Florence hotels

One of the best hotels in Florence – and the most luxurious – Rocco Forte Hotel Savoy is a true art lover’s hotel. Here you’ll find special suites where contemporary artists have created work that’s shown and sold there in regular exhibitions.

Oozing with style, interior design includes furniture and prints chosen by Olga Polizzi and Laudomia Pucci (daughter of the famous fashion designer). Many of the 80 rooms, including 30 sophisticated suites, have balconies and marry contemporary chic with Renaissance Florence, featuring parquet floors, Tuscan-inspired fabrics and original artworks. You’ll also find bespoke furniture from local craftspeople and chic marble and mosaic bathrooms.

Chef Fulvio Pierangelini, of two Michelin-starred restaurant Gambero Rosso, oversees a classic Tuscan menu in the on-site restaurant, Irene. The red prawn tartare with artichokes and burrata is incredible and I would make a special trip to Florence just to have the lasagnetta pasta with ragout.

An 18th-century building once owned by the Marquis Baldinucci – a composer and treasurer to the Pope – Relais Santa Croce is one of the most stylish and elegant boutique hotels in Florence. The 24 guestrooms are furnished with antiques and fine fabrics, and some have four-poster beds and exposed beams.

The top suites all have original frescoes on the ceilings. All the rooms here offer views over the rooftops of Florence, the Duomo or the Santa Croce Basilica, but only the Junior Suite Terrace has its own balcony. Surprisingly, it’s not even the most expensive.

On-site Tuscan restaurant Guelfi & Ghibellini has more frescoes to admire. For an elevated fine dining experience, the three Michelin-starred Enoteca Pinchiorri is in the same palazzo. With a nod to the palazzo’s original owner, I love that the charming music room is still used for regular live concerts throughout the year.

The Helvetia & Bristol Firenze is set in a recently renovated palazzo across from contemporary art museum Palazzo Strozzi and the famous shopping street Via de Tornabuoni. Silk upholstery, Murano glass chandeliers, Chinese porcelain lamps and 17th-century paintings create an air of elegance in the Helvetia wing, where I stayed.

In the adjacent building, a former bank, the newly created Bristol wing features 25 guestrooms designed in a more contemporary style by British designer Anouska Hempel. The hotel’s spa, in the old bank vaults, is the largest in the historic centre and its relaxation room has a glass floor that reveals the medieval foundations.

A friendly concierge provided an invaluable tip to avoid the long lines for the Uffizi: Visit on Tuesday, when not even locals are aware that it’s open until 10 pm. I had Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus almost to myself.

If the prospect of staying in the crowded centre is daunting, this is a great choice. Still close to the main sights, the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze is located in Florence’s largest private gardens, a tranquil paradise of flowers, fountains and sculptures. Even if you're not staying at the hotel, you’re welcome to stroll around the gardens and have a drink in the Pool Tree Bar.

One of the most unique hotels in Florence, you’ll feel like an aristocrat staying here, surrounded by original 17th-century frescoes and painted ceramic floor tiles. Palazzo della Gherardesca, formerly the residence of the Medici family’s accountant, features unique bedrooms with modern amenities and carefully chosen antiques, velvets and brocades.

Michelin-starred Il Palagio serves Tuscan classics with a contemporary twist. Dine à la carte or choose from a five or eight course tasting menu. Buffalo mozzarella and cockerel agnolotti with truffle is not to be missed.

This 13th-century palace recalls the early Renaissance in all its glory and provides a serious wow factor in each of its 62 guestrooms. At Il Tornabuoni you’ll find a different jewel-toned palette on each floor, with bespoke furniture and wallpaper, antiques and rich velvets.

One of the best hotels in Florence, opulence is at its peak here. The huge Lorenzo Il Magnifico suite has floor-to-ceiling frescoes, while the top-floor Tornabuoni suite has a beautiful terrace. Modern luxuries are also provided, including pillow menus, Marshall radios, espresso machines and wine fridges in the suites.

Across the road is Palazzo Spini-Feroni, headquarters of the Ferragamo empire. It houses one of my favourite spots in Florence, a fascinating shoe museum that provides a deep dive into the life of Salvatore Ferragamo, who rose from humble beginnings to become shoemaker to the stars.

