Where to stay · Florence · Italy
Where to stay in Florence
8 neighbourhoods compared, with the trade-offs hotel listings don't tell you.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Zolli, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
For a first visit, stay in Duomo and Piazza della Signoria. The historic core between the cathedral, the Uffizi and the Ponte Vecchio. Best alternatives — families: San Lorenzo and San Marco; budget: San Frediano; nightlife: Santa Croce.
Key facts
- First visit
- Duomo and Piazza della Signoria
- Families
- San Lorenzo and San Marco
- Budget
- San Frediano
- Nightlife
- Santa Croce
Best area for each kind of trip
| Trip type | Area | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First-timers | Duomo and Piazza della Signoria | The historic core between the cathedral, the Uffizi and the Ponte Vecchio |
| Families | San Lorenzo and San Marco | Market halls, the Medici church and the Accademia just north of the Duomo |
| Couples | Duomo and Piazza della Signoria | The historic core between the cathedral, the Uffizi and the Ponte Vecchio |
| Budget | San Frediano | Old working-class streets turned wine bars and craft shops near Porta San Frediano |
| Nightlife | Santa Croce | Franciscan basilica, leather workshops and late-opening bars east of the centre |
| Food lovers | Santa Croce | Franciscan basilica, leather workshops and late-opening bars east of the centre |
| Solo travellers | Santa Croce | Franciscan basilica, leather workshops and late-opening bars east of the centre |
| Shopping | Santa Maria Novella | Station district with a Gothic basilica and the widest choice of hotels |
| Quiet stays | San Frediano | Old working-class streets turned wine bars and craft shops near Porta San Frediano |
Florence neighbourhoods in detail
$$$$ · Best for first-timers, couples and culture
Duomo and Piazza della Signoria
The streets between Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Signoria hold most of the headline sights, the main pedestrian street Via de' Calzaiuoli and the medieval tower houses around Via Por Santa Maria. Staying here means walking everywhere and seeing the dome floodlit at night, but rooms are small, many buildings have no lift and the main squares stay crowded from morning to late evening.
- Good
- Every major sight within 10 minutes on foot; Lively evening passeggiata; Easy walk from Santa Maria Novella station
- Watch out
- Highest room prices in the city; Crowds and tour groups all day; Restaurants on the main squares are overpriced
- Nearby
- Florence Cathedral, Uffizi, Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio
$$$ · Best for first-timers, nightlife, food lovers and solo travellers
Santa Croce
Built around the long square in front of the Basilica of Santa Croce, this area mixes leather shops and the old leather school behind the church with bars along Via de' Benci and Via Ghibellina. It is a 10-minute walk from the Duomo, has a good spread of mid-range hotels and apartments, and the Bargello and Casa Buonarroti are on its doorstep.
- Good
- Central but calmer than the Duomo; Plenty of trattorias and wine bars; Good choice of apartments
- Watch out
- Bars around Via de' Benci are noisy at weekends; Piazza Santa Croce fills with tour groups by day
- Nearby
- Basilica of Santa Croce, Bargello, Casa Buonarroti, Sant'Ambrogio Market
$$$ · Best for couples, food lovers, nightlife and culture
Oltrarno and Santo Spirito
South of the Arno, the Oltrarno is where furniture restorers, gilders and bookbinders still work in ground-floor workshops along Via Maggio and the lanes around Piazza Santo Spirito. The square fills with locals in the evening, and the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens are a few minutes away. It feels more residential than the north bank while staying a 10-minute walk from the Ponte Vecchio.
- Good
- Local atmosphere and good trattorias; Artisan shops instead of chains; Evening life around Piazza Santo Spirito
- Watch out
- Piazza Santo Spirito can be loud late at night; Fewer large hotels
- Nearby
- Palazzo Pitti, Boboli Gardens, Santo Spirito, Ponte Vecchio
$$ · Best for food lovers, couples, quiet stays and budget
San Frediano
The western Oltrarno around Borgo San Frediano and Piazza del Carmine is quieter and less polished than Santo Spirito, with natural-wine bars, small restaurants and the church of Santa Maria del Carmine. It suits repeat visitors who want an everyday Florentine neighbourhood within a 15-minute walk of the Ponte Vecchio.
- Good
- Feels local; Good-value restaurants; Quieter nights
- Watch out
- Longer walk to the Accademia and San Marco; Few hotels; mostly apartments
- Nearby
- Santa Maria del Carmine, Piazza del Carmine, Porta San Frediano
$$$ · Best for couples, quiet stays and food lovers
San Niccolò
Squeezed between the Arno and the hillside, San Niccolò is a few streets of bars and restaurants along Via di San Niccolò, guarded by the medieval Porta San Niccolò tower. From here the Rampe del Poggi stairs climb to Piazzale Michelangelo in about 10 minutes, making it the natural base for sunset views. It is calm by day and pleasant in the evening.
