The best hotels in Florence
Home to the greatest concentration of art in the world, Florence has no shortage of spectacular creative and architectural delights. The opulent array of hotels in Florence offer an equally incredible dose of culture; many have handsome Renaissance features and interiors brimming with priceless objects d’art. The city’s best addresses are dotted throughout the city – whether you’re after a hotel smack in the centre or a more peaceful retreat in the surrounding hills. You’ll also find delightful guesthouses with bags of charm that won’t break the bank, some tucked away in the Oltrarno, Florence’s stylish boho district that lies to the south of the river. And without further ado, we present the best hotels in Florence, according to the editors of Condé Nast Traveller.
How we choose the best hotels in Florence
Every hotel on this list has been selected independently by our editors and written by a Condé Nast Traveller journalist who knows the destination and has stayed at that property. When choosing hotels, our editors consider both luxury properties and boutique and lesser-known boltholes that offer an authentic and insider experience of a destination. We’re always looking for beautiful design, a great location and warm service – as well as serious sustainability credentials. We update this list regularly as new hotels open and existing ones evolve.
Stefano ScataThe St Regis Florence
Featured on our 2022 Gold List of the best hotels in the world
Best for: the royal treatment
There’s no shortage of elegant hotels in Florence, but something about The St Regis keeps me coming back year after year. It might be that, for a palazzo of 15th-century frescoes and crystal chandeliers, it is just so cosy; 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: my clothes have been magically unpacked and ironed while I’ve been given tickets that 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 sabre, I found myself saying ‘Cin cin’ to a giant teddy bear given pride of place by the fire. This is a hotel where the royal treatment is for everyone. Sara Margo
Address: Piazza Ognissanti, 1, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy
Price: Doubles starting from about £410
Hotel Savoy
Best for: good vibes, people-watching
If you could harness the energy given off by the interiors at the Savoy, you could power all of Florence. They are irrepressibly, irresistibly uplifting – the design equivalent of a stranger with a beautiful laugh. Just overhearing that person’s laughter makes you want to laugh too. Thanks for the good vibes go to Olga Polizzi (sister of hotelier Sir Rocco Forte) and Laudomia Pucci (daughter of fashion legend Emilio Pucci), old friends who share a passion for vividly patterned fabrics, contrasting textures and certain not-always-entirely-obvious colour combinations (fuschia, minty green, cadmium yellow). The balance is nicely maintained and the effect is invigorating without ever becoming hectic. The jazzy elements also sit well alongside more traditional ones – the marble-and-mosaic-forward bathrooms, for instance, which elsewhere might be merely predictable but here, in context, seem playful, almost ironic. There is an engaging sense of self-awareness about it all.
The restaurant, Irene, is fabulous – Tuscan classics done to perfection in an intimate space that works equally well morning, noon or night, with a terrific terrace spilling right onto the Piazza della Repubblica for prime people-watching. (You could hardly be any more in the thick of it.)
Just one criticism: no spa. However, there are lots of books – good books, proper books, in nice editions – to encourage you to relax by using your head rather than merely lying back and drifting off while someone else rubs it.
Do ask the concierge team to arrange a personal walking tour – the guides are great and even if you know the city well, you’ll see something new and learn something astonishing. Steve King
Address: Hotel Savoy, Piazza della Repubblica 7, 50123, Firenze FI, Italy
Price: doubles from about £430 (low season) and £580 (high season)
Helvetia & Bristol Firenze
Best for: centrality, wallpaper, pastries
Usually when people refer to a hotel as a “classic” or a “grande dame” or a “beloved institution” there’s an implication that the place in question is not merely old but also preserved in amber. Invariably only the old part is true, because in order to become and remain a classic, a hotel has to change over time. Such is the case at the Helvetia & Bristol, which has had its ups and downs since opening in 1894. More ups than downs, however, and a giddy rush of them since its acquisition by the Starhotels group in 2016. Its 64 existing rooms have been gorgeously revivified in swathes of silk and velvet – much of it woven just across the river at the Antico Setificio Fiorentino, an 18th-century textiles factory, a visit to which will only deepen your appreciation of your splendid digs.
