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INSIDER’S TIP: SNAP A SELFIE WITH THE FLORENCE SKYLINE

• Sightseeing
• Historic Sites

INSIDER’S TIP: SAMPLE TUSCAN STREET FOOD AT MERCATO CENTRALE

• Restaurants
• Street Food

VISIT FLORENCE’S MOST FAMOUS SITES

Insider’s tip: tuck in tuscan-style with a nine-course feast.

• Fine Dining

DISCOVER THE TRADITION OF TUSCAN PASTA MAKING

• Cooking Classes

INSIDER’S TIP: STROLL ALONG THE ARNO RIVER

Private day trip to the chianti wine region, insider’s tip: dine like family at la carbonate del porrati.

• Casual Dining

EMBRACE HISTORY WITH A MEAL IN A MEDIEVAL CRYPT

Insider’s tip: create your own renaissance masterpiece, venture beyond the leaning tower, insider’s tip: wine and dine at la spada, insider’s tip: souvenir shopping in san frediano, accommodation options.

THE ST. REGIS FLORENCE

Florence, Italy

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Travel + Leisure Readers' 5 Favorites in Florence of 2023

25 Best Things to Do in Florence, Italy

Florence Travel Guide

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23 Best Hotels in Florence

By Nicky Swallow and Erica Firpo

For a small city, Florence has an astonishing variety of places in which to lay your sightseeing-weary head. Established international brands such as Belmond, St. Regis, and Four Seasons guarantee luxury, immaculate service, and a plethora of facilities. Stylish boutique hotels offer very personalized service and a discreet atmosphere, and charming, sometimes quirky B&Bs, often housed in lovely old palazzi, have bags of character and competitive prices. And while the pandemic put the brakes on tourism for a couple of years, there has since been a flurry of activity with new openings around every corner, and the visitor numbers to fill them .

It pays to do your research ahead of time and decide what you want, and where you want to be: Florence’s main sights are largely clustered in the compact Centro Storico, where the narrow cobbled lanes and pretty piazzas are awash with tourists most of the year. Choose a hotel in the center of the city if you want everything on your doorstep, but not if you are averse to crowds. Hotels on the banks of the Arno have rooms with wonderful river views, but they come with a hefty price tag. There are funkier places to stay in the uber-hip Oltrarno neighborhood, which is south of the river and home to a slew of interesting restaurants , independent boutiques, and a vibrant nightlife scene. Or head for the hills surrounding the city, where you’ll find some fabulous villa hotels—most with lovely gardens and pools—which offer the best of both worlds, especially in high season; you are within easy reach of the sights, yet removed from the worst of the crowds, heat and humidity. Here are our picks for the best hotels in Florence.

Read our complete Florence travel guide here .

Every hotel review on this list has been written by a Condé Nast Traveler journalist who knows the destination and has visited that property. When choosing hotels, our editors consider properties across price points that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination, keeping design, location, service, and sustainability credentials top of mind. This gallery has been updated with new information since its original publish date.

All products and listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you purchase something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Hotel Savoy, A Rocco Forte Hotel Arrow

A drink on the terrace of the Hotel Savoy, overlooking the promenading crowds and vintage carousel in the Piazza della Repubblica, has long been a signature Florence experience. And it still is—though the setting is now new and improved. The iconic Rocco Forte property, first opened in 1893, re-opened in April 2018 after a six-month renovation with interiors re-imagined by Olga Polizzi (Director of Design for Rocco Forte Hotels, and sister of hotelier Sir Rocco Forte) and Laudomia Pucci (Image Director of the Emilio Pucci fashion house, and daughter of its founder.) With the renovation, the hotel reduced its number of rooms from 102 to 80; suites also come with upgraded amenities (like Illy espresso machines and, in some cases, balconies) and prime views (though most rooms look out onto the Duomo, the Piazza, or a charming side street), while all accommodations have a residential-style feel, shelves lined with books and flea market-sourced objets, interactive TVs, and top-of-the-line bedding.

