Florence, Italy
79%
79%
What's Hot
Culture, Sightseeing, Getting Around, Weather
Culture, Sightseeing, Getting Around, Weather
What's Not
Partying, Value For Money, Things To Do, Chilling Out
Partying, Value For Money, Things To Do, Chilling Out
( Click on the tags to see related Florence reviews )
Fantastic, Food, Museum, art, atmosphere, culture, easy to get around, good food, nighlife, people, romantic, shopping, things to do, weather
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Florence Reviews ( 50 reviews )
| Florence Reviews |
by Sonia
| 1 May 2007 | 80% |
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This is one of the most romantic and friendly city I have ever visited. It's filled with the world's best art, the best food, and the warmest people. It's also a very walkable city and great for the kids. English is spoken throughout the city, but it's polite to speak a word or two of Italian.The food is fabulous, the people are beautiful and friendly, the architecture is awesome and the shopping incredible |
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by Itziar
| 1 May 2007 | 100% |
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Florence is such an amazing city that you need to go there at least for a week. There is so much to see and do. The extensive Architecture and Artwork is tied into and reflects the city's history. I love the food and the fact that some of the sights are within walking distance to one another. Very romantic, beautiful place to visit with lots to take in on the scenery side. Top rated museums are there. It's alive and bustling. Food is great! The open air markets are great for unique souvenirs and also a great value |
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by SallyAnn
| 1 May 2007 | 100% |
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It was my first visit to Italy and I think I found the best city. Florence is fantastic, great sites, food and very friendly people not to mention the shopping. You can spend all day just walking around and taking in the vibe of the place, restaurants and cafes everywhere, so something to suit all tastes. You will be planning you next trip before you leave!! |
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by Catyx
| 16 Apr 2007 | 80% |
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tanta cultura, ma spesso la città è sporca e poco curata, Siena li vicino è invece un esempio di civiltà |
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by kelliegr
| 18 Apr 2007 | 80% |
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There are many,many sights to see & all are so easy to get to by foot! Now in April the weathers great & not to hot! Dining out is affordable! However you have to pay for everything & it all adds up!!! Italy is very charming!! |
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by rahna
| 25 Apr 2007 | 100% |
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A beautiful city to visit although way too may tourists for April...maybe come earlier to avoid the tour groups. |
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by mibbica
| 19 Apr 2007 | 80% |
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There are great museums in Firenze like the Uffizi Gallery and the Galleria dei l'Accademia. It was overall a great city to visit, but a little dirty. |
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by basketa77684
| 16 Apr 2007 | 40% |
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Florence is probably a great city for people liking arts and painting and queuing! Anyway, my trip to Florence was a bit destroyed by the fact that our train crashed and we arrived to Florence six hours later. I think it will be a better idea to travel around Tuscany than just stay in Florence. |
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| 1 May 2007 | 20% |
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there is lots of american students studying here, but its really nice all the same |
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by colm
| 7 Jun 2007 | 100% |
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Definitely my favourite Italian city. Not too big, great nightlife and lots to see. Only problem is getting there from Ireland or the UK! |
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by Antonio3
| 25 Jun 2007 | 100% |
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Art, culture and history lovers will probably not want to leave anymore once they visit Firenze. The capital of Tuscany (Toscana) and of the Italian Renaissance (Rinascimento) is a big art gallery. I have always enjoyed my stays in Florence. The centro storico is compact and easy to explore on foot. There are many pedestrian areas, so you can wander around, eat in the open air, chat, have fun and admire the sights. You will see works of art by Michelangelo (“David” is the most famous, in the Galleria dell’Accademia, there’s a copy in Piazza della Signoria), Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci (who was born in Vinci, a small town west of Florence), Brunelleschi, Botticelli, Caravaggio, Tiziano, Raffaello, etc. Dante Alighieri (the author of “La Divina Commedia”, “The Divine Comedy”) and other Tuscan poets and writers used Tuscan dialect in literature in their works to replace Latin and gave birth to the Italian language. Florence and Tuscany have top quality food and wines. You will notice that the ingredients are very simple (i.e. “ribollita”) but the final results are good. “Bistecca alla Fiorentina” is a big and thick steak served rare, the locals usually eat it with a bottle of red Chianti wine. Florence is a great destination for fashion and shopping as well. Take a walk in Via de’ Tornabuoni. People in Florence and in Tuscany in general are easy-going, laid-back and very funny, I really like their dialect. Florence is quite different from Rome, but they have one thing in common: no matter how many times you go, there will always be something to discover, so go more than once. You will appreciate it more if you give it more time. Forget July and August. Don’t get confused with street numbers, the red ones are for commercial addresses, the blue and black ones for residential addresses. |
