We will be staying in Florence for 2 days before our wedding in Volterra. Can anyone recommend a hotel (max. $150 night) or a good area to stay in? We have been looking at the Hotel Casci just north of the Duomo. We want an area that we can walk to sights. Any thoughts about Oltrarno? Thank you so much!

Any hotels in the center will be an easy enough walk to all or most of the major various sights in Florence. (I personally would avoid staying in the immediate area of the train station, even though there may be some good hotels there.) The Oltrarno is fine, too, e.g., Hotel Silla.

Although I have not stayed at Casci, its location looks very good to me. And it gets very good marks from a lot who post here.

I wouldn't think that there is anything wrong with the Oltrarno, but the location of Casci would be preferred, from my perspective.

The only hotel I know personally in Florence is Giada; cheaper than Casci, but not nearly as good, from what I know.

Best wishes,

Rex

We stayed at the Hotel Casci a couple years ago and absolutely loved it! The owners/staff were very friendly and helpful, and the location was perfect. Very close to walking to everything, yet quiet. Friends took our suggestion and stayed there a year later and were also just as pleased.

Hotel Silla in the Oltrarno neighborhood on the south side of the Arno was about 160 euros for a nice double room in June, high season. Although it is on the south side of the Arno it is across the Ponte alle grazie bridge and very walkable to get from the Hotel silla to the Uffizi Gallery and to the Santa Croce area. Hotel Silla is also very convenient to walk to the Pitti palace and the Boboli gardens.

We also walked to the Accademia to see David though this is a bit further to walk. You could get a taxi if your feet are tired.

Hotel Silla also offered to make our museum reservations for us and they did so, not charging anything for this service. They gave us the reservation numbers which we took to the museums. Since I had chosen times which weren't too busy, the museums decided to waive the small charge that they would have made for the reservations...and they still let us skip the lines!

We were married in Florence 2 years ago and stayed at a Pensione called Maria Luisa De Medici. It was fantastic - we were there for 5 weeks. We wouldn't leave!! I think it was E60 for a double with share bathroom. Its a very eccentric place, a big old Palazzo filled with antiques and artifacts. HUGEST staircase in Florence. It is on Via Del Corso (corner of Via Santa Margherita) which is right between Piazza Della Signoria and Piazza Del Duomo - a great location.