I've just booked a ticket to Florence for Easter!
 

I've been working like a dog for the past 6 weeks - every weekend and 12-18 hours a day:(

So, I was on-line booking my ticket back to Dublin for this weekend, flying Thursday, for a long decadent weekend with the family. Then I started to explore other destinations from London City Airport. Florence stood out!

I been to Florence three times before, but have not visited in about 6 years. Easter is definitely not the best time to go, as it will probably be overflowing, but I have to fit the trip in between two full weeks on a project.

The prices were insane, and most seats were booked out completely for Friday and Monday! So, I decided to add a couple of days and fly on Wednesday afternoon, return on Tuesday evening. This costs £360, as opposed to about £700 plus, if I flew Friday and returned Monday.

Now I am looking for hotels. OMG, as expected, they are outrageous for that weekend. I doubt I will get out for less than £1500 for a regular 4-star. If you have any suggestions for lovely, centrally located B&Bs I would be interested, but have to assume most will be booked by now.

Insane moment that is going to cost me a whole load of money, but I am happy :)

I have ordered my travel books, which will arrive tomorrow. In the meantime, please give me some suggestions for day-trips from Florence.

Best Ger

Have fun!

Which Wednesday to Tuesday are you talking about? The one that includes Easter Sunday itself or the one after?

It is not so much the crowds but how much will be closed during Easter weekend itself, and how much buses will be on holiday schedule. Instead of day trips, would you have any feeling for spending Fri-Mon in a place that was more about cooking classes and wineries or perhaps secular/outdoor sights and then returning to Florence?

As for hotel costs, have you looked at booking.com? There are dozens of properties available for easter weekend, including 4 stars, at nowhere near the cost you are imagining.

Here's an article from a couple of years ago suggesting a few places to stay in Florence. Maybe one of them will grab you and have availability...

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...otels-florence

If you feel comfortable using Hotwire, you can probably save some money and find a decent place. Make sure you carefully sort by the map districts that you would want to stay in and check to see how many previous people have recommended the property. Also know that the name isn't revealed until purchase and once purchased you are charged the total amount (incl. tax), which is nonrefundable or changeable.

http://www.hotwire.com/uk?currencyCode=GBP

You should also have a look on www.venere.com/ Sort your searches by price, area, star rating, etc. Usually when booking through venere, the room can be cancelled and will not be charged until you get to the hotel.

Have a good Easter break.

It's going to be hectic for sure. I've been in Rome over the Good Friday-Easter Sunday time period and all I can say is WOW.

We stayed in Hotel Il Guelfo Bianco last October, and it was great - small family hotel, friendly service, super clean, and really central. Enjoy your break!

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...e_Tuscany.html

I think this is in the same building that we rented an apartment last May. We were on the 6th floor and remember passing this B&B on one of the lower floors. Great building and location.

Good for you, Ger! I know how hard you've been working (and traveling) lately.

If I could help, but it's been too long since I've been to Firenze to be of any useful help at all. I'm sure you'll figure it out, though!

Buon viaggo!

Most museums should be open; in recent years, they've kept the museums open also for "Pasquetta" (Easter Monday), although they're usually closed Mondays. Many, or most, restaurants should be open, because Italian families often eat out on Easter or Pasquetta.

What will be closed will be many shops, although in the touristic center, even a lot of those will be open.

Thanks for correcting my misinformation, bvlenci.

I can also recommend bookings.com. We booked "on the go" through out Italy. You only pay after the stay ( on check out).

Update on the hotel:


Prices were insane, and getting worse hour by hour. I checked out every option offered by Fodor’s posters (many thanks), and they were either unavailable, or expensive.

Given that this was Easter weekend, and I was booking late, I expected to pay far more than I would prefer, but not as much as demanded. I wanted to keep the 6 nights under £1000, which is way more than I would normally be willing to pay. I really wanted to stay at an hotel a friend recommended - ‘St Pierre’, but it was £1700 for a normal room. I checked out all the B&B’s suggested: most didn’t bother responding.

