My most favorite city that I got to visit in Italy was definitely Florence. It is just the most beautiful place you could ever imagine! The architecture, the food, the shopping, the history, the beautiful surrounding countryside….everything about Florence just enchants me. I definitely could have spent a full 5 days in Florence, instead of just 2!
Where we stayed:
Our first night in Florence we stayed at the Backpackers Florence Central Hostel. The location was great, we could walk to plenty of shops, bars, restaurants, and historic sites from the hostel easily. We also felt very safe staying in this area of town! The hostel itself was very easy to find, it was comfortable and clean, and the host working there was very nice and friendly! I would definitely recommend staying at the Backpackers Florence Central Hostel if you are going to be travelling to Florence and are looking for a nice hostel to stay in! Also, all of the rooms in the hostel are private, so that’s a bonus!
The second night we actually stayed at a nice hotel about a 10 minute walk from the hostel. I had some rewards points through my Chase Sapphire card (which I ALWAYS use for booking travel), so we got to stay in a more luxurious location for a night 🙂 The hotel we stayed at was the Hotel River. Like the name suggests, the hotel is located right along the River Arno. The hotel was very nice and there was continental breakfast included. I think it is a little on the expensive side, and in my honest opinion, you spend way more time out of your room in Florence than it is, so I would probably save my money and stay in a hostel again next time I am in Florence.
What we did:
Well, we did A LOT of walking! We pretty much walked everywhere in Florence, from the train station to the hostel, every time we went shopping or out to a restaurant…we even walked all the way to the Piazzale Michelangelo, which is a spot at the top of a hill on the other side of the river where you can see scenic views of Florence (it was absolutely stunning!).
We also walked to the Palazzo Pitti, which is a huge Renaissance palace in Florence. From there we also saw some stunning views of the city of Florence, as well as the surrounding Tuscan countryside. A little tip if you are going to be visiting the Palazzo Pitti…get there several hours before it closes (I’d say around 3 hours before closing) if you want to be able to see the whole palace and the gardens. We got there about an hour and fifteen minutes before closing time and were only able to view the gardens and 2 exhibits.
We also did a lot of bar hopping the first night we were in Florence. We actually had met some fellow Americans when we were in the Cinque Terre and they were staying in a Tuscan villa about 20 minutes outside of Florence, so they came in to the city to hang out with us the first night we were there! It was a lot of fun, we bar hopped around some of the more “American” type bars, but it was really fun to meet new people (we even met a huge group from Australia and New Zealand that were on a Contiki travel tour).
Shopping and site seeing was probably what we did the most of during our time in Florence. Since we walked everywhere, we got to see a lot of churches and big squares, as well as small winding streets and teeny cafes. I definitely fell in love with the city and cannot wait to go back someday!
Next up on Friday will be our adventures in Naples, Ischia, Vietri Sul Mare, and Rome! It’s also the last Italy Travel Diary entry (aahhhhhh I can’t believe it’s officially over 🙁 !!!!).
xo,
B
Worthwhile!
Cammy
I’ve been to Milan and Rome and instantly fell in love with Italy as a whole. Definitely would go back to visit Florence as your photos just look breathtaking.
x Amalog @ amalog.co
Oh thank you so much! Italy is one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever visited! I didn’t make it to Milan last time, but I’d really love to go there and to Venice as well 🙂 Thanks for reading!