Florence near the train station - noisy?
Oct 15th, 2006, 06:34 AM
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Florence near the train station - noisy?
If I were to choose a hotel near the train station in Florence, how noisy would it be from trains?
For some reason, I'm having a hard time figuring out where to stay. We would want to spend somewhere around 150 Euros per night. We will be arriving by train. I'd like something that is atmospheric and with character (as opposed to a sterile 'chain' type of place).
For some reason, I'm having a hard time figuring out where to stay. We would want to spend somewhere around 150 Euros per night. We will be arriving by train. I'd like something that is atmospheric and with character (as opposed to a sterile 'chain' type of place).
Oct 15th, 2006, 06:50 AM
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Hello-
We stayed in Florence this summer only 3 blocks awat from the train station and we could not hear anything! The area is quiet, clean and you are near everything. We stayed at Hotel Club Florence which was great for the money!
We stayed in Florence this summer only 3 blocks awat from the train station and we could not hear anything! The area is quiet, clean and you are near everything. We stayed at Hotel Club Florence which was great for the money!
Oct 15th, 2006, 07:10 AM
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We just returned from Florence and stayed at the Relais Cavalcati and can't say enough good things about it - we LOVED it there. Its about a 10 minute walk from the train station - because we had luggage and didn't quite know how to get there we took a taxi which cost about 7 euros. Its in a great location near to everything and has lots of atmosphere, we had a great view of Florence from our room. Its a small B&B and only has 4 rooms, they don't serve breakfast but do have a communal dining room with a kitchen which they keep stocked with coffee, tea, cookies, cereal, etc. We paid 138 Euros per night for a triple (she gave us a 5% discount for paying cash). Before we went I read a few reviews of people complaining about noise but we didn't have a problem - they have really thick double paned windows with shutters and as long as they were closed we didn't hear a thing but if you want to keep the window open, it could be loud and they do have air conditioning. Here's their web site: http://www.relaiscavalcanti.com/english
Oct 15th, 2006, 07:23 AM
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We stayed at Residenza Il Villino, a lovely former palazzo renovated with up to date plumbing, etc. The rooms and architectural details are lovely. Breakfast was very good, with internet availability to boot. Hosts couldn't have been nicer.
My only caution: it's about 3 blocks from the center. Not a bad walk at all, well worth it for the quality of the rooms. But we were there in January and I wouldn't want to walk it again on bitter cold, windy nights.
http://www.ilvillino.it/
It's actually prettier than the photos on the web.
My only caution: it's about 3 blocks from the center. Not a bad walk at all, well worth it for the quality of the rooms. But we were there in January and I wouldn't want to walk it again on bitter cold, windy nights.
http://www.ilvillino.it/
It's actually prettier than the photos on the web.
Oct 15th, 2006, 07:44 AM
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Hi GoAway,
We stayed at a nice hotel that was right on the main street running from the train station to the Duomo. We never slept at all!!! It was the traffic! The police sirens and cars went all night.
Just confirm that your hotel has either A/C AND double-paned windows, or ask for a room facing the inner courtyard, something not on the street side. You should be fine.
Buon viaggio!
We stayed at a nice hotel that was right on the main street running from the train station to the Duomo. We never slept at all!!! It was the traffic! The police sirens and cars went all night.
Just confirm that your hotel has either A/C AND double-paned windows, or ask for a room facing the inner courtyard, something not on the street side. You should be fine.
Buon viaggio!
Oct 15th, 2006, 08:10 AM
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I stayed at a B&B on Via Fiume, which is a block away from the train station. Didn't hear a thing.
For €150, I would think you should be able to find something with double glazed windows and character. The recommendations you've been given sound wonderful. Relais Cavalcanti is among my list of places to stay...
Try florenceby.com if you haven't already...
For €150, I would think you should be able to find something with double glazed windows and character. The recommendations you've been given sound wonderful. Relais Cavalcanti is among my list of places to stay...
Try florenceby.com if you haven't already...
Oct 15th, 2006, 09:11 AM
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I wholeheartedly agree on Relais Cavalcanti. We stayed there this past May, and I wrote this detailed description in my trip report:
"We took a short cab ride from the train station to the Relais Cavalcanti. a very charming little 'hotel', at Via Pellicceria, 2. It occupies one floor of a building located near the Uffizi gallery, in a very good central location. Because my daughter had just finished her semester in Florence, she was able to recommend her favorite location in town for lodging.
The Relais Cavalcanti building has been in the same family's ownership for 100+ years, the owner/manager of the new-ish Relais is Francesca. She said she inherited this one floor of the building, so she recently renovated it to create a little hotel. It's relatively new, with beautiful tile bathrooms, showers, etc. The rooms are very charming, and good-sized. Our rate for our double/twin was 120EUR, which included an extra 10EUR/day for the better view. Francesca also offered a 5 percent discount for payment in cash.
