I'll be visiting Florence for 4-5 nights in September and am looking for a recommendation on a neighborhood to stay in and/or recommendations for 3-4 start hotels or reliable apartment rentals. Thanks!
Posted by
Chicago, IL, US
127 posts
check out tripadvisor.com for more detailed hotel reviews- but once you're on that site, you'll find rave reviews for Hotel David (which was a fabulous little place)
Posted by
Dallas, TX, USA
1170 posts
Il Salotto Di Firenze, located at the Piazza Duomo across from the Baptistry. You can't get more centrally located than this. Inexpensive and very nice B&B.
Posted by
OP
Hoboken, NJ
16 posts
From the Hotel David, how long of a walk is it to the main sights? I noticed that it's set outside of the city center. Is it in a safe area and is the walk safe? Thanks!
Posted by
Florence
362 posts
Ciao Devinn,
As far as "neighborhoods" go, if you are inside the viale or ring road that is around the heart of old Florence (which you should be able to see on any map), it is fairly to mostly safe. Individually you may want to avoid certain areas very late at night - around Santo Spirito doesn't have the best reputation - it is known locally as Florence's unofficial needle park - there is a lot of open drug activity. I am not trying to disparage Florence or be alarming - overall it is I think a very safe place, but I would take the usual precautions as you would in any city. It isn't a huge metropolis, but it isn't a village either. I think most of Florence compares to walking down Washington St. in Hoboken - pretty safe (at least it was when I lived there!).
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA, USA
1003 posts
Devinn, I stayed at the Hotel David on my first stay in Florence. It is an absolutely lovely hotel, I can't say that enough, it's one of the few places I've stayed in my life where I can't think of any complaints. However, it really is outside the center. I found it a leisurely 20-30 minute stroll to the main sites, less to say, Santa Croce. At the time, I had been traveling throughout Europe for over a month and my feet hurt more with every step - it was not fun the night I waited for the D bus at the ponte vecchio after dinner only to find that it stopped pretty early and I had to walk all the way back. If that kind of thing wouldn't bother you, then I doubt you can do a lot better than the David for the price.
But, when I went back to Florence I decided to stay more in the center. I found an adorable B&B for a very reasonable price right in Piazza della Repubblica (la dimora del centro). Staying that close to the center (well, in the center) and not having to worry about a long walk back to the hotel at night really enhanced my enjoyment of the city.
In the alternative, I discovered some really wonderful untouristy restaurants near the David because it's more of a residential area over there. A couple places, no english was spoken at all, which I really enjoyed. So I suppose it's all a bit of a trade-off. only you can decide where your priorities are!