Where to Stay in Florence: Best Hotels and Neighborhoods From the Duomo to the Oltrarno

Florence Duomo and rooftops, where to stay in Florence Italy

Florence is one of those cities where the right hotel changes everything. You are not just booking a bed. You are booking a door that opens onto cobblestones a few blocks from the Duomo, a terrace with views you have to earn in most cities or a quiet courtyard that makes the whole trip feel like it was meant to be. This guide covers the luxury palazzos, the boutique hotels with real character, apartment stays for longer trips and the value picks we actually send people to, plus the neighborhoods that make each one work.

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We lived in Florence for a year after leaving the US in 2017. It was our first home abroad and the city we know better than almost anywhere. Via Roma was our street. We walked to the Mercato Centrale for groceries, knew which bars did the best aperitivo and watched the tourists come and go while we figured out how to be locals. These picks come from that time, from multiple return visits, from stays we have done ourselves and from friends and family we have hosted and sent to the city. It is what we would tell you if you asked us over a glass of Chianti where to book. We also recorded a podcast episode on Florence if you want to hear more about where we lived and what we loved.

Quick Picks: Best Hotels in Florence

Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, best overall splurge, two Renaissance palaces and the largest private garden in Florence
Hotel Brunelleschi, best Duomo location, built into a Byzantine tower
Forte 16 View and Spa, our go-to when we return, the best base for dogs and longer stays
B&B Il Salotto di Firenze, best value, directly across the hallway from our old Via Roma apartment
Soprarno Suites, best Oltrarno stay on a street most tourists never find

Quick Comparison: Best Hotels in Florence

All our picks across every style and budget at a glance.

Hotel	Neighborhood	Best For	Price Range
Four Seasons Hotel Firenze	Near the Arno	Two Renaissance palaces in the largest private garden in Florence	$$$$
Palazzo Vecchietti	Duomo / Centro Storico	13-apartment palazzo luxury with personal service	$$$$
Hotel Brunelleschi	Duomo	Byzantine tower and rooftop Duomo views	$$$$
Villa Cora	Oltrarno	19th-century villa with the only year-round heated outdoor pool in Florence	$$
The Place Firenze	Santa Maria Novella	20-room small luxury with an exceptional breakfast	$$$
Borghese Palace Art Hotel	Santa Croce / Duomo	Art-filled palazzo where our own Florence story started	$$$
NH Collection Porta Rossa	Centro Storico	Welcoming guests since the 13th century	$$-$$$
Hotel Pitti Palace al Ponte Vecchio	Oltrarno	Two minutes from Ponte Vecchio on our favorite side of the river	$$-$$$
Hotel Kraft	Santa Maria Novella	Rooftop pool, rare at this price point in the center	$$-$$$
Forte 16 View and Spa	Oltrarno	Our go-to: spacious, dog friendly, indoor pool	$$-$$$
Soprarno Suites	Oltrarno	Curated apartments on beautiful Via Maggio	$$-$$$$
Residenza Dell’Oriolo	Santa Croce	Value apartment stays in the centro storico	$-$$
C-Hotels Ambasciatori	Santa Maria Novella	Reliable base next to the train station	$$
B&B Il Salotto di Firenze	Duomo (Via Roma)	Real Duomo views across the hall from our old apartment	$$
Hotel Davanzati	Centro Storico	Family-run three-star that outperforms its category	$-$$
Hotel Il Perseo	Santa Maria Novella	Clean, friendly and dependable for short stays	$
Hotel Degli Orafi	Lungarno	Arno views next to the Uffizi without ultra luxury pricing	$$-$$$

Your Guide to Where to Stay in Florence

Best Neighborhoods to Stay in Florence

Duomo and Centro Storico is the center of everything. You can walk to all the major sights, the prices are the highest in the city and the streets are busy from morning to night. Worth it for first timers who want Florence at their doorstep from the moment they arrive.

Santa Croce sits slightly east of center with less tourist density, excellent restaurants and a real local feel. It is our recommendation for first timers who want to be central without being in the middle of the crush, and the restaurants around it charge neighborhood prices rather than tourist prices.

The Oltrarno, south of the Arno, is the artisan and gallery side of Florence and our personal favorite. It is quieter and more residential but still walkable to everything, and after a year of living in the center it is the side of the city we head to first on every return visit.

Santa Maria Novella is the area around the train station. It is slightly less atmospheric but convenient for arrivals, departures and Tuscany day trips, with solid mid-range options that cost noticeably less than the Duomo zone.

The Lungarno, the streets along the river, has some of the best views in the city. If a river view matters to you, it is worth the small premium.

Best Luxury Hotels in Florence

Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, a Renaissance palace in the largest private garden in Florence

Florence does luxury differently. The five-star properties here occupy Renaissance palaces, converted villas and buildings with real history rather than glass towers. These are the ones we would splurge on and the ones our friends and family keep coming back from with stories.