- Good
- Closest base to the best viewpoints; Quiet, village-like streets; Good evening restaurants
- Watch out
- Very few hotels; Uphill walks to the viewpoints
- Nearby
- Piazzale Michelangelo, San Miniato al Monte, Bardini Garden, Giardino delle Rose
$$ · Best for first-timers, budget and shopping
Santa Maria Novella
The area around Santa Maria Novella station and its basilica has the largest number of hotels in every price range, plus the airport tram and trains to Pisa, Siena and Rome. Piazza Santa Maria Novella and the shopping streets towards Via della Vigna Nuova are attractive, though the roads right beside the station are heavy with traffic and can feel scruffy at night.
- Good
- Easy arrival by train, tram and bus; Wide range of hotel prices; 10 minutes' walk to the Duomo
- Watch out
- Station surroundings feel rough late at night; Traffic and noise on the main roads
- Nearby
- Santa Maria Novella, Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, Mercato Centrale
$$ · Best for budget, first-timers, families and solo travellers
San Lorenzo and San Marco
San Lorenzo grows around the Medici family church and the Mercato Centrale, with leather stalls filling the streets outside. A few minutes north, San Marco has the Accademia's David, the Museo di San Marco's Fra Angelico frescoes and the university quarter. Hotels and guesthouses here are generally better value than around the Duomo, which is a five-minute walk away.
- Good
- Good value close to the centre; Food market on the doorstep; Short walk to the Accademia
- Watch out
- Market stalls make the streets crowded; Persistent sellers around the leather stalls
- Nearby
- Mercato Centrale, Medici Chapels, Galleria dell'Accademia, Museo di San Marco
$$ · Best for food lovers, quiet stays and budget
Sant'Ambrogio
East of Santa Croce, Sant'Ambrogio centres on its covered food market, where Florentines buy produce and market workers eat lunch at the canteen inside. The streets around Piazza dei Ciompi and Borgo la Croce have bakeries, wine shops and the city's great synagogue. The Duomo is a 15-minute walk away, and evenings are noticeably calmer.
- Good
- Everyday Florentine life; Excellent food shopping; Calm evenings
- Watch out
- Furthest central area from the station; Few headline sights in the immediate streets
- Nearby
- Sant'Ambrogio Market, Great Synagogue of Florence, Basilica of Santa Croce
Areas compared
| Area | Price | Nearby |
|---|---|---|
| Duomo and Piazza della Signoria | $$$$ | Florence Cathedral, Uffizi, Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio |
| Santa Croce | $$$ | Basilica of Santa Croce, Bargello, Casa Buonarroti, Sant'Ambrogio Market |
| Oltrarno and Santo Spirito | $$$ | Palazzo Pitti, Boboli Gardens, Santo Spirito, Ponte Vecchio |
| San Frediano | $$ | Santa Maria del Carmine, Piazza del Carmine, Porta San Frediano |
| San Niccolò | $$$ | Piazzale Michelangelo, San Miniato al Monte, Bardini Garden, Giardino delle Rose |
| Santa Maria Novella | $$ | Santa Maria Novella, Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, Mercato Centrale |
| San Lorenzo and San Marco | $$ | Mercato Centrale, Medici Chapels, Galleria dell'Accademia, Museo di San Marco |
| Sant'Ambrogio | $$ | Sant'Ambrogio Market, Great Synagogue of Florence, Basilica of Santa Croce |
Getting to your hotel
Florence Airport (Peretola) is about 5 km north-west of the centre; the T2 tram reaches Piazza dell'Unità beside Santa Maria Novella in about 20 minutes, and a taxi takes 20–25 minutes. Pisa Airport, about 85 km away, has more international flights: take the Pisa Mover to Pisa Centrale and then a train to Florence (about an hour), or a direct coach. Bologna Airport is roughly an hour away by airport shuttle and high-speed train.
Questions travellers ask
+What is the best area to stay in Florence for first-time visitors?
Duomo and Piazza della Signoria. The streets between Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Signoria hold most of the headline sights, the main pedestrian street Via de' Calzaiuoli and the medieval tower houses around Via Por Santa Maria.
+Where should families stay in Florence?
San Lorenzo and San Marco: Good value close to the centre.
+Which area of Florence is best for a budget stay?
San Frediano ($$): Old working-class streets turned wine bars and craft shops near Porta San Frediano.