Choice is not the problem when deciding where to stay in Florence, as walking through the centre, it seems that every other house, appartment block or palazzo is masquerading as a hotel, pensione or B&B. But finding the right price can be another matter, especially when you start checking out the tempting residenze d'epoca, upmarket B&B's that can cost more than a luxury hotel. Below are 10 of the best deals, but bear in mind that prices vary enormously from high to low season, midweek to weekend. All these addresses include free WiFi and breakfast.
Novecento
It is a long trek up three flights of stairs that ends in a jungle of plants at the door of this four-room B&B, but it is worth the effort. This converted attic appartment is definitely a bit cramped, but the rooms themselves are comfortable, and the welcome could not be more friendly from the owners, an Italian Japanese couple, Franco and Sawako. The surprise comes when they take guests up a final stairway that leads to a wonderful rooftop terrace which is so close to Brunelleschi's Duomo that you feel you could reach out and touch it.
• 10 Via Ricasoli, +39 055 214138, bbnovecentofirenze.it, double from €80
Bed and Breakfast Four Rooms
Almost at the foot of the Ponte Vecchio, this cool, modern B&B, is located in a retro 1960's flat, with minimalist furniture and bright colourful interiors. The owner is Signora Eva Vocino, a German restaurateur who provides a complimentary bottle of Vin Santo wine and traditional cantucci biscuits in each room. There is a spacious breakfast salon with an equipped kitchen that guests can use at any time, which can be a big plus if you don't feel like going out for a meal but prefer to eat-in at the B&B, bringing home a pizza or cold cuts and salad.
• 2 Borgo Santi Apostoli, +39 055 212676, bbfourooms.com, double from €100
Sani Tourist House
Right in the heart of medieval Florence, just by the house where Dante lived, the Sani is a simple, no-frills address, and very reasonably-priced. The owners do not serve breakfast, but guests get a voucher for the nearby Cantinetta dei Verrazzano, an historic wine bar. There are six rooms in the B&B, but it is also worth checking the availability of an adjoining appartment that they also rent out, with two bedrooms, lounge and kitchen, which is priced at around €160 a night.
• Piazza dei Guochi 1, +39 335 8224133, sanibnb.it, double from €60
Relais Cavalcanti
The Cavalcanti is housed in a rather grand medieval palazzo, looking out over the Mercato del Porcellino and the Palagio di Parte Guelfa. It used to be the family home of two sisters, Francesca and Anna, but a couple of years ago they transformed the place into a roomy B&B. The decoration is very 'palazzo', with antique wardrobes and gilt-edged mirrors, but the rooms don't quite match up to the elegant reading salon and breakfast room. Breakfast is a self-service affair, but open all day.
• 2 Via Pelliceria, +39 055 210962, relaiscavalcanti.com, double room from €90
San Frediano Mansion
Over on the less touristy Oltrarno side of Florence, this B&B is on a funky street lined with artisan ateliers, wine bars and cheap trattorie. The 'mansion' is actually part of a grandiose but slightly run-down 15th-century palace, and many of its 11 rooms are quite enormous, with high ceilings painted with swirling frescoes. Although there are rooms available from as little as €45 a double, note that they are 'without a view', which one guest just checking out explained that it meant 'no window', so not really adviseable.
• 8 Via Borgo San Frediano, +39 055 212991, sanfredianomansion.com, double room from €65
Martin Dago B&B
The Sant'Ambrogio neighbourhood is the hippest part of Florence, a bit like the Bastille in Paris, with its own food and flea market, late-night cocktail bars and a mixed multicultural population with a mosque and synagogue as well as churches. Several rooms in the B&B are split-level duplex, with the loft bed beneath wooden beams or frescoed ceilings. On the roof is a plant-filled terrace with views over the city and Tuscan hills, great for sunset drinks and al fresco breakfasts.
• 84 Via De'Macci, +39 055 2341415, martindago.com, double room from €95
Hotel Universo
The Universo is a rarity in Florence, a bright, modern hotel, with the feel of a boutique property but with much more affordable prices. Location is perfect too, right opposite one of the city's most beautiful churches, Santa Maria Novella, and a couple of minutes' walk from the main train station. The concept running throughout the hotel is a vintage 1970's style, from the wallpaper to the furniture. Worth checking the surcharge for the rooms with a balcony and view of the Church and its lively piazza.
• 20 Piazza Santa Maria Novella, +39 055 293890, hoteluniversoflorence.com, double room from €90
Hotel Relais Il Cestello
Situated on the bank of the Arno, on the Oltrarno side, the Cestello has been upgraded from a B&B into three-star hotel, but prices remain reasonable, and the 10 rooms are both comfortable and spacious. The reception lobby doubles as the breakfast salon, with an ancient stone firepalce and wooden-beamed ceiling. All the tourist sights from the Duomo to the Uffizi are 10 minutes' walk away, but staying here is an oasis of peace and quiet compared to the crowds in the city centre.
• 9 Piazza Di Cestello, +39 055 280632, relaisilcestello.it, double room €90
Hotel Scoti
The Scoti has been a favoured haunt of backpackers for a good many years, and has maintained its old fashioned family-run 'pensione' ambiance compared to more recent B&B's . The prices have gone up recently, but then guests don't have to share bathrooms anymore, and it's almost worth staying here just to be able to use the charming communal sitting room, decorated with quite incredible 17th-century frescoes. Hidden away in a 16th-century palace, with a rickety lift, the Scoti is right on Florence's prime shopping boulevard.
• 7 Via de'Tornabuoni, +39 055 292128, hotelscoti.com, double from €80
Hotel Loggiato Dei Serviti
For a relative splash-out it is well worth checking the prices at this romantic hotel, hidden away in one of Florence's most beautiful squares, which is virtually free of all the tour groups who crowd the nearby Piazza Santa Croce. The Loggiato was originally a convent for a monastic order, dating back to 1527, and the rooms are quite sumptuously decorated. The hotel is surprisingly large, with 38 rooms.
• 1 Piazza della Santissima Annunziata, +39 055 289592, loggiatodeiservitihotel.it, double room from €150
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