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An insider's guide to Florence's top boutique hotels, including the best for rooftop bars, gardens with pools, stylish bedrooms and neo-classical décor, in locations near to the Ponte Vecchio, Via Tornabuoni and Piazza Santa Maria Novella.
The hotel’s position is perfect – a hop, skip and jump from Palazzo Pitti, in the middle of the Oltrarno district with its many and varied artisanal shops and trattorias. Owners Matteo and Betty have a passion for vintage design which is reflected in the eclectic décor of this charming and contemporary guest house.
The bedrooms are so different, and all so delightful. No. 14, the ‘Camera del tipografo’ or ‘Printer’s room’, features shelves of ancient wooden type rescued from a former printshop in Viareggio, whereas ‘Camera di Betty’ (no. 11) is perhaps the most romantic, with its baby-blue colour scheme and in-room clawfoot bath. Both ‘apartments’ have book-lined lounges, and the kitchen of the first-floor space is available for guests’ use.Read expert reviewFrom£162
AdAstra is set in the largest private garden ‘intra moenia’ (between walls) in Europe. Inspired by the concept of a Parisian hotel particulier, this boutique hotel has the feel of an aristocratic private apartment which is not far from the truth – the Marchese Torrigiani lives on the ground floor. The owners have taken the period features (frescoes, vast chandeliers, fine stucco-work and creaky original parquet floors) and added a quirky yet convincing mix of vintage, up-cyled and reclaimed furniture, objéts and knick knacks from the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies. Of the nine bedrooms, seven are in the main house and two are in a garden annex; each is very different from the next but all are quite lovely.Read expert reviewFrom£163
JK Place is on lively Piazza Santa Maria Novella, just around the corner from elegant, boutique-lined Via Tornabuoni. The first of what has become a small Italian chain, with branches in Rome and Capri, J.K. Place is a distillation of Florentine elegance, its classic-contemporary décor the result of a meeting of minds between Italo-Israeli hotelier Ori Kafri and local interior designer Michele Bonan. Rooms are impeccably tasteful without being remotely cold, the 20 guestrooms and suites derive much of their charm not only from Bonan’s sapient design scheme – with its mid-20th-century retro touches – but from the no-expenses-spared quality of the materials used. A sumptuous breakfast buffet is based on organic products.Read expert reviewFrom£408
The hotel is literally around the corner from the Ponte Vecchio – generally considered the centre of the centre of Florence. Tuscan meets contemporary Asian minimalism in the downstairs communal rooms, leaving lots of blank wall space for regularly changing art and photography exhibits. The out-and-out look-at-me design of the communal areas is toned down in the bedrooms – welcoming refuges that make discreet use of rich materials such as teak, leather, cashmere and linen. The ground-floor Fusion Bar & Restaurant with its covered, all-year veranda is a big hit with a certain Florentine smart set – quite refreshing, as it brings outside life into the hotel and barman Karim’s cocktails are some of the best in town.Read expert reviewFrom£188
Utterly central yet secluded, the hotel is located on a quiet, mostly residential street between Piazza Santa Maria Novella and the Carraia bridge. This is the family residence of a Florentine Marquis, Lorenzo Niccolini di Camugliano, and although a few things have changed since the Palazzo’s 16th-century foundation, lashings of ceiling fresco, decorative stuccowork and antique furniture remain. A hanging garden – where breakfast is served in good weather – adds to the sense of being in a privileged refuge from the city bustle. The 10 rooms vary in size and aspect, but all have four-poster beds and historic details – like frescoed or wood-beam ceilings. Read expert reviewFrom£192
Lying on a quiet street lined with small shops, restaurants and cafés, and 300 metres north of the Duomo, this hotel is very well located. It’s laid out over the five floors of a period townhouse: the spa is in the basement; the café-restaurant and reception area on street level; and the bedrooms are just three-to-a-floor on top. Marianna Gagliardi’s interiors are characterised by a palette of rich colours, use of sumptuous velvets and silks, and a sober, neo-classical look. Bedrooms all have dark, hardwood floors, heavy silk drapes, rich velvet headboards, and fine white linens; the pale lilac-grey walls are hung with handsome monochrome photos of Florentine artworks.Read expert reviewFrom£110
If the idea of escaping Florence’s often oppressive crowds appeals, Riva’s location – squeezed between the south bank of the Arno and a busy main road several kilometres west of the city centre – will work for you. Renowned local architect Claudio Nardi has transformed a small complex of 19th-century artisan workshops into a laid-back urban retreat with nine suites. His signature minimalist style is warmed by lots of stone, wood and glass, and an eclectic mix of vintage pieces and modern classics plus the odd antique. The nine minimalist, ultra-modern suites have independent entrances (some directly onto the garden). The riverside garden and the hammocks and heated lap pool, in beautiful pale sandstone, are welcome bonuses.Read expert reviewFrom£123
Set on a quiet residential street almost next door to Florence’s synagogue and just off leafy Piazza d’Azeglio, the 1865 lies a short stroll from the authentic, lively Sant’Ambogio market area. Styled by Guidi Ciompi (best known for his work for Gucci), the opulent salon, which serves as reception area, breakfast room and lounge, harks back to the glory days of the mid-19th century, when Florence was the capital of Italy. The wine-red velvet walls, deep sofas and huge gilded mirror is quite a contrast to the chic, contemporary bedrooms with their moody, muted colours and pared-back furnishings, but the overall effect is deeply comfortable and cocooning. Read expert reviewFrom£171
An affordable design hotel in a great central location. It’s popular with savvy web-surfing visitors due to its high aggregator review ratings, but would suit anyone looking for a good-value perch handy for the centro storico and the station, including single travellers. Complimentary bonuses include free use of the next-door city gym (including the sauna, Turkish bath and whirlpool), which is under the same ownership; others include free soft-drinks, afternoon tea and evening drinks and snacks in the library. The restaurant is staffed by teachers and trainees from a local hotel school, which ensures keen service and fair prices.Read expert reviewFrom£241
Sarah Rodriguez 
