We will be travelling to Florence in April and have come across many apartment rentals on the internet.
Most are very nice and are in the city which we plan on staying for 2 weeks. How reliable are these sights
and what should I be careful of. Have never been to Europe etc Thanks Jerry
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11852 posts
I like to use a reliable site like VRBO.com, Booking.com, or HomeAway.com. I have never been disappointed and I do this all the time. Read the reviews but read between the lines. Booking.com is very objective in that only someone who has stayed in the facility can place a review. I can personally recommend this apartment in Firenze. Very clean, quiet, 12 minute walk from the Duomo and close to Santa Croce.
Posted by
Tulsa, OK
355 posts
There are many very reliable sites. I use VRBO and HomeAway a lot but have used others also. I pay close attention to reviews and the promptness of replies to emails from owners/managers. I usually start out just googling 'vacation rentals' and the name of the city and check out most of what comes up. You might want to check out Slow Travel. They have a lot of reviews and since the site is much smaller than Trip Advisor - I trust their reviews more.
Be aware that you will likely need to pay the entire rental (minus the deposit) when you arrive. That can be challenging - especially if you stay in the same apartment for 2 weeks. Also remember that the first floor European is the second floor to us in the US. That becomes important if there is no elevator in the building and a lot of buildings in the city centers don't have elevators.
But - I have been renting apartments in Europe for the last 10 years plus - and would never go back to staying in hotels if I'm in a place for longer than 3-4 days. And - I have never rented an apartment that was a big disappointment.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16243 posts
The no. 1 website in Italy is:
www.casevacanze.it
however I'm not sure they have an English language option. But you can use it regardless.
Another alternative is the world leader: www.homeaway.com.
HomeAway is actually the corporate owner of VRBO.com, homeway.co.uk, Homelidays.com, homelidays.co.uk, vacationrentals.com and God knows what else. So whichever you choose of the above, you'll be using the same company (HomeAway) therefore the same vacation rental would probably pop up in any of the above.
If you prefer the peer to peer rental exchange model, I'm sure you've heard of www.Airbnb.com and maybe their European competitor www.wimdu.com (a German company).
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Florence is one of the few cities covered by www.cross-pollinate.com, which Rick and others here recommend.
Posted by
Chicago
2124 posts
How nice to have two weeks! We're spending 5 nights in Florence in March--our 2nd trip there--and have rented a VRBO apartment near Florence SMN train station, which is a good location and near all the sights. The train will be our main mode of travel through Europe. Cost is reasonable, just over $100 a day.
If you do research, you'll see what apartments are popular and what are not, but I would find a popular, reasonably-priced one and book it soon. You will probably have to put a one-night reservation deposit down. And yes, what I read upthread is true--we do have to come up with the entire amount, plus a 200 Euro returnable damage deposit, upon arrival. We could use PayPal in advance, but I don't want to pay the extra fees.
Enjoy the search!