Hi, I am heading to Florence in the late August and am looking for an inexpensive hotel that has a fantastic location. The hotel does not need to be perfect .. just a place to sleep/shower.

What can you recommend?

My sister and I followed a friend's advice to look for people advertising pensiones in the train station and it paid off... we would up staying right in the heart of the market near the duomo for almost nothing.

If I had to do it over again, though, I'd probably stay on the outskirts of the city. Florence can be a bit crazy and grotty when you're staying in the thick of it.

what is your budget? inexpensive can be a different range to different people. we stayed at hotel accademia in florence - you can check their website for rates, etc. it was a nice place, well located and easy to walk to the train station (about 5 minutes).

We loved the Relais Grand Tour. Rediculous value for the location and amenities. But not "cheap."

You'll do better if you say what price range you're looking for.

We stayed at Hotel Giada 1.5 years ago. Basic 2* hotel, but very convenient, right at San Lorenzo. A few minutes walk to train station or Duomo.

Check here:
http://www.tuscanweb.com/property/?ID=4156

HI M,

I can highly recommend www.bedinflorence.it

Not sure if this is "budget" enough for you, but I think it's one of the least expensive places I've come across and the location is fantastic:
http://www.hotelporcellino.com/en_index.htm

Buon Viaggio,
BC

We stayed at the hotel Alinari in 2005. It is clean, reasonable and just a few minutes from the train station.

My favorite hotel in 3 weeks of travelling through Italy was touristhouse ghiberti, which has raves on tripadvisor.com and on venere.com Have you checked Fodor's?

In the meantime, I detail what I liked about it, in my photo trip-report at www.pbase.com/andrys/florence3

At the time we were there last year, in May, it cost about 140 euros per night for a double with twin beds if you booked through the hotel and paid in cash while there. When you see what they have to offer, just a couple of blocks from the Duomo (which I loved, because I felt the old center was 'home' in my wanderings during the 3 days I was there) it's a great bargain. This includes a computer and fast internet access (free) in an immaculately maintained room, in a building which contained Ghiberti's workshop. It's dark at the entrance and you have to take an elevator up to the floor where the B&B is. I think it's #2 (or so) b&b at tripadvisor, for Florence.

In addition to my recommendation of a place I stayed, in case you want something even less expensive, relatively speaking, get Lonely Planet or Fodor books and look at the rooms available in convents and how they're rated. Those are usually about 80 euros and are basic but should do for what you describe.

- Andrys
pbase.com/andrys/italy

Ira is right I stayed there on his recommendation you can't beat price or location nor the hosts.