I am planning to go to Florence next month. Do you have any recommendations on places to stay (budget is 150-300CHF per room per day) and places to see?
Cheers

Sorry, I can't recommend places to stay, but I can recommend what to see and eat.

See:

Piazza Santo Spirito (for a less touristy square), Piazzale Michelangelo (for a view of the city), and the Boboli Gardens (for their tranquility and beauty) - all on the other side of the Arno. There is lots more to see, but these spots are my favorite.

Eat:

"Il Contadino" on Via Palazzuolo near the main train station.

They have a fixed price menu. I was there almost 2 years ago, but back then it was something like 12 euros for a primo piatto (first course - pasta), a secondo (usually meat dish), a contorno (side of french fries, salad, or veggies), and wine.

One night my husband had the best creamy, melt-in-your-mouth gnocchi for his primo and coniglio (rabbit) for his secondo.

Not in the nicest area, but well worth it! (I used to live next door to it back in 2001. Then, the meal was something like 15,000 lire, which was around $8!)

A friend of mine stayed 3 times at the 2 Una Hotels (a hotel chain) in Florence and he said it was fantastic ! They have various discounts and special offers, depending on the travel period, you may have a look at:
http://www.unahotels.it/en/offerte_firenze.htm

My (Swiss) neighbours and friends spent 3 summer holidays in Florence already and they booked 2 times on http://www.bbday.it/english/bbc.cfm?c=Firenze&r=16. It's a B&B centralising site and they said the B&B is better than a hotel. I tend to believe them Another good site for B&B in Florence is http://www.abba-firenze.it/eng/default.asp. Look for the special offers on both sites.

And if you are in Florence and you love meat, you can't miss the "Bistecca alla Fiorentina". A must eat ! :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bistecc...lla_Fiorentina
Warning: it is really BIIIG !!!

Check out the main market hall in the city center. Can't remember what it?s called but its an indoor market.

It's also a good place for lunch, lots to choose from.

In and around the hall, you'll find great bargains for leather stuff.

No, I don't mean bondage gear, but rather coats, handbags etc.

My wife made a killing there. And haggle like hell.

You know it makes sense!

You would want to check this out for staying in florence.

http://www.englishforum.ch/adverts-h...-vacation.html

I stayed one night in this hotel back in 2005 - great hotel in an old palazzo. There's a good panoramic view over the rooftops from the tower. Only problem might be a flight of stairs that has to be climbed before you get to the elevator.

http://hoteltorreguelfa.com/

Here's a pic I took of the view:

If you are an art lover, be sure to go to the Duomo (and walk up to the very top, it is an amazing feat of architecture), the Accademia, and the Uffizi. For the Accademia and the Uffizi, you can pre-book a ticket for an assigned time. Sure, it costs something like 4 euro/ticket + your admission fee, but you save the wait of the lines which can be hours and hours long. At the Accademia, Michelangelo's David is the star attraction and all the visitors that I take there seem to say that it is their favourite part of Florence. With the pre-booking of tickets, you can ask for your hotel to do this for you, or you can call 055.294.883, i think. But DON'T use the online reservation service-- they charge way more than booking by phone or having the hotels to book.

Also, my personal way of judging a restaurant is by looking at how many people you can see eating there. Full=good, empty=not so good. But in Florence, we had a number of experiences where the restaurant went on and on into various backrooms which were full and you couldn't see from the front.

Have a great trip.

Hi,

I was actually born and lived most of my life in Florence so feel free to ask whatever question.
I posted an advertisement for my flat, as I intend to rent it whilst I am here in Basel so if you are interested feel free to contact me. Price is below your budget, it is in a nice and quite area thatgives you a hint of real life in Florence and well connected to town and nearby cities.
A one day walk from the Duomo to Piazza della Signoria, Uffizi Gallery, ponte Vecchio and then Palazzo Pitti is a classical.
Other places worth a visit are the churches of
Santa Maria Novella: just behind the central station, has a fantastic facade and inside you will find a wonderful painting of Masaccio.
Santa Croce: In the area of Santa Croce and very near to the best ice cream shop in town www.vivoli.it it hosts the tombs of the most famous italian artists (Michelangelo for example) and wonderful paintings of Giotto.
San Lorenzo: In the area of the open market it a jewel of renaissance art. Adhiacent there is the Biblioteca Laurenziana and Cappelle Medicee, both designed by Michelangelo.
I do not know how many days you are planning, but if you want to add some shopping (I suggest Via Tornabuoni and Via della Vigna Nuova) this will keep you busy for three days.

