💡 The Short Version: For a first visit, stay in the historic centre: the hotels below are 55 to 540 m from the Duomo, with the Uffizi and the Ponte Vecchio on foot. Santa Croce has the Christmas market and the Calcio Storico square, the Oltrarno the Pitti Palace, Boboli and Santo Spirito, and San Lorenzo and Santa Maria Novella the station, 280 to 380 m away. Florence charges a tourist tax to non-residents for at most seven consecutive nights. Prices change with the dates, so check yours on Hotels.com. Or book a walk: the Highlights Walking Tour with Expert Guidead is from €28 for 1.5 hours.
The areas, compared
Distances are straight lines from the hotels listed below, so a walk is longer. Florence has no metro: the centre is walkable, and the tram and buses are in Florence public transport. For the airport, see Florence airport to the city.
| Area | To the Duomo | To the station | What it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Duomo and the historic centre | 55 to 540 m | 0.4 to 1.0 km | A first visit, on foot |
| Santa Croce | 0.7 to 0.9 km | 1.5 to 1.6 km | The Christmas market, Sant’Ambrogio, the football square |
| The Oltrarno | 0.7 to 1.9 km | 1.0 to 2.1 km | The Pitti Palace, Boboli, the walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo |
| Santo Spirito and San Frediano | 0.9 to 1.0 km | 0.9 to 1.1 km | Evenings on the square, small hotels, artisans’ streets |
| San Lorenzo and Santa Maria Novella | 0.5 to 0.6 km | 0.3 to 0.4 km | The station, Mercato Centrale, the Medici Chapels |
| The station side | 0.6 to 1.5 km | 0.2 to 0.7 km | An early train, the airport tram |
The hotels
The links go to the hotel on Hotels.com. Michelin’s Keys are the guide’s own ratings for hotels, and “Selected” means a hotel is in the guide without a Key. For the hotels within 520 m of the cathedral, with their distances, see hotels near the Duomo.
The Duomo and the historic centre
The cathedral, Piazza della Signoria and the Uffizi are inside a few streets. The hotels below are on the Ponte Vecchio side of the centre; the rest of the area is in hotels near the Duomo. See Uffizi tickets and Duomo tickets.
Lungarno degli Acciaiuoli beside the Arno, looking west. Photo: Julian Lupyan, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
Hotel Hermitage
Vicolo Marzio 1 · about 540 m from the Duomo · Hotels.comad
An intimate hotel steps from the Ponte Vecchio and within walking distance of the Uffizi, with a roof garden that looks across the city. The Osteria delle tre panche is its restaurant.
Portrait Firenze
Lungarno Acciaiuoli 4 · 36 rooms · Michelin Selected · Hotels.comad
A Lungarno Collection hotel on the Arno in view of the Ponte Vecchio. Michelin says its 36 rooms and suites take their design from the haute couture of the 1950s.
Gallery Hotel Art
Vicolo dell’Oro 5 · about 515 m from the Duomo · 74 rooms · Michelin Selected · Hotels.comad
A hotel whose lobby doubles as an exhibition space for contemporary art, in a lane off the Lungarno Acciaiuoli that Michelin calls strangely quiet.
Santa Croce
East of the Duomo, Santa Croce holds the Christmas market from 14 November to 20 December 2026 and the Calcio Storico matches in June: see Christmas in Florence. The Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio is open Monday to Saturday 07:00 to 14:00 (mercatosantambrogio.it). The basilica is in Florence’s churches.
Plaza Hotel Lucchesi
Lungarno della Zecca Vecchia 38 · 82 rooms and 10 suites · about 230 m from Piazza Santa Croce · Hotels.comad
A hotel that opened in 1860 on the Arno. The rooms look either at the river or at Santa Croce, and the rooftop terrace has a bar and a pool, which the hotel runs in the summer season.
The James Suite Hotel Firenze 1564
Via di Mezzo 20 · 14 rooms · one Michelin Key · Hotels.comad
A 16th-century convent in Sant’Ambrogio. Michelin says some suites have private patios or a sauna, and there is a candlelit bar and a rooftop terrace.
Four Seasons Hotel Firenze
Borgo Pinti 99 · 121 rooms · three Michelin Keys · Hotels.comad
A converted Renaissance palazzo with a spa and an outdoor pool. Michelin notes that Palazzo del Nero, with Onde Restaurant and Bar Berni, is unavailable through 31 March 2027 for works.
The Oltrarno
Across the Arno, the Oltrarno holds the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens: see Pitti Palace and Boboli tickets. The walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo starts here: see the best views of Florence.
San Frediano in Cestello on the Oltrarno bank, seen across the Arno from Ponte alla Carraia. Photo: Fabio Pani, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Hotel Lungarno
Borgo San Jacopo 14 · 63 rooms · one Michelin Key · Hotels.comad
On the south bank of the Arno. Its restaurant, Borgo San Jacopo, holds one Michelin star and, Michelin says, opens onto views of the river and the Ponte Vecchio.
Hotel La Scaletta
Via dei Guicciardini 13 · about 790 m from the Duomo · Hotels.comad
A hotel on the road from the Ponte Vecchio to the Pitti Palace. Some rooms look over the Boboli Gardens, and the roof-terrace restaurant is open from May to October.
Villa Cora
Viale Machiavelli 18 · about 1.9 km from the Duomo · two Michelin Keys · Hotels.comad
A 19th-century villa in a garden with a view of the Boboli Gardens, and a free shuttle to the centre. Michelin says its heated outdoor pool is open year-round.
Santo Spirito and San Frediano
The streets behind the Piazza Santo Spirito are the Oltrarno’s evening quarter, with Il Santo Bevitore and Il Santino on the Via di Santo Spirito: see where to eat in Florence.