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by gracebw2
| 26 Jun 2007 | 100% |
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I loved Firenze. There is so much to see and experience, that one never wants to leave. I highly recommend perusing the market and having a nice leisurely lunch there. Also, go in the winter! I was there in February with my girlfriend, and we didn't wait in a single line. |
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by Gillian
| 16 Oct 2007 | 100% |
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Brilliant, gorgeous, great shopping, fab restaurants, it is an all round wonderful place. Will definately return. Loved it and most people will. All walkable.. with lots to do and see. |
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by biomase
| 5 Nov 2007 | 60% |
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Lots of \"culture\" and the Statue of David is probably the biggest draw to this city - you must see it, its amazing. Other than that, its nice to spend a couple of days in exploring the \"traditional side\" of Italy. |
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by chmanton1191
| 8 Nov 2007 | 80% |
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Florence was very reasonable, much more so than Rome. It was very easy to get around and the weather was gorgeous. I prefered Florence and the Tuscan area to Rome for sure. Some of the prices of the museums were a little out of reach, but there are ways around it, an example would be seeing the large David statue in the piazza near the Uffizi. It is a gorgeous city that has an incredible market where you can get many beautiful objects. |
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| 10 Nov 2007 | 80% |
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its such a great place to be in, just relax and everyone are just so nice. |
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by jfainz587
| 3 Nov 2007 | 60% |
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As the so-called birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence is truly one of the cultural capitals of Italy, and the world. For art lovers, the museums are as good as you have heard them to be. And David really is the most amazing sculpture ever. The Duomo is incredible, with Giotto\'s bell tower and the Dome that can be seen from practically everywhere. The reds and greens of the facade will stay in your mind long after you leave. A plus to Florence is its small size - everything can be covered on foot. Now, for the negatives. First, the museums are ridiculously expensive - at 10 euros each for the Uffizi and the Accademia. And if you\'re not an EU citizen, forget about the student discount (which is fast becoming the thing I hate the most about Italy - no other EU country has such a stupid policy clearly designed to wring as much money as possible from tourists). And the other downside is that, aside from the Duomo, the art on the piazza near the Uffizi (forget the name), and the Ponte Vecchio (charming bridge!), Florence is really not that attractive of a city. For the birthplace of the Renaissance, it sure is very medievalesque and pretty bland at times. Strolling around gets dull. Thus, unless you are the type who can visit art museums every single day without getting bored, you don\'t really need more than 2 days here as an intro. |
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| 16 Nov 2007 | 100% |
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...or you will easily end up spending all of your money here!!! The shopping is absolutely fabulous!! Pay special attention to the leather, which is a great buy in Florence, and check out the Market Square by the Cappelle Medici, I got 9 pashminas there for 35 euro, and they are the ones actually made in Italy and 70% cashmere. Florence definitely ties for my favorite city in Italy. |
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| 16 Nov 2007 | 80% |
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free maps are a great necessity in a foreign place....it really helped. We were just 3 mins walking from the train station and everything was SO close! excellent!! |
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by Kurakurat
| 5 Nov 2007 | 60% |
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charchi entranece fee is not free. city is darty & crowd but the sightseeing from hill is very beautiful. |
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by tccoone6459
| 15 Nov 2007 | 80% |
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Not a party city but go there to relax, take some day trips, enjoy the amazing landscapes of Tuscany |