Set on the banks of the Arno River in a 15th-century palace designed by Filippo Brunelleschi (designer of the Duomo), the St. Regis is one of the best hotels in Florence. It’s located just minutes from the Uffizi gallery, which houses the largest collection of Renaissance art by the likes of Botticelli, Michelangelo and da Vinci.

The grand lobby, with its crystal chandeliers, is peppered with frescoes, while lavish rooms feature gilded walls, canopied beds and custom-designed furniture. Some of them have also have river views. Among them, the top Bottega Veneta Suite, designed in a calming neutral palette by Bottega’s creative director Tomas Maier, has chic furnishings, a fireplace and Acqua di Parma amenities.

I particularly like the relaxed vibe of the Winter Garden Restaurant, which serves traditional Tuscan cuisine in what was originally a courtyard for horse-drawn carriages.

A former residence built in 1578 for the uber-wealthy Vecchietti family, Palazzo Vecchietti is now one of the best hotels in Florence. The hotel has 12 beautifully restored guestrooms, featuring antiques in wood and leather, velvet bedspreads, original fireplaces and dark marble bathrooms.

If you stay in the top Leonardo da Vinci Premier Suite, there’s also a well-equipped kitchen and large balcony overlooking the courtyard. To make your Florentine experience even sweeter, you’ll be minutes away from one of my favourite places for gelato, Perchè No.

This icy treat is usually the first thing I eat on arrival in any Italian city, especially Florence, which is said to be the birthplace of gelato. Avoid the artificial, brightly coloured mounds found elsewhere in the city and treat yourself to the artisanal gelato from this local hotspot.

A peaceful haven on the other side of the river with views of the glorious Boboli Gardens, Villa Cora is one of the best hotels in Florence. A popular spot since the 1960s, this 19th-century residence was designed by the renowned architect Pietro Camparini. It’s undergone multiple renovations since then and is now part of The Leading Hotels of the World collection.

A particular highlight for me is the inviting pool, which is heated all year round. It’s set in an immaculate Italian-style garden, filled with more than 100 types of roses and surrounded by ancient oak trees. The deluxe rooms on the third floor of the Villa have balconies with views of the pretty garden.

Or you can live like an emperor in the Imperial suite, where the Japanese Emperor Akihito once stayed. Antique furniture, original frescoes and two spacious bedrooms with four-poster beds make this set of rooms an unforgettable place stay.

This chic 4-star property – arranged throughout a 16th-century palazzo and a 19th-century Gothic-style building – is one of the best historic hotels in Florence. The striking interiors feature brightly coloured velvet chairs, beds and pink wardrobes, while exposed brick walls, terrazzo floors and Art Deco-style bathrooms complete the look.

Excellent dining options include Meze’s Mediterranean sharing menu (the homemade bread and house dips are a meal in themselves). Meanwhile, Angel Rooftop, one of the city’s loveliest terraces, is the ideal spot for a sunset drink with 360-degree views across the city.

On the hotel’s doorstep is Mercato Porcellino leather market, a great place for picking up a new wallet or belt, and the Odeon cinema. No ordinary cinema, the Odeon is a Renaissance palace that has a bookshop on the main floor and 200 plush armchairs in the mezzanine gallery, where you can relax and enjoy a free film on the giant screen.

Hotel Lungarno is one of the best hotels in Florence for art lovers like myself. The luxury property has a private art collection of around 500 works, including an original Picasso, works by Jean Cocteau and plenty of gems by Italian artists. The riverfront location is stunning and most of the 63 rooms have beautiful terraces and sophisticated interiors featuring navy blue carpeting, dark wood and ivory fabrics.

I love the glamorous 1950s-style décor in the Michelin-starred Borgo San Jacopo restaurant and was particularly impressed by the tasting menus, especially the vegetarian one, which includes dishes like eggplant with bitter orange, celery and garlic sauce, and risotto with lemon, mozzarella and capers. The hotel also has a lovely rooftop bar with river views and excellent cocktails, from a classic Negroni to a Nuclear Daiquiri.