Hi, my fiance and I will be in Florence for 3 nights in June. We're in desperate search for a room in a nice area. Something under 200EUR/night is preferred. Also, other than museums, what are some things that we sure be sure to take in? All insight is greatly appreciated.

I don't have a hotel recommendation but I was there for a day in April (3rd visit) and this time I spent the day wandering the large market (Centro) and the smaller market near the Ponte Vecchio. Lots of interesting shopping. I especially the food market at the Centro, it is in the building and I was fascinated by all the different foods there. I tasted lots of olive oils and made a few gift purchases. The stalls were interesting to browse and I made a few purchases. Then I just wandered. I like to have a destination so I just wandered from church to church. It was interesting to get off the beaten path and I found some great shops and interesting buildings. I would recommend going up to the Piazza Michelangelo (I think that is the name). There is a park there and a statue of David but the view of the town is amazing. All the steeples and duomos. I think I saw a recent post that mentioned a restaurant up there but I didn't see one.

We stayed at Residenza Dei Pucci in April. It was 170 euro per night with requested RS discount. Big room with nice bath. The street seemed like it would be loud but was not. Light breakfast and we could walk to anywhere.

Definately picnic in the Bobli Gardend at the Pitti Palace, very romantic!

We just returned from Italy (am working on my trip report now...will post soon) and stayed at Hotel Villa Belvedere in Florence. (www.villa-belvedere.com)

This is the 2nd time we've stayed at this hotel, and I can't say enough good things about it. It's not in town, but I really loved the location as it is so quiet and the view of Florence is gorgeous. Also, it has a beautiful garden, swimming pool, parking (if you need it) and a full breakfast is included in the price (which is within your pricerange--we paid 150 EUR/night, but for 180 you can get a balcony, which would be nice.)

If you want to go to the Academia and Ufizzi--which are both fabulous--have the hotel make reservations for you.

Congratulations and have a great time.

This helps. Thanks!

R_K--The Hotel Casci gets great reviews. I haven't stayed there, but went inside on a recent visit and was able to see some rooms. They looked very nice. www.slowtrav.com might be a useful site for you to research hotels.

Hi R_Ktravelers. Go to: www.tripadvisors.com also for hotel info and reviews. Florence is an easy city to walk in. If you stroll around you will find all kinds of interesting places besides the most normally visited spots. Wishing you a beautiful time in Florence. And BTW, if you are talking about June of this year get busy and make hotel reservations ASAP.

I recently returned from 5 weeks in Italy and Florence was my first stop. I stayed at the Hotel Caravaggio, a 3 star hotel, for 5 nights and can't begin to tell how wonderful it was. It's not a fancy hotel but a charming one.
It is on Via Nazionale,5, walking distance from the train station. Directly across from the hotel is a park so there was not much noise at night. It is very near the San Lorenzo market and the Accademia.
The hotel staff is EXCEPTIONAL. I traveled solo and had a single at 83 euro/night. The room was a nice size and so was the bathroom and VERY clean.
They serve a nice breakfast with many choices and a plus for me was the internet set up in the sitting room off the lobby.
Florence is so compact that walking anywhere was not a problem. I took day trips to Pisa-Lucca one day by train and used the SITA bus for Siena and San Gimignano (this was the only time the entire trip I needed Dramamine!).
I booked the hotel through florenceby.com and found many reviews at venere.com. I did see that sometime in June there was a special rate of 113 euro for a double superior with balcony. I loved the hotel and the location and will stay there again. Have a great trip!

Hi - My finace and I were in Florence for 3 nights in Sept. We stayed at a GREAT hotel in a great area called the Hotel Torre Guelfa. It was right near Piazza della Signoria and also steps from the Ponte Vecchio. Florence is a very easy city to get around. Most sites are compact and within a 10-15 min walk from one another. The Hotel Torre Guelfa was a great location. It also has a tower on top with an absolutely AMAZING view of Florence and the Tuscan hillside. My fiance and I bought some cheese, prosciutto, figs, etc. from the Mercato Centrale near San Lorenzo market one day and took it back to our hotel with some wine for a lunch with a million $$ view. This was one of the highlights of our trip. Also, not sure how into art/museums you are, but we spent 2 days visiting the Duomo, Uffizi Gallery, Accademia, Museo del Duomo del Opera, the Baptistry, etc. and we were "museum'd" out. On our last day, we opted to take a bus out to Siena and it was beautiful. It's not too far of a drive and we just wandered around Siena for the day, probably arrived back into Florence at around 8PM or so. It was great and an easy trip. If you want to stay in the Florence area and not head out to Siena, I would recommend exploring the Oltrarno neighborhood. I would also say that the Boboli Gardens in this area is a MUST. So beautiful...Climb up to the top of the stairs and see the most beautiful hills...You'll feel like you are in Tuscany (well, I guess technically you are, but you will feel miles away from the city of Florence). Anyway, enjoy....

Hi RK,

These links might help:

Ira’s Trip Report
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34451044

Helpful Information: Italy 2
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34568596

You lucky two! We were in Florence in April, and can hardly wait to get back. I double the recommendation of Zizi for the Caravaggio--we only stayed 2 nights and wished it were more--the staff are all super, the hotel immaculate, the breakfast buffet wonderful. I asked for a room in the back with a view of the Duomo, and that's what I got! All for 120 euros--I hope they are not fully booked this late--go to venere.com and search 3 star hotels in Florence-that tells you immediately what is available-a terrific website. I booked my entire 2 week trip on it and everything was perfect!.Definitely take the walk (or bus#13) up to the piazza Michelangelo across the river. And there is an outdoor cafe (just down the stairs to the left after you've gotten to the top) where you can sit with a glass of wine (they bring complimentary munchies) or order light lunch and just sit and be amazed at the view.

I would recommend the guest house Il Porcellino. Despite the erroneous claims by someone here that it is not air-conditioned, it actually IS! Also, you might want to consult a map of Florence and see if you can get a bargain at lastminute.com. This is how last year I was able to stay at the Hotel Pierre for a fraction of the actual cost. Both locations are fabulous. I second the opinions about going to the Pitti Palace and getting into the Boboli Gardens there, and getting to Piazza Michaelangelo. For other gorgeous views of the Florentine skyline, go to the church San Minotto, and also take the bus (which you will be able to catch at the train station) up to Fiesole. Fantastic!

Buon Viaggio (I am checking in from Rome, where it is raining very hard now),
BC

Try the Hotel Berchielli, right beside the Arno and close to the Ponte Vecchio. It's in a lovely old building with cool tile floors and is within easy walking distance of the major sights.

Be sure to visit the outdoor leather market; good buys if you can bargain well.

See the monastery with the Fra Angelico paintings. Get a guidebook soon and start deciding what you'll have time to see versus what you want to see.

We stayed at the Hotel Casci (mentioned earlier) a couple years ago and loved it. We had a quad room and it was very spacious. The location of the hotel was great in that it was quiet at night, but within a very short walk of the Duomo and main areas. The owners were so nice, and really made sure that you were taken care of. I would stay there again in a heartbeat.

This is great info. Thanks everyone. Hopefully, our hotel will have internet access so that we can get more info from you all while we're there, as needed, and I can give you updates. We're actually starting london, training to Paris, then Nice (incl. Monaco), Florence then Rome. We're so excited!

The Casci has a computer for guest to use.

So does Villa Belvedere. Another big plus.