Bluestar(Thank you) suggested Hotwire, which I have not used for years. I could have played the waiting game, which I have done before – as it gets closer to the date, you can get incredible deals. However, I was off to Dublin for a long weekend and would not have the time to monitor. So, an ‘anonymous offer’ came up on Hotwire, just outside of Florence, for a Five-Star (4.5 really) at £800, and I took it. Its about 10 minute’s taxi ride from the centre of Florence, and 25 mins by bus.:

http://www.villaolmifirenze.com/en/

It gets good reviews on Tripadvisor (as much as we can trust it!). Its not where I wanted to stay, but frankly there was nothing I was seeing IN Florence that I thought worth the money. Next day, I did go through the ‘WTF have I done?’ experience, as I wanted to stay in the centre, but once over that initial panic, I started to explore the website and think that this may not be such a bad choice.

Its situated in the countryside, but only a short ride to the centre of Florence, so I can justify the taxi fare. It looks gorgeous, the rooms are beautifully designed, even the cheap ones, which I will be staying in. It has three restaurants and a wine bar (woohoo!). So, I can walk by ass off in Florence for 9 hours until my feet are bleeding, and then get a taxi back to the hotel, soak in the Jacuzzi bath, have a glass of wine in the bar, dine on the terrace, and then stagger up to my room.

What do you guys think?

Best Ger

It also gets good reviews on Booking.com, which I trust a little more. Looks lovely and for someone working hard who needs to relax, I think it will be a fine choice.

Don't add to your stress by second guessing.

When you are walking around Florence you should have with you the telephone number of several different taxi services so you can call for a cab or ask a bar owner or shopkeeper where you've just spent money to do it for you if you don't speak enough Italian. It is possible you will see plenty of unoccupied taxis at the ranks but also possible you will want to call one rather than hike around looking for one.

PS: It appears you will be a 10-minute walk from this restaurant

http://www.osteriabruciategami.it/home.html

I encourage you at least one night to get beyond the hotel restaurant experience for dinner and give this place a try. I have not eaten there, but it doesn't appear to be poisoning people if you read the English-language tripadvisor reviews. It also appears to be largely local Italian clientele. You might need a reservation.

Regarding day trips, you are so much closer to the Campo di Marte train station than the main station of Santa Maria Novell that you might want to consider day trips that head in the direction of Arezzo, Cortona and Chiusi rather than Pisa or Siena. Arezzo would be my pick.

Another option might be simply to take a taxi to Bagno a Ripoli

http://www.summerinitaly.com/guide/bagno-a-ripoli

That looks lovely Ger! I have bookmarked it as it is an Accor hotel which I am a member of.
I love the JKPlace hotel in Florence but it is a bit on the pricey side so nice to have an option.

I hope you have a great time...half your luck! Any trip to Italy is a good one in my books.

OReilly, I so enjoyed your Amsterdam trip report and look forward to hearing about your adventures in Florence. :)

hi guys:

Sorry I have not been back - busy at work.

I got so seduced by your recommendations, I have extended my trip until Thursday :). Client moved the project dates by two weeks last Friday, so I thought - why not! It only cost me $69 to change the flight, and am now looking for an hotel room, and there is a lot of choice.

Many thanks to all of you.

Best Ger

Sandralist: Appreciate the advise re the taxis and an alternative restaurant. I am very encouraged they have not as yet poisoned anyone :)

HilLatedaytraveler: I loved your London trip report, so I will try to reciprocate.

Once again, thanks to all.

Best Ger

The pool is useless in April, but the family should appreciate the Villa Olmi property. You'll enjoy the larger rooms, since it's almost impossible to find large rooms in the city center. You'll enjoy the peace and quiet, too.

When I stay at the Torre di Bellosguardo, which is a bit closer, I rely on taxi service. With a cell phone, it's very easy to call for a taxi and have a car pick you up in front of the address where you're standing. The meter starts when the car gets the call, so you'll need a budget for taxis if you plan to see a lot. Florence taxi dispatchers seem to speak a lot of English, but you don't need many words to get a taxi sent to your address. A 10-minute ride is a conservative estimate. Traffic in Florence can be insane, and you could easily find yourself stuck in a car for 30-minutes on a route that should take 10.

Have a safe trip!