Where to stay in Florence
The centre puts the Duomo and the Uffizi on the doorstep, crowds included; five minutes across the bridge changes both the price and the evening.
- The Oltrarno
- Across the Ponte Vecchio
- Hostel
- €16–37 per person, a dorm bed
- 3-star hotel
- €50–110 per person, a double room
In Florence you choose between the centre, where everything is a few minutes' walk away, and the Oltrarno, the quarter across the Ponte Vecchio where fewer tourists are heard in the evening. A hostel bed is €16–37, a three-star hotel room €50–110 per person, and the two quarters are five minutes apart on foot — a difference that changes both the price and the evening.
The Duomo and the Uffizi on the doorstep
Outside the door in the centre is a narrow street leading to the Duomo or Piazza della Signoria, with tourists from morning to night and a room price to match. From here almost every sight on the list is a walk away, and the Uffizi and Accademia are minutes off. The price of that closeness is crowding — a room two blocks from the Duomo rarely has the quiet a room on a calmer street of the same quarter has.
It suits people staying briefly who want everything within reach, and early risers after the first slots at the Duomo or the Uffizi. It doesn't suit light sleepers or anyone wanting a quiet evening without footsteps and conversation under the window.
Across the bridge, workshops instead of shops
Across the Ponte Vecchio starts the Oltrarno, a quarter where workshops for gilding, restoration and papermaking line up in place of souvenir shops, doors open onto the street. The centre is the same bridge away, five to ten minutes on foot, but the evening sounds different — fewer groups, more local life around Piazza Santo Spirito.
It suits people who have already seen the main sights, or who are staying longer and want to live in a quarter. The one drawback is for anyone who climbs to Piazzale Michelangelo every evening — from here that's a proper hill.
For one night
For a single night, the centre makes sense — everything is a walk away, and no time is lost crossing the bridge in the morning. For two nights or more, the Oltrarno brings back quiet in the evening without losing that closeness.
- A car adds nothing to where you sleep. The historic centre is a ZTL, a limited-traffic zone, and a car outside a hotel car park only earns a fine.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
The centre or the Oltrarno for a place to stay in Florence?
The centre for closeness to the Duomo and the Uffizi and for short stays, the Oltrarno for a quiet evening and longer stays. A bridge and about five minutes on foot separate them.
How much is a hostel in Florence?
A dorm bed runs €16–37 per person.
Do you need a car for a place to stay in central Florence?
No. The historic centre is a ZTL zone; you get everywhere on foot.
Ready for Florence?
Where to next
What Florence costs
→In Florence it's tickets, not accommodation, that set the budget — the Uffizi and the Accademia together cost…
San Gimignano · 38 km
→Walls with fourteen surviving towers out of what was once seventy-two, seen from the road before you even reach the gate.
How well does Florence suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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