A whole new wing in what used to be the Florence headquarters of the Banca di Roma next door opened in 2021, with 25 Anouska Hempel-designed rooms, each of them a tone-poem in lustrous shades of grey. Also new is LA SPA – the largest spa in the city centre – which combines the authentically ancient (real-life Roman ruins) with the bracingly modern (the “Secret of Longevity” facial treatment, for instance, conceived to banish unwanted signs of antiquity). There's also a fabulous bar, restaurant and café run by the proprietors of Sant’Angelo-based Cibrèo. Pastry-making megastar Iginio Massari has an immaculate shop in the same building – though you don’t need to leave the hotel to enjoy the fruits of his labours, which are also available for breakfast in the ravishing, radiant Winter Garden.
One thing about the Helvetia & Bristol that hasn’t changed and never gets old: its fabulous location opposite the Palazzo Strozzi, between the Via de’ Tornabuoni and the Piazza della Repubblica. Steve King
Address: Helvetia & Bristol Firenze – Starhotels Collezione, Via dei Pescioni, 2, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy
Price: doubles from about £400 (low season) and £700 (high season)
Tyson SadloVilla San Michele, A Belmond Hotel, Florence
Best for: a bird’s eye view of the city
On a hillside in Fiesole, this Belmond property set in a 15th-century monastery breathes history. Its beautiful Renaissance façade was inspired by the work of Michelangelo, while its interiors blend historical features and contemporary furnishings. The reception is housed in the monastery’s former church, with lofty ceilings and rich velvet fabrics in deep hues. The cloisters have been transformed into a welcoming lounge area with stone columns and leafy plants, and at the two restaurants occupying the loggia each table has unobstructed views of the city below.
At the back of the property, the gardens’ multi-level lawns and terraces offer fabulous vistas. There’s a wonderfully sized swimming pool to while away the afternoons far from the tourist crowds, and historical forest trails on Monte Ceceri, where the hotel lies. It was allegedly from these shaded woodlands that Leonardo da Vinci staged the first test of his “flying machine”.
Address: Belmond Villa San Michele, Via Doccia, 4, 50014 Fiesole FI, Italy
Price: Doubles starting from £730
Stefano ScatàIl Tornabuoni
Best for: shopping
Located on swanky Via Tornabuoni, Florence’s smartest thoroughfare, Il Tornabuoni is a stylish hotel set in a 13th-century palazzo. At this Hyatt property, colour-coded floors incorporate vivid tones including deep blues, fuchsia and bright yellows. Decorating the walls are lively depictions of exotic flora and fauna that are a nod to the Renaissance period, including butterflies, monkeys, beetles and parrots. The palazzo’s original features have been preserved where possible, including an original fireplace in one of the rooms, and wonderful ceiling frescoes in others.
The vibrant décor continues at the ground floor restaurant Il Magnifico, where elegant brass fittings complement a backdrop of verdant foliage and lively depictions of fauna. At the rooftop bar Butterfly Terrace, guests sip cocktails as they soak up views of the city skyline, before heading to the hotel’s Lucie Gourmet restaurant, decked out in bold hues of peacock blue and pink.
Address: IL Tornabuoni Hotel, Via de' Tornabuoni, 3, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy
Price: Doubles starting from £345
Hotel Photography srlPortrait Firenze
Best for: Ponte Vecchio views
This all-suite property owned by the Ferragamo family celebrates the 1950s and 1960s when Italian high fashion took off and Florence became a magnet for celebrities. Black and white photos of movie stars line the walls (there’s even a framed receipt for Marilyn Monroe’s Ferragamo shoes), while floor-to-ceiling windows present spectacular vistas of the Arno and the Ponte Vecchio – make sure you ask for a river-facing suite.