Hotel Palazzo Guadagni Arrow

This is one of Florence’s most charming three-stars. Renaissance-era Palazzo Guadagni stands on buzzing Piazza Santo Spirito, the focal point of life in this authentic Florentine neighborhood. Formerly the quirky Pensione Bandini (where E. M. Forster’s Lucy Honeychurch would have been quite at home), it has legions of long-standing fans, the sort of independent travelers who enjoy the echoes of old Florence and opt for timeless atmosphere over five star services. The lack of restaurants isn’t a problem as there is a wide choice of eating options in the immediate neighborhood. The breakfast buffet is laid out in a powder blue dining room with background classical music; it adds to the feel that you are part of an Edwardian novel. The loggia bar has a menu of cocktails, wines, and snacks in the evenings.

25hours Hotel Piazza San Paolino Arrow

The multi-million euro restoration of this monastery complex (and erstwhile bank headquarters) that concluded in 2021 gave a much-needed facelift to the central yet rather scruffy muddle of narrow streets around the church of San Paolino and its eponymous piazza. The café, retro Companion bar, and San Paolino restaurant have become popular hangouts with a mixed Florentine crowd, the Cinema Paradiso (brick vaulted ceiling, fireplace, and vintage sofas), holds regular screenings, the Sala delle Celeste Armonie with billiard table and selection of vinyl albums is a regular venue for meetings, and the Stanza di Bacco and adjacent wine cellar hosts private dinners.

Hotel La Gemma Arrow

If you want to know what happens when a high-style Italian family puts their heads together on a hospitality project—in this case, four siblings and their mother; one with a background in fashion and another an expert in real estate—Hotel La Gemma is the result. It is a serene, design-minded oasis—for a town known for its ancient history, this is no dusty relic. Much like the rest of the hotel, the rooms feel like velvet-padded jewel boxes. The family loves the decadence of the Art Deco period—minimalism is not in their vocabulary—and the plush, willowy bends of everything in the room speak to that. Take advantage of the supremely convenient location to beat the hordes to the Duomo or Uffizi in the morning, if those are on your list. —Megan Spurrell

Portrait Firenze Arrow

On the Ponte Vecchio on the water, so not quite in the throes of the tourist crowds, Portrait Firenze is slick and stylish, modern with a twist of Florentine style. Inside are luxurious, contemporary designed suites that feel like you have stepped into a movie set where you are the fabulous protagonist in an equally fabulous film about being gorgeous and Italian. Design is modern Italian: think high quality materials, dark woods, light metals, all by Italy's top design firms—as well as hand-crafted pieces from Ferragamo. It's also super high-tech, but with white glove service. Everything is seamless, easily explained, and catered to you. You feel like you have your own personal concierge. Between that standard of attention and the view, it's worth it.

The St. Regis Florence Arrow

There’s no shortage of elegant hotels in Florence , but something about The St. Regis keeps it a perennial favorite. It might be that, for a palazzo of 15th-century frescoes and crystal chandeliers, it is just so cozy, full of stained-glass-lit nooks in which to disappear for hours with a copy of La Repubblica . Of course, the Renaissance never feels far away. Filippo Brunelleschi, the brains behind the Duomo , designed the original palazzo in the early 1400s, and it became a hotel in 1866. If the exquisitely detailed cherubs on the ceiling of the Salone delle Feste ballroom could talk, they might tell tales that the wonderful staff here are mostly too tactful to divulge: of Botticelli and Amerigo Vespucci (the explorer who gave America its name), but also of Madonna and Keith Richards. Still, it’s not just the great and the good who are treated exquisitely: Clothes are magically unpacked and ironed, tickets awarded to skip the queues for the Diocesan Museum or Santa Maria del Fiore’s dome. Rooms, all brocades and canopied beds, mostly have views of the River Arno, while the Winter Garden restaurant is at the reverential end of Italian cooking, with dishes served under a great glass ceiling. Still, this is also a hotel that can let its hair down. Last Christmas, during the nightly Champagne ritual that kicks off with a waiter popping a bottle with a saber, a giant teddy bear was given pride of place by the fire. This is a hotel where the royal treatment is for everyone. —Sara Magro

