Florence: great steak, beautiful hotels, and the stairs nobody mentions
Updated October 2026
We have been to Florence three times: twice in spring and once in July, because the schedule demanded it. The city is small, beautiful and full of good food.
Florence at a glance
- Best time
- April to June, September to October
- Price level
- pricey
- Getting around
- easy without a car
- Best for
- food, wine, history and art
- The catch
- Ponte Vecchio and the center are packed at midday. Go early or in the evening.
When to go
Very hot in July and August. Temperatures are average daily highs in °F and °C (WeatherSpark). Ratings are our own. $ = cheapest, $$$ = most expensive. 🔥 = heat, ★ = big event.
Eat the steak
In Florence you eat steak, and it’s excellent here. We recommend Trattoria dall’Oste Chianineria at Via dei Cerchi 40/R. There are several restaurants with the same name in the center, so check the address. On a hot evening at the last seating, we even got a nice discount.
Stay in the center, but book early
We usually stay in boutique hotels. Book early and you can find them at fair prices for Florence, even right in the center.
Hotels usually have an elevator. In smaller guesthouses you may have to carry your bags up several floors, so check before you book. On one trip we carried an American woman’s suitcase up the steep stairs to the third floor. It was sweaty and it felt good. She couldn’t have made it alone, and her tears turned into a big smile. How she got back down when she left, we’ll never know.
A day trip to a winery
There are wineries close to Florence that make an easy day trip. Book a tour with transport both ways. Then nobody has to deal with a car, and everyone can taste.
When to go
Spring has been the best. In July the city is hot and packed.
Getting around
The center is small enough to walk end to end. Trains also take you easily to Pisa and Bologna.
What Florence costs
On a budget, about $110 to $165 per person per day. In comfort or luxury, about $330 to $550. The lower number is the quiet season, the higher one peak season.
Includes your stay, food, activities and local transport, not flights. Converted at about $1.10 per euro. Estimates only.
Flights from the US and Canada
Fly into: Florence (FLR), Pisa (PSA) or Bologna (BLQ). Typical economy fares per person, round trip, with a connection. Canadian fares are in Canadian dollars. Not live prices, so always check before you book.
Day trips
Florence makes a good base because trains run often in every direction. You can stay in one hotel the whole trip and do day trips for art, food and small towns.
Wine estates and hill towns. Book tastings ahead, and remember the driver doesn’t taste.
The Leaning Tower and the Piazza dei Miracoli. Half a day is enough, so combine Pisa with Lucca.
Complete Renaissance city walls, and you can bike all the way around the town on top of them.
We haven’t been here ourselves, so this is based on other travelers’ reports.
Piazza del Campo is one of Italy’s most beautiful squares, and the cathedral is striped inside and out.
We haven’t been here ourselves, so this is based on other travelers’ reports.
Medieval towers and Vernaccia white wine. Lots of day trippers, so come early.
We haven’t been here ourselves, so this is based on other travelers’ reports.
Tortellini, mortadella and covered arcades. Hard to find a better place for a food day.
One of the best day trips from Florence: leave in the morning and come back on the last train. We have done it a couple of times, and it works well.
Where to eat
Breakfast and brunch
Lunch
Dinner
We picked these places from Google ratings and reviews in October 2026, and we haven’t eaten at all of them. Many Italian restaurants take reservations on WhatsApp, and a reservation only counts once they reply. The Map link opens the restaurant in Google Maps, where you’ll also find a booking button if they take online reservations. Opening hours change, so check before you go.
Food and wine
Tuscany on a plate: a typical four-course menu, and the wine to go with each.
Soccer
Even if soccer isn’t your sport, a home game is one of the best evenings you can have in Italy: the singing, the flags, the whole crowd living every pass. Tickets usually cost a fraction of a pro game in the US or Canada.
Kickoff times are set only a few weeks ahead, so check the club’s website for the schedule.
Golf
Green fees are estimates and vary by season and day of the week. Most courses ask for a handicap certificate. The links go to the course or a golf directory with booking and contact details.
Shopping
- Ponte Vecchio: the goldsmiths that have lined the bridge for centuries. 📍 Map
- The San Lorenzo leather market and Mercato Centrale: leather bags and jackets, with the food hall on the same block. Haggling is expected. 📍 Map
- Via de’ Tornabuoni: Florence’s luxury brands. 📍 Map
From our own photos
In Florence, you eat steak.
Culture and events
- Teatro del Silenzio, Lajatico, late July: Andrea Bocelli’s yearly open-air concerts in the hills of his home village, about 8,000 people a night. Tickets sell out early. About 1.5 hours’ drive from Florence.
- Scoppio del Carro, Easter Sunday morning: a cart full of fireworks explodes in front of the cathedral. The square fills up early.
- Calcio Storico, three evenings in June, final on June 24: a rough historical mix of soccer and wrestling on Piazza Santa Croce. Tickets are sold in advance.
- Pitti Uomo fashion fair, about four days in January and June: hotels fill up and prices rise.
Check the exact dates on the event’s own website, as they can change from year to year.
Plan it
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