At the ground floor café, tables spill out onto the Lungarno – sit back with a coffee and watch life go by, or step onto the embankment to be inexorably diverted to nearby attractions. The hotel also offers Vespa rental, so you can zip around Florence and soak up a little dolce vita on two wheels.
Address: Portrait Firenze, Lungarno degli Acciaiuoli, 4, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy
Price: Doubles starting from £510
Dario GarofaloThe Place
Best for: a sophisticated boutique
Ring the doorbell and you’ll be granted access to this immaculately refurbished townhouse (formerly JK Place), just as if you were arriving at a (wealthy) friend’s house. The Place aspires to be your Florentine home away from home, with bespoke furnishings made by Florentine artisans and local artworks in the communal areas. Soft tones of green and cream echo the colours of the façade of Santa Maria Novella, which lies across the square.
The 20 rooms combine elegance and sophistication with modern technological touches, including gorgeous green and white marble bathrooms. The restaurant delivers al-fresco dining on one of the city’s most beautiful squares, spotlighting flavourful dishes (Tuscan Calvana beef; handmade black tortelli stuffed with prawns and zucchini) served on stylish Richard Ginori china, paired with a great selection of local Tuscan wines.
Address: The Place, Plaza di Santa Maria Novella, 7, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy
Price: Doubles starting from £430
Ottantotto
Best for: affordable comforts
This delightful little boutique hotel is tucked away in the Oltrarno, a short sashay from Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens. Spread out over four floors, the seven rooms tastefully blend classic and modern, with cotto floors, antique furnishings and original features. The headboard in Room three is fitted into a huge original stone mantlepiece – marrying fun touches such as playful botanical and floral prints.
The soft lighting and books scattered here and there create an inviting feel, and there’s a lovely little garden shaded by an age-old medlar and palm tree where breakfast is served year-round (under a heated awning in winter). As reception is only manned until mid-afternoon, you’re mostly left to your own devices when here – there’s an honesty bar in the lounge area, while to check in, you’ll be given a code to enter the front door and open the locker box that holds your room key.
Address: Ottantotto Firenze, Via dei Serragli, 88, 50124 Firenze FI, Italy
Price: Doubles starting from £140
Ad Astra
Best for: sophisticated, retro vibes
This friendly boutique hotel enjoys a fabulously quiet location in the largest private garden within the city walls. Sadly, the leafy 17-acre Giardino Torrigiani is closed to the public (the Marchese Torrigiani lives on the ground floor), although you can admire the grounds over a breakfast brioche (or a glass of vino come evening) from the lovely terrace.
The owners have done the place up in a contemporary-retro design scheme, adding curios, reclaimed furniture and quirky vintage pieces from the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies, carefully sourced from flea markets across Europe. In the lounge, a wrap-around 1960s optician’s display cabinet serves as a bar counter, while all manner of knick-knacks and upcycled pieces decorate the rooms, from a retro cinema spotlight to a framed vintage Pucci scarf. Rooms are exceptionally spacious, and all come with claw-foot baths, lending a decadent touch.
Address: Ad Astra, Via del Campuccio, 53, 50125 Firenze FI, Italy
Price: Doubles starting from £120
Matthias HamelFour Seasons Hotel Firenze
Best for: Renaissance splendour
Spread out over two large Renaissance buildings, this opulent hotel is set in the Giardino della Gherardesca, a wonderfully peaceful 11-acre spot shaded by centuries-old sequoias, maples and conifers, interlacing paths and lawns dotted with statues and fountains. Interiors are adorned with exquisite artistic and cultural artefacts; in the 15th-century courtyard lobby, intricate stuccos and bar reliefs are depicting classical and mythological events. The rooms are no less sumptuous – think rich fabrics and antique furnishings; and some have vaulted ceilings and intricate frescoes.