Il Tornabuoni Arrow

Located on Florence’s most elegant thoroughfare, Il Tornabuoni is a magnet for fashion mavens and travel types looking for a quieter address. Crisp and stylish interiors by Milanese Andrea Auletta give the property’s original bones new life without making the place feel cookie-cutter. The lovely frescoes in the Il Magnifico suite, for example, are delightful in their whimsy. The Lucie Gourmet restaurant feels like eating inside an Art Deco jewelry box, with its gilded mirrors and gemlike pinks and teals, while the Butterfly Terrace gives great views over the city—don’t miss an Aperol following sightseeing or a shopping spree. —Ondine Cohane

Four Seasons Hotel Firenze Arrow

Unlike most other Four Seasons, the Firenze property stands out for its amazing, historic location. Set on 11 acres in a lush garden, it has a two-level, free-standing building on site that houses the spa, as well as a state-of-the-art gym and yoga studio. On the grounds is a lovely outdoor pool, and families should know that the Four Seasons children's program is robust and well-prepared. Slightly off the tourist trail in the Gherardesca gardens, rooms reside in two buildings: The Palazzo della Gherardesca, a converted 15th-century palace; and the Villa, a former 16th-century convent, now a 37-room hotel-within-a-hotel, with its own concierge. It's timeless and impeccable.

Antica Torre di Via Tornabuoni 1 Arrow

Tornabuoni is a medieval tower in the very heart of Florence, within five minutes' walking distance of the Duomo, Piazza della Signoria, and Ponte Vecchio. Renovated rooms give classical Tuscan design an update without abandonining tradition. You'll find hand-painted walls, restored parquet floors, rich pops of color, lovely brocades, modern four-poster beds, and, perhaps best of all, great views over one of Italy's most picturesque cities. Buffet breakfast is served on the sixth-floor terrace, which has a gorgeous view, and includes the usual—cereal, yogurt, fruit, pastries—plus grilled vegetables, quiches, eggs, and bruschetta. The Tower, the hotel's restaurant, is a popular spot for destination weddings. The view alone is worth it, but the top-quality service and style are an added bonus.

Soprarno Suites Arrow

The Oltrarno's boho, artisanal vibe makes it Florence's hottest neighborhood, and the SoprArno—occupying the top three floors of a townhouse—fits right into the hipster landscape. Rooms are filled with fabulous vintage finds, retro furniture, and original artwork that play off the townhouse's original architectural elements, including exposed wooden beams. All rooms are individually themed; for example, Viaggiatore, which means traveler, has gorgeous framed maps alongside well-designed furniture and huge beds. More guest house than hotel, don't miss breakfast—an excellent buffet with fresh pastries, fruit, and expert coffee—which is served in the ground-level Sott’Arno café, which is owned by SoprArno team Betty Soldi and Matteo Perduca. A local favorite, it's known for its great panini and gets busy in the afternoons and evenings.

The Social Hub Florence Arrow

Offering great facilities, a young vibe, and a location that is in easy reach of the central sights, the well-priced Social Hub (formerly The Student Hotel) is not just for students. Occupying an entire corner block on the ring road that circles the west of the city center, the spot burst onto the scene in 2018. The 19 th -century building (20,000 square meters of ex-office space incorporating a spacious courtyard garden ) houses both long-term student accommodation and hotel rooms whose keen prices attract a real mix of savvy backpackers, older independent travelers, families, and hip young business folk. The bars and restaurants also attract locals who don’t want to battle with the traffic and parking problems in the centro storico. The neighborhood sits northwest of the city center, an area of imposing 19 th century palazzi (mostly converted into business premises), swirling traffic, and few residents, but it’s only two tram stops from Santa Maria Novella train station from where there is easy access to everything you will want to see and do.

