Hotels in Florence

Florence is where the Renaissance was invented, and it has never stopped trading on that fact: Brunelleschi's dome crowning the Cathedral, Michelangelo's David, the Uffizi's Botticellis and the fortress-like civic pride of Palazzo Vecchio all sit within a compact, walkable centre. The Ponte Vecchio still carries its jewellers' shops over the Arno, and the food is properly Tuscan, from bistecca alla fiorentina to lampredotto sandwiches sold at street stalls.

Be honest: for a city of only around 350,000 people, it absorbs enormous crowds, and from late spring to early autumn the historic core can feel like a queue with frescoes, hot, packed and priced accordingly. Book the major museums ahead or lose half a day in line. Getting in is easy, with Santa Maria Novella station handling fast trains from Rome and Milan and the small Peretola airport close to town. Stay in the Oltrarno, across the river, for artisan workshops, good trattorias and evenings that feel lived-in rather than staged, all within a short walk of the Duomo.