Service is top-notch, lead by professional yet amicable staff who call guests by name. Facilities are some of the very best in the city; there’s a delightful outdoor swimming pool – something many hotels in Florence lack despite the summer heat – an excellent spa and plenty to keep little ones entertained, including a kids’ club and playground. To top it all off, there’s Michelin-starred dining at Il Palagio, where seating is in a delightful garden setting in the summer months.
Address: Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, Borgo Pinti, 99, 50121 Firenze FI, Italy
Price: Doubles starting from £860
Fani KurtiVilla La Massa
Best for: peace and tranquillity
You can just picture a wealthy Florentine family during the time of the Medicis retreating to the villa’s breezy, riverside location following a hectic day pacing the streets of Florence. Sister to Lake Como’s famed hotel Villa d’Este, this 13th-century villa has a quiet location 8km to the east of Florence on the banks of the River Arno, immersed in a 25-acre park dotted with olive, lemon and cypress trees. The grounds are home to a delightful swimming pool, children’s play area and an attractive spa.
Rooms are spread out over five buildings, some exuding traditional, Renaissance décor, with four-poster beds, tapestries, and elegant fabrics; others have a decidedly more contemporary feel, with bespoke furnishings in earthy tones made by local artisans. In the evenings, Il Verrocchio’s riverfront terrace is a wonderfully tranquil spot to enjoy Mediterranean and Tuscan specialities to the soothing sounds of water softly murmuring below.
Address: Villa La Massa, Via della Massa, 24, 50012 Candeli FI, Italy
Price: Doubles starting from £445
Hotel Photography srlHotel Lungarno
Best for: 20th-century art
This restored 16th-century residence houses an outstanding private art collection that includes an original Picasso, a handful of Jean Cocteaus, and over 450 other works mostly by Italian artists. It has a superb riverfront location, and light floods in through large windows. Ivory fabrics, navy blue carpets and dark wood fittings create a subtle nautical feel, giving the impression you’re on a boat slowly cruising down the Arno.
The all-day Picteau Bistrot and Bar is laid out to resemble a living room overlooking the river, while at Michelin-starred restaurant Borgo San Jacopo, the design takes inspiration from 1950s glamour, with great Ponte Vecchio views from the tiny terrace.
Address: Hotel Lungarno, Borgo S. Jacopo, 14, 50125 Firenze FI, Italy
Price: Doubles starting from £405
Soprano Suites
Best for: vintage designs
This bolthole set in a 16th-century palazzo exudes a similarly unpretentious vibe to its sister-hotel Ad Astra, blending whimsical vintage pieces and upcycled objects with original features (ceiling frescoes; exposed beams). There are wooden seats rescued from an old train, vintage typewriters, a table made from a water tank, and an electric selection of artworks trimming the walls.
Most of the 13 rooms and suites are generously sized, and have towering ceilings (some frescoed) lending a sense of space and grandeur. The cosy lounge area has lots of fun market finds and shelves lined with books, creating a decidedly welcoming and laidback vibe, where jazzy tunes and all-day coffee and tea inviting guests to linger.
Address: Soprano Suites, Via Maggio, 35, 50125 Firenze FI, Italy
Price: Doubles starting from £105
ALESSANDROMOGGI.COMVilla Cora
Best for: sumptuous interiors
Villa Cora is a peaceful retreat tucked away in a leafy residential area to the south of the city, away from the crowds of central Florence. The 19th-century villa has lavish interiors blending original fittings (splendid boiserie; glittering Murano chandeliers; elaborate frescoes) and a bold, rather gaudy choice of contemporary furnishings (velvet plum armchairs; crystal glass table).
The grounds are lovely, dotted with lush rose bushes, and there’s an inviting heated swimming pool shaded by oak and yew trees. Head up to the rooftop terrace to soak up captivating city views or make the most of the hotel’s hillside location and walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo, the city’s most romantic viewpoint.
Address: Villa Cora, Viale Machiavelli, 18, 50125 Firenze FI, Italy
Price: Doubles starting from £255