Grand Hotel Minerva Arrow

A rooftop heated pool with 360-degree views of Florence’s Duomo and other city icons? Sign us up. But there’s more: Art Deco-appointed rooms in a stately but welcoming 13th-century palazzo that was designed by modern genius Carlo Scarpa in the 1950s and given a light but essential spruce up by Piera Tempesti Benelli, and a perfect address on the pedestrian-only Piazza Santa Maria Novella with its magnificent white-fronted church.

Yes, it’s close to the city’s main train station—but even more importantly, in our opinion, it’s only a couple of minutes walk to lotion and potion superstar Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella for presents to take home and goodies for our own boudoir. — Ondine Cohane

Dimora Palanca Arrow

Artsy old Villa Azalea had sat empty and neglected for years before the present owners swept away the dated frills and chintzes in favor of the cool, sophisticated look that is Dimora Palanca today. They restored the overgrown garden and converted the ex-lemon house into 18 bedrooms. Outside, the lovely garden with tables, loungers and big white umbrellas, is a world away from the trafficked road on the other side of the high wall, and at the end of a long days’ sightseeing, an aperitivo or dinner here is a treat.

Milu Hotel Arrow

Milu is a capsule design hotel made up of two 15th-century palazzos with a sleek, contemporary aesthetic in an ideal spot on Via Tornabuoni. The Superior Double room is quite intimate—small but breathable—with minimalist decor and colorful accents. Bathrooms are state of the art. Rooms have an espresso machine and a minibar filled with beer, soft drinks, water, and snacks. The common room, which has a gorgeous view of the neighborhood, hosts a complimentary breakfast buffet. A favorite among fashion editors, this place has a cool factor that's unmatched elsewhere in Florence. Israeli owner Carmen Ilan is an established artist and the hotel is filled with her site-specific pieces and installations plus works by other artists which are all for sale.

Villa Cora Arrow

Old-world opulence is ingrained in this restored 19th-century mansion overlooking the Boboli Gardens. Built in 1868, the villa has been home to aristocrats from Napoleon III’s widow, Eugenie, to an Egyptian pasha, and the remarkable staff sustain this noble aura with warmth and professionalism. The 46 rooms and suites fill three buildings on the estate, with the most lavish on the piano nobile of the main villa. Though a chauffeured car is at guests’ disposal for the short ride to Florence’s center, you may never feel the need to leave Villa Cora. It has two terrific restaurants—the elegant gourmet Il Pasha and a luminous garden restaurant next to the heated white-stone pool—as well as two bars, one with an impressive selection of cigars, and a full-service spa with a sauna, steam room, and massive whirlpool bath.

The Place Firenze Arrow

Erstwhile JK Place and Italy’s original townhouse hotel, this stylish and cultivated urban bolthole—now The Place—lies a stone's throw away from the train station and shares piazza space with the glorious church of Santa Maria Novella. A stay here feels like being the guest of an extremely cultured collector friend. The hotel was redone under local architect Luigi Fragola in 2021, but long-standing fans will be pleased to hear that the clean, contemporary aesthetic hasn’t essentially changed too much although Fragola has added pops of color (forest green, regal purple) and flashes of brass and velvet to the neutral background palette. Minibars are stocked with complimentary soft drinks and room service will deliver tea and coffee at no extra charge.

Riva Lofts Florence Arrow

Riva Lofts is an early 20th-century stone building that's been converted into urban retreat in Isolotto, a suburban neighborhood on the outskirts of the city center. This is an architect's fantasy loft; it's a minimalist space that highlights the building's original architecture (exposed brickwork, arches). Design elements include midcentury furniture, gorgeous built-ins, and fireplaces. There's also a gorgeous pool, complete with contemporary art sculptures amid the surrounding greenery, and a well-stocked honesty bar. This is a great retreat from hot, crowded Florence. The pool alone is worth it.