You have the feeling of entering a very nice, private Italian home, when you unlock the Relais door and smell the potpourri set out on the beautiful tables in the hallway and entry way. It has a small elevator and a/c, too. No breakfast is served, but even better I think is that they have a beautiful little dining room/kitchen that is open 24/7 for guests. You have always available the makings for coffee, hot chocolate and tea, plus containers of pre-wrapped pastries and dessert cakes. That's about as much as you get in any Italian B&B for breakfast, and this way you can serve yourself whenever. One evening we bought wine, cheese, bread, and fruit and enjoyed our own private time in this beautiful room.
The only thing to be aware of at Relais Cavalcanti is that the first floor of the building is the Old Stove Irish pub. The good news is that it's a decent little place for panini, and has free wi-fi. However, it attracts a lot of students and young people, so it is quite noisy into the early morning hours. Our room window was directly above the pub's patio, with a nice view of adjoining rooftops. The double windows, plus the wooden shutters, can block out about 95 percent of the noise from the pub below. I found that I could also turn on the a/c fan in our room, which would then totally cover any outside noise, so it was no problem.
Francesca also cautions her prospective guests that she does not staff a 24/7 front desk. She is there during posted hours, mostly till 6 p.m., and has an emergency number on the door. But she is careful to tell guests that hers is not a hotel with full-services at night-time. She is very friendly and helpful, and speaks English very easily. I highly recommend the Relais Cavalcanti."
Have fun in beautiful Florence.
>-
"We took a short cab ride from the train station to the Relais Cavalcanti. a very charming little 'hotel', at Via Pellicceria, 2. It occupies one floor of a building located near the Uffizi gallery, in a very good central location. Because my daughter had just finished her semester in Florence, she was able to recommend her favorite location in town for lodging.
The Relais Cavalcanti building has been in the same family's ownership for 100+ years, the owner/manager of the new-ish Relais is Francesca. She said she inherited this one floor of the building, so she recently renovated it to create a little hotel. It's relatively new, with beautiful tile bathrooms, showers, etc. The rooms are very charming, and good-sized. Our rate for our double/twin was 120EUR, which included an extra 10EUR/day for the better view. Francesca also offered a 5 percent discount for payment in cash.
You have the feeling of entering a very nice, private Italian home, when you unlock the Relais door and smell the potpourri set out on the beautiful tables in the hallway and entry way. It has a small elevator and a/c, too. No breakfast is served, but even better I think is that they have a beautiful little dining room/kitchen that is open 24/7 for guests. You have always available the makings for coffee, hot chocolate and tea, plus containers of pre-wrapped pastries and dessert cakes. That's about as much as you get in any Italian B&B for breakfast, and this way you can serve yourself whenever. One evening we bought wine, cheese, bread, and fruit and enjoyed our own private time in this beautiful room.
The only thing to be aware of at Relais Cavalcanti is that the first floor of the building is the Old Stove Irish pub. The good news is that it's a decent little place for panini, and has free wi-fi. However, it attracts a lot of students and young people, so it is quite noisy into the early morning hours. Our room window was directly above the pub's patio, with a nice view of adjoining rooftops. The double windows, plus the wooden shutters, can block out about 95 percent of the noise from the pub below. I found that I could also turn on the a/c fan in our room, which would then totally cover any outside noise, so it was no problem.
Francesca also cautions her prospective guests that she does not staff a 24/7 front desk. She is there during posted hours, mostly till 6 p.m., and has an emergency number on the door. But she is careful to tell guests that hers is not a hotel with full-services at night-time. She is very friendly and helpful, and speaks English very easily. I highly recommend the Relais Cavalcanti."
Have fun in beautiful Florence.
>-
Oct 15th, 2006, 10:52 AM
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We stayed in 1990 in a pensione recommended by Frommer's, two blocks from railway station. We did not hear any train, it was not noisy at all. The pensione was very good and clean and we found its location to be very good.
Oct 15th, 2006, 03:26 PM
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Ear plugs - not the flimsy foam stuff but the waxy kind that knocks out many decibels - bring them from your nearest Walgreens or such store. Wear them at home before leaving so you get used to them. Good on planes, too.
Oct 15th, 2006, 05:49 PM
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Another Recommendation: Hotel Paris on Via dei Banchi. It's about 5 minutes from the train station and about 7 minutes from the Duoma, even less to Santa Maria Novella church.
The staff is wonderful, the hotel is clean, and the overall atmosphere of the hotel is amazing. The breakfast is more than sufficient and the breakfast room is big enough to fit the stream of crowds in the morning.
As far as noise: the only thing I would really hear was the ambulances in the middle of the night, which is minor. Otherwise, no problems.
The staff is wonderful, the hotel is clean, and the overall atmosphere of the hotel is amazing. The breakfast is more than sufficient and the breakfast room is big enough to fit the stream of crowds in the morning.
As far as noise: the only thing I would really hear was the ambulances in the middle of the night, which is minor. Otherwise, no problems.
