo and the Uffizi - one of the most central addresses in the city. The hotel has 80 air-conditioned rooms and suites, many with views of the piazza, of Brunelleschi's dome or of Giotto's Campanile.

• Restaurant Irene. The in-house restaurant is named after Lady Irene Forte and styles itself as an elegant Tuscan trattoria with a modern touch - bistro character rather than stiff hotel dining. A fitness area with Technogym equipment rounds out the offer.
• Price bracket. Standard rooms run roughly from 1,100 to 2,300 US dollars a night depending on the season - firmly in the upper luxury category.
• Getting there and parking. Santa Maria Novella station is only a few minutes' walk away (roughly five to ten minutes on foot), handy if you're arriving by high-speed train. Valet parking is available in a garage a short walk away, for a fee of roughly 47 to 50 euros a day, by reservation.

If you want maximum centrality and classic grand-hotel service and have the budget for it, the Savoy is the obvious address by the Duomo.

Portrait Firenze and Hotel Lungarno - on the Arno, two banks

Two hotels from the Lungarno Collection, owned by the Ferragamo family, sit directly on the river and share a common strength - views of the Arno and the Ponte Vecchio.

Portrait Firenze is a five-star boutique hotel with just 37 rooms and suites, including a rooftop suite and a 273-square-metre penthouse floor. It's a member of The Leading Hotels of the World and stands on Lungarno degli Acciaioli, about 30 metres from the Ponte Vecchio, overlooking the Arno. The in-house Caffè dell'Oro serves contemporary Italian food and has an outdoor lounge with a view of the Ponte Vecchio, open roughly from 7:00 to 22:00. Realistic prices run roughly from 800 to 2,100 US dollars a night depending on season and room category; suites with a balcony cost around 150 euros extra.

Hotel Lungarno stands on the south bank in the Oltrarno on Borgo San Jacopo, right on the Arno, with the Ponte Vecchio and all the main sights just a few minutes' walk away. It has 62 rooms and suites, many with private terraces overlooking the river and the bridge. What sets the hotel apart is its art:

• Over 400 original 20th-century works hang in the rooms, corridors, lounge and the Picteau Lounge, including pieces by Picasso and Cocteau as well as Italian artists such as Cassinari, Guidi, Morlotti, Rosai, Sironi, Tosi and Bueno.
• Borgo San Jacopo is the hotel's Michelin-starred restaurant; Picteau Bistrot & Bar is named after Picasso and Cocteau.

Choosing between the two comes down mainly to which side of the river you prefer - Portrait for a front-row seat in the bustle of the north bank, Lungarno for a slightly quieter, art-filled retreat in the Oltrarno.

Palazzo Guadagni - a Renaissance palace with a loggia

If you want the charm of a historic building without luxury-league prices, the Hotel Palazzo Guadagni on Piazza Santo Spirito fits the bill. The hotel occupies a Renaissance palace dated to the early 16th century (around 1505), notable for its loggia, said to be the first of its kind in Florence.

• Loggia Roof Bar. The third-floor loggia doubles as a rooftop bar with panoramic views over Florence - for lunch, afternoon tea and aperitivo, open to hotel guests.
• Rooms with history. Some rooms have frescoes, fireplaces and views of the Duomo or the Palazzo Pitti.
• Location. The hotel is just steps from the Ponte Vecchio, the Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens, in a neighbourhood full of antique dealers and artisan workshops.

An honest note on location - Piazza Santo Spirito is busy by day with its market, students and visitors, and becomes the centre of Oltrarno nightlife in the evening, with bars and a young crowd. That's part of the appeal, but it can get loud late into the night on weekends. Light sleepers should ask for a room facing the courtyard.

Academy Hostel - the best budget option right by the Duomo

Florence can also be experienced centrally on a small budget. The Academy Hostel is on Via Ricasoli 9, right next to the Duomo and at the start of the street that leads to the Accademia Gallery and Michelangelo's David - housed in a palazzo dating from the early 17th century.

• Facilities. Around ten rooms with air conditioning and a personal safe; the multi-share rooms, including four-bed dorms, have large bathrooms, free lockers per bed, bedding and towels, and a night watchman.
• Price. A dorm bed starts at around 60 to 67 euros a night, depending on the season.

For the location, that's a very fair price - it's hard to find a more central address by the Duomo, and if you're out and about all day anyway, the short walk to everything is what counts most.

What else belongs in the top league

Florence's five-star tier is bigger than this list. If you want to compare the top-end options further, three more addresses are worth knowing:

• The Westin Excelsior on the Arno, with 171 rooms the largest of the luxury hotels mentioned here, and the rooftop bar Se.Sto on Arno above the rooftops.
• Continentale, also part of the Ferragamo family's Lungarno Collection, a boutique hotel with 43 rooms and the rooftop terrace La Terrazza overlooking the Ponte Vecchio.
• Palazzo Niccolini al Duomo, an intimate hotel about 50 metres from the Duomo with its own rooftop terrace.

Which hotel suits you in the end has less to do with star rating than with how close to the action you want to sleep and how much atmosphere the building itself is worth to you. For the underlying neighbourhood decision, it's worth reading Where to stay in Florence? first - and whichever address you choose, central hotels in good season sell out early, so booking ahead pays off.