Four Seasons Hotel Firenze ($$$$): The most extraordinary hotel in Florence and one of the most extraordinary in Italy, occupying two historic Renaissance palaces inside the largest private garden in the city. Friends of ours have stayed here and the reports are consistent: exceptional service, beautiful rooms and a sense of calm you simply cannot find at most properties this central. If you are going to splurge once, this is the place.
Palazzo Vecchietti ($$$$): An elegant small luxury hotel inside a restored 16th-century palazzo near Piazza della Repubblica, with only 13 apartments. The service is personal in a way larger properties cannot match and there is nothing else quite like it at this scale in the city. It is on our own bucket list for the next visit.
Hotel Brunelleschi ($$$$): Built into a genuine Byzantine tower and a medieval church, steps from the Duomo. The tower suite is the kind of thing you remember for years and the rooftop views over the Duomo are among the best in the city. On our bucket list because nothing else lets you sleep inside a piece of Florence history at this level.
Villa Cora ($$): A 19th-century neo-Renaissance villa in a private park near the Boboli Gardens, built by Baron Oppenheim as a love letter to his wife. Frescoes, velvet-canopied four-poster beds, gardens with over 100 varieties of roses and the only year-round heated outdoor pool in Florence. If you want to feel like Florentine aristocracy, this is the hotel.
The Place Firenze ($$$): Small luxury in the truest sense: 20 rooms, a stunning courtyard garden and service that feels personal rather than corporate. Guests of ours have stayed here and raved about how calm it is, the Santa Maria Novella location is quieter than the Duomo zone and the breakfast is exceptional.

Best Boutique Hotels in Florence

NH Collection Porta Rossa, one of the oldest hotels in Florence

This is the category we know best because it is how we have always done Florence ourselves: real palazzos, smaller properties and buildings with actual history instead of conventional hotels.

Borghese Palace Art Hotel ($$$): We stayed here on our first trip to Florence around 2015, before we moved there, and it set the tone perfectly. The rooms are filled with art, the building is a real historic palazzo and Via Ghibellina puts you a short walk from both the Duomo and Santa Croce. This is the hotel that made us fall in love with staying in real Florentine buildings, and a smart pick for first timers.
NH Collection Porta Rossa ($$-$$$): One of the oldest hotels in Florence, welcoming guests since the 13th century. We have stayed here and appreciated that it delivers on both history and comfort without being stuffy about it. The corridors have a sense of age most hotels try to fake and this one simply has, and Via Porta Rossa is quiet but ten minutes on foot from everything.
Hotel Pitti Palace al Ponte Vecchio ($$-$$$): The Oltrarno is our favorite side of Florence and this property puts you right in the middle of it: two minutes from Ponte Vecchio with the quieter, residential city outside your door. Request the rooms with views toward the bridge, they are worth it.
Hotel Kraft ($$-$$$): A Florence institution near the Teatro Comunale with a rooftop pool, which is rare at this price point in the center. We have researched this one extensively as an option for our own return visits and it consistently earns strong praise for the pool, the service and the value.

Best Apartment Hotels in Florence for Longer Stays

Forte 16 View and Spa, a dog friendly apartment hotel in the Oltrarno in Florence

After a year of actually living in Florence, this is the category we understand from the inside. A kitchen, space to spread out and a residential street change how the city feels, especially past the three-night mark.

Forte 16 View and Spa ($$-$$$): Our go-to when we return to Florence. The apartments are spacious, the indoor pool is open year-round which is a real rarity in this city, and it is one of the most dog friendly places we have found anywhere in Italy. We have stayed here multiple times with our dog and the staff go out of their way for four-legged guests. The Oltrarno hillside location near Forte di Belvedere means quieter streets, sweeping views from some units and the Boboli Gardens nearby for walks. Our strongest recommendation on this entire list.
Soprarno Suites ($$-$$$$): A beautifully designed apartment hotel on Via Maggio, one of the most beautiful streets in Florence and one most tourists never find. The suites feel like a curated Florentine apartment rather than a hotel, the street is lined with antique shops and strong restaurants and it suits couples and design lovers perfectly.
Residenza Dell’Oriolo ($-$$): One of the better value apartment options in the centro storico, well located between Santa Croce and the Duomo with spacious rooms and a flexible layout. Practical for families or longer stays, and the Santa Croce restaurants around it charge neighborhood prices rather than tourist prices.

Best Value Hotels in Florence

B&B Il Salotto di Firenze on Via Roma with real Duomo views

Florence does not have to be expensive. These are the places we have stayed at ourselves, sent friends to or lived next door to, and they all deliver more than they charge.