Villa San Michele, a Belmond Hotel Arrow

Located in the hills outside of Florence (in Fiesole), Villa San Michele is another of one of those fairytale properties, this time in the form of a 15th century monastery-turned-villa. Everything about it feels like a dream, from the drive to the property, to standing on its grounds and admiring the architecture. Rooms are monastery chic: understated luxury with beautiful architecture. There are vaulted ceilings, beautiful glass window panes, period furniture. Less is absolutely more here. Bathrooms are beautiful marble with separate showers and large sunken tubs. The view is the wow factor, though—along with the superb staff. There is a lovely pool where you can get a massage, and a 24/7 gym kitted out with TechnoGym machines, and cooking classes also are on offer. You'll want for nothing here.

Helvetia & Bristol Firenze – Starhotels Collezione Arrow

Facing Piazza degli Strozzi and steps from Pizza della Repubblica, you'll find traditional Florentine charm with a location in the heart of the city's action. Shoppers, take note: you're by Via Tornabuoni, not to mention some of the city's most popular sites. As for your stay, rooms feel traditional without being dated, with crisp bed linens next to covered headboards and brocaded window treatments. Rooms are spacious, especially for this part of the city; and the on-site dining includes a bar with street-side seating, for taking a break with coffee and watching the local foot traffic. You won't get a ton of bells and whistles beyond the quiet elegance and location—but in Florence, what more do you need?

Ottantotto Firenze Arrow

This renovated historic "palazzetto" in Florence's less touristy Oltrarno neighborhood has just seven rooms, each decorated with different floral and botanical printed fabrics, antique decor, and funky-cool furniture. Our favorite rooms overlook the shady, stone-paved garden. They've got all the basics: free Wi-Fi, satellite TV, air conditioning (not always a given in Europe), and laundry service. There's an honesty bar in the living room stocked with drinks and snacks, and having breakfast in that garden is just dreamy. This is an elegant, unfussy hotel for people who want to see the cooler side of Florence.

Villa La Massa Arrow

The hotel and its extensive grounds—comprising a 12 th century Medici villa, its outbuildings and 62 acres of parkland—stand on a quiet bend in the river Arno, four miles east of Florence. There’s nothing to see or do in this semi-rural, under-the-radar neighborhood aside from admiring the gentle countryside, so guests tend to hop on the complimentary shuttle bus into Florence for entertainment or to stay put and enjoy the pool, spa and lovely gardens. On warm summer evenings, a regular program of events and live music at the pool bar and restaurants draws in the locals. Riverside restaurant Il Verrocchio is a lovely spot for dinner, especially on a warm summer evening, and the chef makes good use of produce from the kitchen garden and the estate’s own olive in his menus of creative Tuscan and pan-Italian dishes.

Hotel Lungarno Arrow

Hotel Lungarno is on prime real estate—steps away from the River Arno. No, really: You can literally step into it from the hotel entryway. Each room comes with its own unique art, and many have views of the water; downstairs, restaurant Borgo San Jacopo has one Michelin star. You book this hotel for the location, but you leave feeling like you've discovered a hidden gem, one where the typical Florence tourists aren't as likely to be found and where you can escape the hectic life of the city.

Ad Astra Arrow

Ad Astra feels like a little-known Florentine secret: a gorgeous private apartment on the first floor of an aristocratic urban villa just 10 minutes from the Ponte Vecchio. Expect lavish flourishes and 21st-century design. Individually decorated rooms feature classic elements with contemporary touches: original molding with rich accent colors, Italian furniture (midcentury to the '70s), artisanal lighting and woodwork, and framed art hand picked by the owners (from Pucci scarves to original prints). A breakfast buffet includes local products; enjoy it in the luminous salon or out on the terrace, which offers views of the delightful Torrigiani gardens. The lounge has complimentary coffee and tea throughout the day; there's also an honesty bar with wines and spirits. This oasis in the middle of Florence is a worthy stay, especially in the hotter months when hordes of tourists clutter the streets.

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