My husband and I will be staying in Florence May 13 - 15 and are undecided as to where to stay. We have overlapping reservations at both the Art Hotel Villa Agape and the San Gallo Palace Hotel. Both hotels look nice, get great reviews and seem to be approximately the same distance from the city center. The San Gallo is north of the city center, near the Piazza Della Liberta. The Art Hotel Villa Agape is south of the city, just below the Arno. I need to cancel one of the reservations but, not knowing the area, am not sure which would be the best choice for our brief stay. Has anyone stayed at either or both hotels? The reviews seem to put both hotels at about a 15-20 minute walk from the city center, which is fine with us, and both offer free shuttle service. We are headed to Rome when we leave Florence. We are newbies. This is our first time overseas and we are welcome to any and all suggestions anyone has to offer. Thanks!
Posted by
Seattle
4637 posts
I cannot advise you on those two hotels but if you prefer to be in the center then nice hotel right next to Duomo is hotel Spadai. We will be there also in May.
Posted by
Austin TX after living in Boulder CO for 25 years
1166 posts
We love being in the center of town ! Two delightful and very nice hotels are Hotel Tornobuoni Beacci and Hotel Torre Guelfa. Both offer rooftop bar areas and are perfect for watching the sunset with a glass of wine !
We love the Hotel Scalleta which also has a rooftop overlooking the Duomo and wonderful breakfasts.
Posted by
Michigan USA
346 posts
I haven't stayed at either of those places but I wonder why you are choosing to stay so far out of the center, especially since you're only going to be there a short time.
If it fits your budget, I would recommend this place: https://www.oyster.com/florence/hotels/hotel-davanzati/
We stayed there a few years ago and it was excellent. You do however need to be able to climb one flight of stairs up to the lobby.
Posted by
NYC
490 posts
Hi you will love Florence...my advice is on a short trip such as this stay in the city center. It is nice to be able to walk out the hotel door and go anywhere...then easily pop back to the hotel in the afternoon to refresh and go out again. Staying IN the city is what most want to do in order to cover all the wonderful sights. You do not say if you are traveling further on in Tuscany...if you are, then you will most likely have these lush Tuscan views that the Art Hotel offers and need not travel back and forth when the focus is Florence sights. If you want to keep on of the two the Gallo is a bit closer to the sights. You may want to opt for the other poster's advice and stay in the center. Enjoy!
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
I agree that both hotels are much too far from the center of Florence, and so I wouldn't stay in either one.
In the center north of the Arno and in the area just south of it (across the Ponte Vecchio) are zillions of accommodations in all price ranges. You will have a much better visit with a central hotel.
Posted by
San Diego
1540 posts
A few years ago we stayed in the Hotel California on and RS trip. The location was perfect, we walked all over (day and night)
It is just a little over a block from the Duomo (towards the Academia)
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
I have stayed at Hotel Paris and Hotel Bigallo - check them out online. Hotel is on a short side street around the corner from the Baptistry, but very quiet.
Edit: Hotel Bigallo is near the Baptistry.
Posted by
WPB, FL & Firenze
3112 posts
The hotels are not equal distance from the center. Based on locations shown on the websites, Villa Agape is in the hills south of Florence. While beautiful, it's a fair distance from the center. Appears it's walkable from the points where the shuttle bus drops you off and not from the hotel itself. San Gallo Palace, while still not central, is an easy bus ride (5 minutes to Piazza San Marco) or walkable to/from the center (20-25 minutes to Duomo). If you are set on choosing between the two, San Gallo Palace would be the better choice for convenience to the center.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Thank you for all your help. I'm really not sure how we ended up picking the two hotels I mentioned in my original post. I think, being a newbie, I really didn't realize how far out we'd be in either direction. All of the hotels you guys mentioned look like wonderful choices. I think we could be happy at any of them. I do remember looking at some of those hotels when I initially started searching and they were booked for our dates. We ultimately decided on the B4 Astoria Firenze (http://www.b4astoriafirenze.com/en) It looks to be centrally located and seems to have everything else we need. I am so appreciative to everyone that responded to my query. Hopefully we'll learn a lot on our travels this year and be able to help others in the future.
Posted by
NYC
490 posts
Have a wonderful time! Your hotel choice is gorgeous! Give us a report when you come back! Safe travels!
p.s. I tell every woman traveler about the "bra stash" google it there are a few styles...it will give you peace of mind...I use it everytime I travel...keep my credit cards and daily cash in there...not in a bag or pocket..keep passport and back up credit cards, cash in my under clothing pouch :) Better safe then sorry..I am a New Yorker and an Italian citizen, but being a tourist and jet lagged sticks out like a sore thumb in Italy especially!
Posted by
Portland, Oregon, United States
906 posts
I liked the Hotel Hermitage. It caters to English speaking guests, has a wonderful location next to the Ponte Vecchio, and a good breakfast terrace. Price was right too. It is a 3 star hotel. It is really hard to beat the location.