Neighborhood to rent apartment in Florence

A year ago March we rented an apartment right on Piazza Santa Maria Novella, a block from the train station. Our second floor windows opened up to the square. Virtually everything within walking distance.

Anywhere within the historical center would be within walking distance from everything.
Go to www.freemaptools.com
Choose the radius around a point option
Search for piazze Della Repubblica, Florence
Select the 1 km radius.
Click on piazza Della Repubblica.
If your apartment is within the circle or just about, you are within 15 min walking distance fron anything you need to see.

We have rented apts in the Oltrarno neighborhood which is just over the Ponte Vecchio bridge and also near the Bargello Museum not far from Piazza Signoria. Both are great locations. Have also stayed in several hotels very close to the train station. The historic ctr of Florence is very walkable.

I will echo the others, anywhere in the historic center will be great.......we rented my favorite apartment of my trip between Piazzas Republica and Santa Maria Novella.....on Via (or Vicolo) del purgatorio (though google maps apparently thinks this little alley is a piazza), just steps from Roberto Cavalli, Versace, and Gucci.....felt so fancy! hahaha If you are going to use the train a lot, I would probably stay on the train station side of the Duomo, because it is a hike if not.....

and its so close to one of my favorite restaurants, Ristorante la Spada!

Katherine would you mind sharing the link for the apartment? Thank you.

Oltrearno/San Niccolo/Santo Spirito/San Frediano/Piazza Tasso
Santa Croce/ Sant Ambrogio

Anywhere within the old city walls will be good for those without a car. You will be doing A LOT of walking once you hit the ground. Those with fitbit/stepcounters usually report doing twice their normal daily amount, or at the very least reaching a new personal best. Seriously think about getting a few good walks in the week or two before getting to Italy!

While in Italy last fall, we rented an apartment on Piazza di Madonna degli Aldobrandini which is almost halfway between the train station and the Duomo. On TripAdvisor, the apartment is called Piazza Madonna 7. I have a detailed review of my trip on Rick Steves and a review of the apartment on TripAdvisor.

Short version - it's a two (queen) bed/2 full bath apartment with a well stocked kitchen and a clothes washer. It's on the third floor (by American convention) but is served by a lift (all requirements of our particular trip as my 80yo mother was traveling with us).

My only possible concern was the almost total lack of a lounge (parlor, living room, whatever you want to call it). This really didn't impact us at all but if you plan on relaxing evenings in your apartment (we didn't), you might want a little more space.

The great things about this apartment and location:

• Entry/kitchen/lounge and one bedroom overlooked the Medicee Chapel Tower.
• a five minute walk to the train station (Florence S.M.N.), Mercato Centrale, and a grocery store
• a ten minute walk to the Duomo
• a 15 minute walk to the Accademia or Ponte Vecchio

I would highly recommend this apartment for it's convenience as long as a large lounge space isn't high on your priorities list.

Good luck.

Thank you! For those that have rented apartments what did you go through?

Saw the apartment online through VRBO, contacted them, exchanged EMail addresses and communicated with them that way, sent a one-day deposit through PayPal to reserve the apartment and the dates. This was about 3 months in advance. Met the owner at the apartment at the appointed time after we arrived in Florence. She showed us all of the apartment's features, showed us where the garbage dump was at the other side of the piazza.

When we signed the contract she decided we were good people and didn't charge us the security deposit. We paid the five nights in advance in cash. After giving us tips on restaurants and attractions in Florence, she left us with two sets of keys and told us to leave them in a certain place when leaving at the end of our 5 night stay. That was the last we saw of her. Very easy, no problem whatsoever.

Taylor, I rented three apartments in Italy (Venice, Florence and Rome) via TripAdvisor and the experience was AWESOME. I liked the search tools on the TripAdvisor website and I paid everything except local occupancy taxes via TripAdvisor using PayPal.

I also found that most, if not all, the apartments I researched on TripAdvisor were also listed on the other major holiday rental websites. So, the website you use is pretty much down to personal preference.

Near the Duomo or Santa Croce, places are usually more crowded and noisy than in Oltrarno ( San Frediano, San Spirito). Santa Maria Novella is also rather quiet.
I prefer oltrarno because I love its bodeghe (art workshops), the antique shops and small restaurants trattorie, etc and the contact with real Florentine people which is friendlier than near the Duomo. Near the Duomo and Santa Croce, it has more music, etc and is probably more suitable for young people.

We used AirBNB for our Florence apartment and it was right near the Duomo and the apartment was quiet and we were within walking distance to the train station, tourist sites, restaurants and cafes, it was our favorite apartment of all of our trips. We rented through VRBO and a private agency for other parts of our trip and we had great experiences (communication, reliability, payment, ease of reservation) with all. One thing, all my Apartments in Italy required Cash payments at check in, so if this is requested, just know it is not unusual.

Thank you all! It's overwhelming all the choices and not being familiar with Florence I want to make the right decision. We do want to have some outdoor space which I know when you rent an apartment can be limited and more expensive!

I think I've mentioned on other threads that almost every apartment I've heard about in Florence has multiple keys to access the place you're renting. For us it was one key to get into the building itself, a second key to get onto the 2nd floor after taking lift up, then finally a third key to get into the apartment. Most of these buildings are old & sometimes the locks and keys can be funky and weird. This happened at our B&B in Salerno as well, three keys.

My point is to pay attention when the landlord is showing it to you! Best to have them walk you through it a couple of times. I suppose it's somewhat of a deterrent to crime, but I'll tell you I wasn't paying very good attention when it was being shown to us, and the next morning early I dashed out for a caffe while my wife was still asleep. Came back, was using the wrong key into the wrong lock, couldn't rouse my wife via text or EMail, and literally sat in this ancient foyer for the better part of an hour trying to figure it all out. It was like Rubik's Cube. Finally I had an a-ha moment and was able to get in.

Another thing in Florence to pay attention is to ask whether there is a lift or not. If there isn't ask what floor it is.
I have an apartment in Florence with a lift, however with no balcony. It does not bother me too much as I can go and sip a drink on Piazza San Spirito or Piazza Pitti, 50 m from home and stay there as long as I want. Of course had I both would it be even better. But being on the 5th floor with no lift would be a nuisance bringing bottles of wine or water or heavy shopping. There are many lovely apartments in Florence but so little with a lift.

When I lived in apartments in California I also needed a separate keys, one to enter the building and one to enter the apartment. In every place I lived (and in every place my friends lived, mostly in SF).

That's pretty much standard in most apartment buildings in California as well. Not much different at all with Florence. The locked foyer at the floor level before you enter the apartment is rare and limited only to some older buildings in Italy.

I guess some of you have never lived in city apartments in America in your life. You single family home dwellers!!

Not like these spring-loaded deals in Florence & Salerno, Roberto! I was told 'you have to jiggle it to get it right.' Of course, it seemed simple at the time. But after the short-lived panic after the key wouldn't work--and this was the right key--we were able to maneuver OK. I'll tell you, with these ancient locks it was like trying to open up a castle door...

Taylormarie, don't let this dissuade you from renting an apartment in Florence. Things eventually work out and it makes for a great story to tell!