Piazza Santo Spirito, with the basilica behind the fountain. Photo: John Samuel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Hotel Palazzo Guadagni
Piazza Santo Spirito 9 · about 1.0 km from the Duomo · Hotels.comad
A hotel in a Renaissance palazzo on the square. The Loggia Roof Bar on the third floor serves lunch, afternoon tea and aperitivo.
SoprArno Suites
Via Maggio 35 · 13 rooms · Michelin Selected · Hotels.comad
A boutique bed and breakfast with 13 individually designed rooms over three floors, some with frescoed ceilings. There is no restaurant.
Oltrarno Splendid
Via dei Serragli 7 · 14 rooms · Michelin Selected · Hotels.comad
From the same team as SoprArno Suites, the 14 rooms fill the top two floors of an 18th-century palazzo, and every window looks over rooftops.
San Lorenzo and Santa Maria Novella
The leather market, the Mercato Centrale and the Medici Chapels are here, and the station is on the doorstep: see Medici Chapels and San Lorenzo tickets.
Grand Hotel Minerva
Piazza di Santa Maria Novella 16 · 97 rooms · one Michelin Key · Hotels.comad
On the square facing Santa Maria Novella, about 280 m from the station. The hotel says its rooftop pool and bar are open seasonally from April to October.
Grand Hotel Minerva on Piazza di Santa Maria Novella. Photo: Francesco Bini, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Grand Hotel Baglioni
Piazza dell’Unità Italiana 6 · 187 rooms · four stars · Hotels.comad
A four-star hotel about 295 m from the station, with the B-Roof restaurant on the fifth floor and a congress centre of nine meeting rooms.
25hours Hotel Piazza San Paolino
Piazza di San Paolino 1 · 171 rooms · Michelin Selected · Hotels.comad
Designed after Dante’s Divine Comedy, with white Paradiso rooms and red-and-black Inferno rooms. A Finnish sauna in the garden is free for guests.
The station side
The streets west of the station and along Via Fiume are for an early train and the airport tram, and the Duomo is 0.6 to 1.5 km away.
Hotel Albani
Via Fiume 12 · 101 rooms · Hotels.comad
In an early 20th-century building on a quiet street, about 220 m from the station. The Bernini restaurant serves Italian dishes and wines from the hotel’s cellar.
Grand Hotel Adriatico
Via Maso Finiguerra 9 · Hotels.comad
A five-minute walk from the station, according to the hotel, with a restaurant and an inner garden.
Hotel Kraft
Via Solferino 2 · 75 rooms · Hotels.comad
The hotel has a swimming pool on its fifth-floor panoramic terrace, where the Terrazza Rossini restaurant also stands.
Velona’s Jungle Luxury Suites
Via Montebello 86 · four suites · one Michelin Key · Hotels.comad
Animal prints and jungle wallpaper in a hotel of four suites. Michelin says pets are welcome and breakfast is vegetarian.
Before you book
- The tax. The city council, the Comune di Firenze, charges the imposta di soggiorno, a tourist tax, to people who are not residents of Florence, for at most seven consecutive nights, at a rate set by the hotel’s category. New rates took effect on 1 February 2025 (Comune di Firenze).
- Dates that fill the city. The Firenze Marathon is on Sunday 29 November 2026. Pitti Immagine Uomo runs 12 to 15 January and 15 to 18 June 2027, with Pitti Taste on 6 to 8 February and Pitti Fragranze on 10 to 12 September 2027. The Calcio Storico final is on 24 June. Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027. See the best time to visit Florence.
- Winter. The Christmas market and the tree are covered in Christmas in Florence.
For the sights that need booking, see what to book before you go to Florence. To fit them into days, see Florence in one or two days and 3 days in Florence. Where to eat in Florence, Florence street food and the best gelato in Florence cover the meals, and day trips from Florence covers the trips out.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Florence for a first visit?
The historic centre round the Duomo, where the hotels listed are 55 to 540 m from the cathedral in a straight line and the Uffizi, the Ponte Vecchio and the Accademia are on foot. Santa Croce suits the Christmas market and the Calcio Storico square, the Oltrarno the Pitti Palace and Boboli, and San Lorenzo and Santa Maria Novella the station.
Where should I stay in Florence for an early train?
Near Santa Maria Novella station. Hotel Albani is about 220 m from it, Grand Hotel Adriatico about 360 m, Grand Hotel Baglioni about 295 m and the Grand Hotel Minerva about 280 m, in straight lines. All are 460 to 920 m from the Duomo.
Is there a tourist tax in Florence?
Yes. The Comune di Firenze charges the imposta di soggiorno to people who are not residents of Florence, for at most seven consecutive nights, at a rate set by the category of the hotel. New rates took effect on 1 February 2025.
Which Florence hotels have a rooftop pool?
Grand Hotel Minerva says its rooftop pool and bar are open seasonally from April to October. Plaza Hotel Lucchesi runs a rooftop pool in the summer season, and Hotel Kraft has a pool on its fifth-floor terrace.
Which Florence hotels hold Michelin Keys?
Michelin gives three Keys to Four Seasons Hotel Firenze and Collegio alla Querce, and two to Villa Cora, Villa La Massa and Palazzo Portinari Salviati. One-Key hotels include Hotel Brunelleschi, Hotel Lungarno, Grand Hotel Minerva, Stella d'Italia, The James Suite and Velona's Jungle Luxury Suites.
Is Florence's Oltrarno a good place to stay?
Yes, for the Pitti Palace, the Boboli Gardens and the Santo Spirito square. The hotels listed are 0.7 to 1.9 km from the Duomo in a straight line, across the Arno.