C-Hotels Ambasciatori ($$): We have stayed here and it delivers exactly what it promises: clean, comfortable and professionally run, right next to Santa Maria Novella station. Not glamorous and not trying to be. If you are moving around by train, this is a reliable Florence base with good breakfast and helpful staff.
B&B Il Salotto di Firenze ($$): This one is personal. When we lived on Via Roma this B&B was directly across the hallway from our apartment. The Duomo views from the upper rooms are extraordinary and completely real, and the location is as central as it gets at this price. A piece of our Florence story that we are happy to send other people to.
Hotel Davanzati ($-$$): A well run family-owned three-star on Via Porta Rossa that consistently outperforms its category. Central without inflated pricing and known for warm, personal service. One of the best value stays in the city for travelers who prioritize location and character over luxury branding.
Hotel Il Perseo ($): Clean, friendly and dependable near the train station. Not a destination property but a reliable one at a price that makes sense for the center, and the staff are consistently helpful for first timers figuring out the city.
Hotel Degli Orafi ($$-$$$): If location is the priority and you want river views without ultra luxury pricing, this is the answer: steps from the Uffizi and Ponte Vecchio with rooms overlooking the Arno. The Lungarno views at golden hour from this stretch are some of the best in the city.

What to Know Before You Book in Florence

Florence prices peak in spring from March to June and again in September and October. Book three to four months ahead for those windows. July and August are hot but you will find better availability and lower rates, and November through February is the quietest and cheapest period except around Christmas.

Do not bring a car into the center. Florence has a ZTL zone covering most of the centro storico and the cameras enforce it with fines that follow you home. The city is compact, nearly every hotel in this guide is within 20 minutes on foot of the Duomo and the train is excellent for Siena, Pisa, Lucca and the Cinque Terre. If you want a car for Tuscany days, rent it just for those days.

Florence Airport (Peretola) is about 20 minutes from the center and Pisa Airport is around an hour. Most hotels on this list can arrange transfers. For what to actually do once you are here, our Florence travel guide covers the landmarks and our beyond the landmarks guide covers the rest.

Frequently Asked Questions About Where to Stay in Florence

What is the best area to stay in Florence for first-time visitors?

The Duomo and Centro Storico puts you within walking distance of everything and is the most straightforward base for a first trip. Santa Croce is slightly east of center with a better local feel and less tourist density. Our personal recommendation for first timers who want to be central without being in the middle of the tourist crush is Santa Croce. For repeat visitors, Oltrarno on the south side of the Arno gives you a completely different and more residential version of the city.

Is Florence expensive for hotels?

Florence sits in the mid-range of major Italian cities for hotel pricing. It is cheaper than Venice for equivalent quality and roughly comparable to Rome. The luxury tier, the palazzo conversions and properties near the Duomo, commands a real premium. The Santa Maria Novella area around the train station and Oltrarno offer noticeably better value with easy walking access to the main sights. Spring and fall are peak seasons and prices reflect that. July and August are hot and often better value.

Do you need a car in Florence?

No, and a car is actively a problem in the historic center. Florence has a ZTL (Limited Traffic Zone) covering most of the centro storico and cameras enforce it with fines. The city is compact and walkable. Nearly every hotel on this list is within 20 minutes on foot of the Duomo. If you are planning Tuscany day trips by car, consider parking outside the center or renting a car only for those days. The train is excellent for Siena, Pisa, Lucca and Cinque Terre.

When is the best time to visit Florence?

April to early June for warm weather, long evenings and manageable crowds before the summer peak. September and October for beautiful light, harvest season in the surrounding hills and the best shoulder season conditions. July and August are the hottest months with the most tourists but also better hotel availability and lower rates than spring. November through February is the quietest period with the lowest prices, though some smaller properties close. Christmas week is an exception with higher rates.

Is the Oltrarno worth staying in?

Yes, particularly for return visitors or anyone who wants to experience Florence the way residents do. Oltrarno is the artisan and gallery district south of the Arno with the best independent restaurants, antique shops and a pace that feels genuinely different from the tourist center. It is our personal favorite side of the city. Ponte Vecchio and the Pitti Palace are right there. The walk to the Duomo takes about 15 minutes. Properties like Forte 16, Soprarno Suites, Villa Cora and Hotel Pitti Palace Al Ponte Vecchio all sit on this side of the river.

What is the best luxury hotel in Florence?

The Four Seasons Hotel Firenze for the private gardens, the Renaissance palaces and the most extraordinary setting in the city. Hotel Brunelleschi for the Byzantine tower and the Duomo location. Palazzo Vecchietti for intimate palazzo luxury with only 13 apartments and genuinely personal service. Each delivers a different version of Florentine luxury. If the budget allows only one splurge, the Four Seasons is in a category of its own.

Our Takeaway on Where to Stay in Florence

After living there for a year, our honest advice is this. For a first visit, stay in the Centro Storico or Santa Croce and walk everywhere: being ten minutes closer to the Duomo changes your entire rhythm. For a return visit, cross the river to the Oltrarno and see the Florence that residents actually live in. And if you are coming with a dog or staying more than a few nights, Forte 16 is where we always end up ourselves.

Choose the neighborhood first, then book the hotel that fits your budget within it. Any of these will give you a proper Florence base, and use the links above to check current rates and availability.