hi sedaa,

if you look up the hotel on trip advisor, you will find a load of reviews [generally favourable, the ones I read] and a very useful map, which shows that it is somewhat to the east of the main centre, down by the arno.

you will be closest to the Santa Croce area of Florence where there are many nice restaurants - i suggest that you look at the recommendations on threads on this forum and also on TA to get some ideas.

as for sight-seeing, most of the sights close at about 6pm, but some open later - the palazzo vecchio opens until midnight in July:

http://www.museicivicifiorentini.it/en/palazzovecchio/

have a look at this website for other details of other museums and their opening times:

http://www.museicivicifiorentini.it/en/index.html

another nice area which you will be able to reach reasonably easily is Altrarno which is the other side of the river - not so many sights [apart from the Pitti Palace, but nice gardens and churches, as well as lovely views over the city from the piazzale michelangelo.

hope you have a great trip!

Guide books like Fodor's has some pretty good recommendations.

Below are Gayot's best restaurants of Florence.

Cibrèo
Via dei Macci, 122R
Phone: +39 055 234 11 00

Enoteca Pinchiorri
Via Ghibellina, 87
Phone: +39 055 242 77 77

Il Pellicano
Il Pellicano Hotel
Localita' Sbarcatello
58018 Porto Ercole
Phone: +39 056 485 8111

What to do? Go look that up. Thinking Florence has some attractions that could be interesting even if you have to take a bus.

As for where to eat, I offer this maxim from BigRuss' Dad who has been to his ancestral home many times - "I never had a bad meal in Italy." Simply stated, just walk around, find someplace that seems nice, and enjoy.

Rastaguy: Of the 3 "restaurants" you mention, one is a (fabulous) hotel on the Tuscan Coast nowhere near Florence and the other two are among the most expensive in the city.

Cibreo, mentioned above, which is near Santa Croce, has a trattoria that is far less pricey than the restaurant; when I last ate there a few years back they did not take reservations so plan to dine early or prepare to wait. Very good food; no pasta; closed Mondays:


http://www.edizioniteatrodelsalecibreofirenze.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=180&Itemid=133




As Ann mentioned, lots of good eating spots in Santa Croce including that one. Take a look in a few guidebooks and come back with questions. I'd offer more suggestions but most of the places I favor are on the other side of the Arno River.

Accademia where the statue of David is exhibited is an easy gallery to visit at the time of the day when you finish your work. It's open until about 7pm and if you get there at about 5-6pm you won't have to queue for more than 10 minutes or so.

Don't be fooled into thinking it's ok to just see the copy that is in Piazza Della Signoria. It's good but the original is breathtaking.

One day we had a lovely walk across the Arno and up into the hills on that side.

The evenings are gorgeous in Florence in the summer, the crowds thin out and the twilight goes on forever. I love it.

We like Osteria di Benci near Santa Croce. And if you have a chance, be sure to go to the Accademia to see Michelangelo's David. Florence is my favorite city in Europe (after Paris)so take whatever advantage you can of your stay there. That includes gelato at least once a day!

That includes gelato at least once a day!>>

be careful where you buy your gelato. when i was in southern Tuscany last year, the local paper was full of how a german couple had been charged nearly €20 for just one, though the picture showed a great ice-cream/cream and waffle creation, which was clearly more than you would normally expect to order.

OTOH, a few days later when i got to Florence, i found a small gelateria near the residenzia where I was staying north of santa croce where I got a tub with 2 flavours for €1.50. and i got to sit on a plastic stool and attempt to converse with the elderly lady who ran the stall. I say attempt - her accent was very strong, and my italian was very weak. But i nodded and smiled a lot!

Gelateria Vivoli, reported to be on of Florence's best, is located close to Santa Croce. http://www.vivoli.it/

I forgot to add that my favorite gelato in Florence is at Festival del Gelato, Via del Corso 75r (literally, a few steps off Via dei Calzaiuoli near the Duomo). Despite all the neon, the gelato is really good, and there are tons of flavors.

We very much enjoyed a dinner at Le Barrique, an enoteca & restaurant. The food was good & fresh, the setting small & relaxing. I enjoyed that it was not right in city center as well. The address is via del leone 40/R. http://www.enotecalebarrique.com/

As for Cibreo, mentioned above, we dined there and frankly wouldn't recommend it. It was the most expensive of our meals, and I don't personally think it lived up to the hype. The service is odd and there's better food to be found elsewhere. I'm glad I went, but I wouldn't return.

Enjoy your trip - while you'll be working during the day so may miss some of the tourist attractions, you'll be able to enjoy the evening strolls!

Florence is small. The walk from your hotel all the way to the train station on the opposite side of town is only 1.5 flat miles, so you're not restricted to dining in the area around your hotel.

One of our favorite hotels from our last trip to Florence was:

Il Paiolo
Via del Corso, 42 (near Delaine's Festival del Gelato)


Here's a helpful, recent thread:

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/good-reasonable-restaurants-in-florence.cfm

I forgot to mention... A short distance from Ristorante Il Paiolo (3-5 shop windows going east, same side of the street) is a small church (stone columns, black iron gates) where concerts are held most evenings. The tickets are quite reasonable, and the musicians are very talented. We've gone to these concerts every time we're in Florence.

Thank you everyone for your great insight! I love to hear the experience others have because it gives me good idea on what to expect. The sad part is my trip has been cut to 3 days, so the day I land at about 1pm, I will have the rest of the day to explore before the conference. Thanks so much, hope you guys can come visit Turkey at some point

shame, sedaa. in that case i would head for oltrano and spend the afternoon up there - great views over the city and lovely churches and gardens to explore away from the teaming crowds.

If you have a iPhone or Android smartphone - DL the Eat Florence app by Elizabeth Minchilli. I used the Rome app recently and she never steered me wrong.

http://www.elizabethminchilliinrome.com/p/food-guide-eat-rome.html

A nice walk from your hotel on a Summer evening is up to San Miniato by way of the Piazzale Michelangelo. There are great panoramas, really the best way to view the city. Halfway up is a good winebar, Fuori Porta, via del Monte alle Croci 10, with tables outside.

tarquin - that was the wine bar i was trying to remember - thanks!

it is also half-way down, which is how i found it.

we too are going to Italy in September, and I have been trying to remember a restaurant that I ate in about 10 years ago....I was afraid to order the boar but tasted it and it was so good. I would like to return there but maybe there are better ones now.....I don't know Florence but it was across the bridge, it was not a very large restaurant walking up to it was on the right side of narrow street coming from bridge.....have any idea? thanks

sedaa, when I was in Florence last year, we happened to be there at the end of the month. We arrived on a Tuesday morning and we were told by our incredible hotel staff that the last Tuesday in the month is "Museum Night" and that the museums were open late... and free. We were literally two of three people at the Accademia at 7:30pm and two of about 10 at the Uffizi at 9pm.

Check with your hotel to find out if this is still true (and if you are going to be there on that day). Well worth it~

Return, could your cinghiale restaurant have been Angiolino's? It's on via Santo Spirito 36, roughly the sort of position you described. We like it alot but usually have Bistecca Fiorentina.