Cinzia

thanks all for your recommenadations
I guess i have to book the hotel soon as i plan to be in florence next month. I will probably stay 3-4 nights. i hope is enough

Hi there,

I don't have the name on me, but there is a place I stayed in when I was there last year. It is about 100 EUR a night (for the room, so if there is 2 of you that is fine). It does not include breakfast or dinner, but the rooms are big, clean, have their own bathroom, beautiful decor and it is right in the middle of town (right above Prada I think). I will have a look when I get home tonight.

It is run by an Australian lady.

One of our favorite restaurants (we went for lunch 3 times), is Birreria Centrale. We found it because it was always packed with locals and we were curious. It is described in some reviews as an Austrian/Tyrolean Tavern...but we just ate the Italian food. They had several pastas with a very thick spagetti-type noodle that they called picci...excellent. They also had a great Bistecca Fiorentina that could feed a family of 6. Check it out. You might need a reservation.

PS - I almost forgot, the Ribollita (a Tuscan bread soup) is also excellent!

www.birreriacentrale.com

Go also to the little hill and park on the other side of river with a good view.
Also the bridge on Arno river (Ponte vecchio)
plus Tuscany region countryside surrounding in Spring.
Try a rich soup in local restaurants (4got the name).

Oh, Florence... I love Firenze...

I have an aunt in Toscana, so fortunately, I can sleep there and drive to Florence for do some sightseeing. But whenever I search for hotels (in Europe) I look at http://www.lastminute.com/site/trave...lastminute.com We have booked hotels for several times on lastminute.com and havent been dissapointed yet.

Have a nice holiday there!

Uffizi is amazing, if you can plan to be there around sunset make sure to go to the big window and watch the sun go down over the river - it is stunning

Also for restaraunts, the quality of food seems inversely proportional to the amount of English on the menu

Hi dimli, I was there 3 weeks ago with my family, we stayed at the Palazzo Magnani Ferroni and I recommend it thoroughly - it my be over your budget though if you're going during easter. It's an all suite boutique hotel that was once a palazzo, the frescoes everywhere were just beauitful. Take comfortable shoes and get lost! We walked everywhere and stumbled across some special scenes; a local market on Sunday not far from the hotel, the aged parmesan cheese was delicious; loads of handworked gifts, incredibly cheap handbag shops, etc. Did the hop-on hop-off bus and learnt quite a bit, also had a pizza making class in a restaurant that the hotel organised - it was loads of fun. Check the booklet for when the museums are open - the Uffizzi is closed on Mondays. If you are there on Sunday have a look at the catholic mass inside the Duomo - you don't have to be catholic (I'm not), it was quite uplifting with the most beautiful choir. Did you know that Florence was famous for the T.Bone steak? I thought it was the US or Australia, however they get the honours in Europe. I ate it nearly every day we were there, mmmmmm. Lucky I like my meat rare, because that's how they do it, so be careful if you like it well done. There was a place down the road from the hotel where we were able to pre-order t.bones to bring home, they hand cut them and cryovac ready for travel. Worked out to be a quarter of the price we pay here at approx 10 euros per 400g streak: Olio e Convivium, website: www.conviviumfirenze.it . Also, you are so close to Chianti an excursion of the vineyards is worth it if you have a car. By the was it was cold - check the weather forecast! Have fun, PM me if you'd like more info.

I am looking forward for Florence unfortunately is only for 4 days but i will try to live with that. We will have our car with us so we will definately drive around

Be very careful, the city centre and the main touristic attractions areas are "Limited traffic access zone (ZTL)" controlled by a network of video cameras.
See there:
http://demo.computervarnet.it/apt/en...6-in-auto.html

Sienna is nice and not far also, if you have time

hi all , mrs and I are talking about taking a long w.e. to florence.. sometime in July probably... assuming we can find a place...

that being said.. can you recommend anywhere to stay, anywhere special you've found to eat, and tourist attractions apart from the notable ?

thanks,

g