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| 19 Nov 2007 | 100% |
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The City of Florence was beautiful and historic, and of course the shopping was fabulous. We will recommend Florence to all of our friends. |
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| 13 Nov 2007 | 60% |
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If you like art and font of Michelangelo, Florence is your best choice. |
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by kbret
| 20 Nov 2007 | 100% |
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The city is very pretty. Lots to see and do. The churches and musiems anr incredible and you must go see the David! |
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by tardye6028
| 18 Nov 2007 | 100% |
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It was easy to get around the city on foot. It was a quieter city than Rome and cleaner. We really liked the markets and had fun just wandering. |
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by gomesjjg
| 11 Dec 2007 | 80% |
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Florence is mainly museums plus a few other sights which are only open during the day. Make sure you have enough time planned out. |
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by biscurd
| 18 Dec 2007 | 60% |
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A small town suitable for those who wants to relax. Tourist attractions are within walking distance. Nothing much really apart from being a pit stop before going to Pisa or Venice. |
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by yungandrew
| 21 Dec 2007 | -80% |
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I don't think Florence is too interesting. Maybe I'm not artistic enough. I think the nearby city Empoli is quite nice. |
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by RedHill
| 7 Jan 2008 | 100% |
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Florence is my favorite city. I saw only the city center and a few suburbs. I really liked it. I always dream to live there someday. No more words. You need to visit this city. I cannot say anything. A picture is like 1000 words... |
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| 5 Dec 2007 | 100% |
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Do not be put off by the title. It feels really authentic and is more like staying in someones house, only nobody is home. We had the run of the place for a good 36hours before anyone else showed up. Still, it doesnt really feel like a Hostel. I\'d sum it up in one word...Strange. Still, id recommend it coz if everywhere was the same then life would be a bit boring wouldnt it? |
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| 31 Dec 2007 | 140% |
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I\'ve stayed in this B&B for 3days early this year. Clean room, bathroom and nice staff, Ronaldo! You can get as much information as you can on arrival. He will let you know where to eat, where to go and etc... and no curfew!!! |
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by lauri124
| 22 Dec 2007 | 80% |
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If you love culture and relaxation, Florence is the place. Easy to move around and full of interesting places. Also site of the most beautiful Cathedral I\'ve ever seen. |
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by boyboy23
| 22 Jan 2008 | 100% |
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It's incredible to read someone says Florence is not interesting and it's more incredible that you allow people to write this. I know we live in a free world but ignorance should be not encouraged. Whatever is in your mind has been thought or invented in Florence. |
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| 11 Jan 2008 | -20% |
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Not much of a party/club/bar scene. People are extremely friendly. Food and drink are expensive. |
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by Hopesfr
| 25 Jan 2008 | 140% |
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Florence is an expensive city (although not as expensive as rome) and you could really see all the important things in one day. It is also a great hub to see other cities, like Pisa and Viareggio (which I highly recommend). |
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by coolcasti
| 5 Feb 2008 | -60% |
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The craddle of Reinassaince, full of museums and churches, BUT you have to pay a lot for visiting them. Go to Uffizi Museum, you\'ll see beautiful works of Boticelli and Caravaggio. Duomo (cathedral) is beautiful outside nad very conservative inside (you have to pay for watching the paintings in the roof). Santa croce was beautiful long time ago, now you can only see paintings in few chapels inside, but it worths. If you love eating be carefuil with Fiorentine Roast-beef, because the price you see is for 100grs, but you get a piece of meat almost of 1kg and it\'s very expensive!!. Try the paninos of Lampredotto outside piazza San Ambrogio, ask for Sergio and PierPaolo. it\'s on the street and taste really good!! (and it\'s cheap) Enjoy Florence but go with your wallet full of money, because it\'s an expensive city |
