Where to Stay in Florence.

Five properties worth a booking shortlist for a slow-travel base in Florence — one to two weeks where the Duomo, the Uffizi, and the Oltrarno artisans' quarter are all on the same daily walking radius. Sourced from operator listings, Mr & Mrs Smith and Wallpaper coverage, MICHELIN Guide hotel listings, and current rate data. Each booking link routes through Stay22 to compare published rates across Booking, Hotels.com, Expedia, and Vrbo.

This page contains affiliate links — we earn commission when readers book through them, at no cost to you. Disclosure.

The neighborhoods — read this first

Florence is small. The historic core fits inside a 25-minute walking radius and most slow-travel stays settle into one of four neighborhoods, each with a distinct character. Pick the neighborhood first; the property is the second decision.

• Centro Storico — the UNESCO core, anchored by the Duomo, the Uffizi, Piazza della Signoria, and the Via de' Tornabuoni shopping spine. Highest tourist density, highest hotel density. Best for 5–7 night stays where proximity to the monuments is the trip.
• Oltrarno (Borgo San Jacopo, Santo Spirito) — the south bank of the Arno, the artisan-workshop side of the city. Leather, gilding, frame-making, and the Boboli Gardens. The default pick for slow travelers who want walkable nights without the Centro Storico crush.
• San Frediano — the western Oltrarno quarter, more residential and creative-class than Santo Spirito. Cafe and design-shop density is highest. Strong for 2-week creative stays.
• Santa Maria Novella — west Centro Storico around the train station, walkable to everything but quieter than the Duomo-side core. Strong for travelers using Florence as a Tuscany base with day-trips to Siena, Lucca, Bologna.

1. Hotel Lungarno — Oltrarno

Hotel Lungarno occupies a renovated riverside mansion on Borgo San Jacopo on the Oltrarno bank, run by the Ferragamo family's Lungarno Collection across approximately 62–65 rooms and suites. Per the operator's published material and Mr & Mrs Smith coverage, the interiors are by Florentine architect Michele Bonan in a yacht-inspired register — signature blue-and-white palette, dark wood, red leather — and the property's 450-piece art collection includes original Picasso and Cocteau works in the Picteau bar. The MICHELIN Guide lists it in its Florence selection and Small Luxury Hotels of the World counts it among its Italian portfolio. Strong for a 7–10 night Oltrarno base for couples who want river views with Ponte Vecchio at the doorstep.

2. Palazzo Vecchietti — Centro Storico

Palazzo Vecchietti occupies a 16th-century palazzo of the Vecchietti merchant-patron family between Palazzo Strozzi and Piazza della Repubblica, restored as an all-suite residence across 12 suites and studios. Per the operator's published material and Small Luxury Hotels of the World listing, the rebuild retained the Renaissance bones — high frescoed ceilings, locally handmade Florentine furniture — and layered muted contemporary tones over them. The position on the Tornabuoni shopping spine is the pitch. Strong for a 10–14 night palazzo stay for couples who want the central shopping axis and a residential, all-suite feel inside Centro Storico.

3. AdAstra — Oltrarno / San Frediano

AdAstra occupies a wing of the historic Torrigiani estate — Europe's largest private city garden — restored by architect Francesco Maestrelli with interior designers Matteo Perduca and Betty Soldi across 16 rooms. Per the operator's published material and Mr & Mrs Smith coverage, the interior layers 1950s–70s Italian design pieces, salvaged antiques, and bespoke artworks over frescoed salons and a wraparound terrace overlooking the Giardino Torrigiani. The MICHELIN Guide lists it; Wallpaper covers it for the design programme. Strong for a 1–2 week stay for design-led couples who want the artisan Oltrarno side and a garden-facing B&B over a polished hotel.

4. Riva Lofts — Western Oltrarno (Lungarno Soderini)

Riva Lofts occupies the converted riverside studio-atelier of architect Claudio Nardi on Lungarno Soderini in the western Oltrarno, approximately 2.5km from Centro Storico, run as 9–10 serviced apartment lofts. Per the operator's published material and Wallpaper's Best Designs coverage, the conversion blends early-20th-century industrial bones with Corian, light wood, and modernist furniture; a private garden and white sandstone pool open onto the Arno. Strong for slow-travel couples on 10–14 night stays who want kitchen-equipped lofts, a pool, and a quieter riverside base instead of a hotel lobby.

5. 25hours Hotel Piazza San Paolino — Santa Maria Novella

25hours Hotel Piazza San Paolino occupies the former Monte dei Pegni building attached to the San Paolino monastery church on Piazza San Paolino, run by 25hours Hotels (Ennismore / Accor) across approximately 170 rooms. Per the operator's published material and Hospitality Design coverage, Paola Navone's OTTO Studio reworked the building around Dante's Divine Comedy — Inferno-red bar interiors, Paradiso-bright guest rooms, and a planetary ceiling installation. It is the largest property on this shortlist, included for the design statement rather than the intimacy. Strong for a 1-week design-led base for couples who want a buzzy lobby, food hall (I Golosi), and walkable access to Santa Maria Novella station.

How to choose between them

The split is roughly: Hotel Lungarno if you want river-view 5-star scale with Ponte Vecchio at the doorstep. Palazzo Vecchietti if 12-suite palazzo residence appeals over a hotel. AdAstra if Oltrarno garden-side and design-led B&B intimacy are the brief. Riva Lofts if you want kitchen-equipped lofts and a longer western Oltrarno stay. 25hours Piazza San Paolino if Paola Navone's design statement and Santa Maria Novella position appeal.

Slow-travel notes for Florence

Florence's compact scale (the historic core is roughly 1.5km across) makes it one of the easiest European cities to base for 1–2 weeks without a car. The Trenitalia high-speed network puts Bologna 40 minutes away, Rome 1h35, Venice 2h05, Milan 1h45 — Florence functions naturally as a Tuscany-Emilia-Veneto hub. The trade-offs: peak summer (July–August) brings serious heat and the largest tourist load; April–early June and September–October are the practical slow-travel windows. ZTL (Zona a Traffico Limitato) restrictions cover the entire historic center — if a property has parking, the access is by permit only, so confirm before driving.

Where to look next

The companion city pages on Verified Stays include our scored Lisbon catalog (Locke de Santa Joana, Outsite Cais do Sodré). A scored Verified Stay for Florence is in the research queue — sign up for the Sunday Edition below to be notified when it lands. For tour and experience bookings in Florence, the most-cited GetYourGuide combinations include an Uffizi skip-the-line + Accademia (David) combo, a Tuscan wine-and-vineyard day trip from Florence, a Chianti afternoon tour, and a Siena + San Gimignano day trip.

Sources

• Hotel Lungarno — operator site, lungarnocollection.com/hotel-lungarno, accessed May 2026; Mr & Mrs Smith listing; MICHELIN Guide Florence selection; Small Luxury Hotels of the World
• Palazzo Vecchietti — operator site, palazzovecchietti.com, accessed May 2026; Small Luxury Hotels of the World; Hilton SLH portfolio
• AdAstra — operator site, adastraflorence.it, accessed May 2026; Mr & Mrs Smith listing; MICHELIN Guide; Wallpaper coverage
• Riva Lofts — operator site, rivalofts.com, accessed May 2026; Wallpaper Best Designs coverage; Claudio Nardi Architects
• 25hours Hotel Piazza San Paolino — operator site, 25hours-hotels.com/en/hotels/florence/piazza-san-paolino, accessed May 2026; Hospitality Design; Interni Magazine
• Booking.com property listings for each property, May 2026