For apartment rentals, try: http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/europe/italy#1276

We found a great one in Rome through this site. Good luck!

I don’t recall what the heart of town is called. The hotel I stayed at (and quite recommended) is Hotel Globus. A small hotel with a super-micro claustrophobic elevator (normal for Europe). But a pleasant stay and smack dab in the middle of town. Safe travels!

I agree with denmojo…I also stayed at Hotel Globus, and they are wonderful; not too expensive, clean, and good service. Also decent breakfast.

I don’t think the heart of town has a name, per se. The heart of town is by the Duomo… it’s in the middle of a huge square and is surrounded by markets and things. Florence isn’t that big, though, and if you google for a city map online, you might be able to find the names of the streets. Everything can be walked to. Good luck!

Hi – How long are you going to be there? If it’s for a long time (longer than a week) I’d suggest renting a flat. The two old(est) sections of town are “downtown” and Oltrarno (across the Arno river). I’m not sure what the downtown is called, technically – (Lungarno??) – but it is where the Duomo is located, where the Uffizi gallery is, and where most of the hotels are. Oltrarno is across the river from “downtown.” It is an area where many more locals live.

I suggested renting because, 1: hotels in Florence are expensive and not very comfortable for a long stay, and 2: restaurants are also extremely expensive, and for the most part the cheap ones are not that good and are very crowded. Renting a flat will allow you to get away from the hustle and bustle when you want, cook home when you want, and get a real taste of life in Italy by shopping at the markets and stores for groceries. And you’ll be spending less, so you’ll have more $$ to eat out at nicer places (try Osteria delle belle donne on via belle donne) and go on side trips around Tuscany, too.

Good luck!
maddie

I don’t know if something like this interests you or not. Depends on where in Florence you need to spend your time or if you have a car.

Just outside of the city (30 minutes):

http://www.canvasholidays.co.uk/default.asp

When planning my trip to Italy, I found the forum section on the Fodors website very helpful: http://www.fodors.com/forums/?lid=Forums&lpos=top_nav

You can post questions and do searches on hotel names to get others’ recommendations. Have fun!

I stayed at the Hotel Alinari which is centrally located. I found it through HRS.de.

Hotel Colomba is wonderful—see out TripAdvisor comments at:
http://tinyurl.com/mg46h
And as they say, the center of Florence has no name, but the Duomo’s dead in the center.

the city center is called simply “centro”
the old part of the city on the other side of arno river is called “oltrarno” (lot of resturant e pubs there).
“lungarno” is the name of every street beside the arno river.
everywhere you will stay in the centro is not far from other side so you can easly walk to reach almost everything.
Florence in an expensive city for tourists(an for her citizens too) so it depends on how much you want to pay for an hotel,
i think that, if you plan to stay more than a week, is better to rent a flat

Hi Beaulotus.
We will be in Florence next week and have rented an apartment in the city centre from here: www.rentflorencecity.com

We too were advised to go for an apartment and as for cost they seem to be reasonable compared with hotels. It seems that there is plenty to do and see in Florence especially if you like good food and wine, and art and architecture. It’s much smaller than Paris for example and I believe it’s easy to get around on foot, at least I hope so as we intend to just mooch around most of the time. We don’t like too organised or regimented tours. We’ve spent time “motorhoming” in rural Tuscany so we going to spend most time in the city.
Enjoy your stay.