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by mergm-na2358
| 12 Jan 2008 | -60% |
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Unless you are seriously into Renaissance, you will be only limited to famous tourist areas |
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| 7 Mar 2008 | 200% |
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Amaaaaaazing i have never felt so satisfied like this before. perfer this than any hotel ever!.. first class treatment.. The man you meet that helps you with the reservations is extremely helpful and will always be there to help. Breakfast is delicious!.. location is amazing, cannot stress how much my friends and i enjoyed this hostel we cannot stop raving about our amazing stay!.. more than just a stay it truely felt like home. |
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| 17 Mar 2008 | 180% |
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Marco is very nice and kind. He help us lift very heavy luggage to our room, and let us leave our luggage for extra one night. Though the room is a little small, it is equipped with free internet and wifi. Anyway, it let me feel like at home, Grazie!! |
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| 22 Mar 2008 | 100% |
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Easy to find, very close to the David... very nice people running the hostel, and we meet cool people. It\'s easy to find things walking and to get around on foot. The weather was rainy and cold, but we managed to make the best. |
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by shmvii5497
| 16 Dec 2007 | 160% |
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I was surprised at how much I liked this hostel, given the low price. The rooms were clean, the internet free, the kitchen decent (microwave, a plug in pot, a fridge, and utensils), the tourist spots within walking distance, and staff friendly. The people who work there are very knowledgeable about attractions in and around Florence and are happy to give suggestions and mark up a map with the good sights. This hostel is a fantastic deal. |
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by abruna
| 7 May 2008 | 100% |
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Another cozy Italian city. In Florence you won't need any public transportation, you can get almost every where by foot. Great for shopping and to fall in love. |
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1 out of 1 members found this review useful
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by alanrom
| 10 May 2008 | 20% |
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If you visit Florence do not forget: -tasting a glass of Tuscan wine, -riding in Vespa around Florence\'s streets, -eating a gelato (Italian ice-cream) at Santa Croce Square, -climbing the Duomo in a sunny day, - visiting at Galeria dell\'Accademia and admiring the original David if Michelangelo |
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| 23 May 2008 | 20% |
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It\'s small and cramped with tourists. The first half hour was very frustrating and I wished I\'d never gone there. The view from the top of the Duomo, though, was spectacular and worth all manner of hassle. Gorgeous city when viewed from there or Piazza Michelangelo. |
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| 19 May 2008 | 60% |
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Florence was nice, it rained while we were there but we still saw the sights!! Make sure to get up early so that you can stand in line to see David, after that make sure to climb the Dome! The view was amazing, it\'s worth the climb! |
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by anonymous
| 16 Nov 2008 | 100% |
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Stumbled upon this site. I am fortunate enough to live here permanently and I adore the city and the people who are on the whole friendly and honest. However, for the traveller I would offer a few warnings. If you do not have accommodation booked, DO NOT USE THE TORIST INFORMATION OFFICE IN THE STATION, or be tempted to the touts outside it. It is a privately run racket and they charge for their abysmal services. The official tourist information office is over the road, to the right of Santa Maria Novella Church if you face the church from the front of the station. Go down a few steps to enter, and the staff there will help you out, and provide free maps and advice. They are very good. Secondly never buy jewellery on the Ponte Vecchio it is too expensive, and remember that galleries and museums tend to close all day on Monday. Beware the art police in churches who do not want you take photographs. They are on the whole viscous and downright stupid. The crowd in Orsanmichele are currently the worst. They are incapable of distinguishing between a camera and binoculars used to look at the detail of the architecture and they are extremely abusive. The priest who runs the joint is equally stupid and they will argue until hell freezes over that a pair of binoculars is as dangerous to the art as a camera. How he makes this out I don’t know. Also beware the eastern European gypsies begging. They will rob you blind given half a chance. Ignore them, they do eventually go away. These are the only downsides to this fabulous city. |
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