Welcome to another post of helping a reader travel! This weekly post is to help readers get a slew of travel advice from thousand of Deals We Like blog readers. Thus far, we’ve been able to help other readers travel to Maui, The Greek Islands, Pacific Coast Highway, Argentina /Buenos Aires, Costa Rica, Cape Cod & The Islands, Iceland, Geneva, Canadian Rockies, Rome, Israel, Peru / Inca Trail , Stockholm, Chicago, Paris, Hanoi, Austin, Puerto Rico, Bruges, Salzburg, Istanbul, Las Vegas, Jamaica, India/Golden Triangle, Auckland, Singapore, Moscow, The Oregon Coast,Seattle, Portland, Hawaii Islands, Alaska Skiing, Brazil, Prague, Budapest, Paraguay, Cabo San Lucas, Edinburgh, San Diego, Hilton Head, Dubrovnik, Tanzania, The Seychelles, Belize, Miami, Vienna,London, Tahiti, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Burgundy, Charleston, and Savannah.
A few weeks ago many readers wrote in asking for Italy in general due to the sub $150 fares from Newark to Milan. While I already did a post dedicated to Rome last year, I wanted to hit on the other major tourist cities in Italy as well to help those readers that will be heading to Italy soon, and for cheap! This will include Venice, Florence, Milan, Bologna, Genoa, etc. (let me know of this are any other cities you want me to cover)
This week is going to be dedicated on Florence. Here are some things I am sure readers will want suggestions on:
- Where to stay?
- How many days to stay
- Sites to see
- Recommended restaurants
- Anything else you might think is valuable!
If you’ve ever been to Italy, specifically Florence, let’s help out many Deals We Like readers!
Also, if you have any upcoming travel where you need some help, feel free to email me at dealswelike@gmail.com to be a featured “Help a Reader Travel” Monday special. Thanks!
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St. Regis Florence was leaps and bounds about the Westin (which in its own right was beautifully sufficient). We did two wine tours (a big box and a more bespoke). If it is ok, I will leave the websites in another comment. I also plan to write a review on my Firenze experience. If you want, I can leave that too. For now, the names of the wine companies were Tuscan Wine Tours and Walkabout Florence.
Heather how was Tuscan Wine Tours? We were looking at them for our trip next august?
My wife and I want on the Nudes and Foods tour while we were there this summer. The tour guide was great and well worth the money if you are a foodie.
Very walkable city! Strolling was never so nice.
We booked a six day trip to Florence, and we spent all of our time in Florence with the exception of a one day tour of Tuscany highlights (Siena et al).
I would highly recommend getting tickets of the must sees in advance and skip the lines.
I would also highly recommend not going during the summer months when the tourist count is astronomical.
Even in October, the musuems and buildings were still rather warm even though it was cooler outside and there were fewer tourists. I can only imagine doing it in July – ugh!
Finally, I would stay in the heart of Florence. We made the mistake of stay at the Hilton property outside of town which adds to your expenses if you wanted to stay in town past the time the hotel transit stopped at 8:00.
I was in Florence in September and absolutely loved it. The nicer hotels (especially chain) can be very expensive depending on the time of the year. (And in my case, no availability to even use points.) So I used airbnb to find a place in the heart of the city. If you’re interested in going that route, I have an excellent recommendation!
Get off the tourist track (even a few streets off) and prices tend to drop. We did that and had the best (and reasonably priced for Florence) dinner of my entire life. I highly recommend Ristorante “Il Cantastorie” di Firenze.
@ Ms M. Which Hilton outside of Florence? The regular Hilton (Hilton Florence Metropole hotel)?
Anyone know anything about Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco Resort & Spa Via Giovanni Pascoli. It’s not in Florence, but in Tuscany. i’m considering some nights there.
Stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Florence Novoli. Good breakfast, excellent supermarket close by, and a fast and frequent bus into the town center – also close by.
Il Latini is a must-eat experience – don’t get the Bistecca Alla Fiorentina unless you have been doing stomach stretching exercises
My wife and I are planning Florence for Sept. 2014. Looking forward to everyone’s comments!
@ipg We’re going in Sept. Would love the AirBnB recommendation.
You can use the link on my website, or just my first name at stevekalman [dot] com
Many thanks.
I studied in Florence back in 2003. The key things everyone sees are the Duomo (great view if you climb the stairs to the top), Ponte Vecchio (the bridge), and the statue of David at the Uffizi. My favorite thing to do was just walk around, and I especially remember the view from Piazzale Michelangelo across the river and visiting the outdoor markets in the summer.
We always went to a restaurant called La Spada (also the name of the street it’s on) which is not too far of a walk from the main square. It’s nothing fancy- no AC as I recall- but they have a walk-up counter where you can take a number and order take out, and then the sit down restaurant is in the back. Their rotisserie chicken and seasoned potatoes were really tasty.
Seeing the key sights can be done in a day- or a day and a half- if you’re short on time. My parents visited all of these places except the Uffizi on a day trip (from a cruise) this past summer. If you’re an art lover or architecture aficionado, you can definitely spend more time exploring. It’s also a decent home base for exploring other places- Tuscany, Venice, etc. (Just remember there are two train stations in Florence so if you’re traveling by train, make sure to know which one you need.)
@steve – I am pretty sure it was this one [Hilton Florence Metropole], though it has been several years since my trip.
@Heather – feel free to leave your trip report!