Luxury holidays in Florence

Recommended offers

See our boutique hotel deals

When to go

Florence is packed with tourists throughout the summer, when it’s also very humid; go in early spring or autumn if you can.

Follow us on Instagram

See the world through @mrandmrssmith

From the blog

Tales from our travels

Getting there

  • Planes

    Florence airport (www.aeroporto.firenze.it) is a 20-minute drive from the city centre; an official taxi into town should cost no more than €30 max. You can also fly into Pisa airport, from where a direct train takes just shy of an hour and costs around €6 (trenitalia.com).
  • Trains

    The main station (Firenze SMN) is behind Piazza Santa Maria Novella, with high-speed connections to other cities in Italy and Europe.
  • Automobiles

    Having a car in Florence can be a hindrance – in fact, it’s next to pointless. Driving through the restricted central zone (ZTL) can result in hefty fines. If booking a hire car, it's essential to send the vehicle details to the hotel (and give reception an estimated arrival time) so they can arrange a temporary permit for you. However, it's much more hassle-free to go on foot in the city and save driving for the surrounding Tuscan countryside, where a vehicle is essential.
  • Taxis

    You can’t hail a cab on the street; go to a designated fermata di taxi. The major ones are manned 24/7; most operate 7am–1am. Socota is one of the biggest cab firms (+39 055 4242; radiotaxifirenze.it).

Villa Cora

Villa Cora

In the 1870s, Baron Oppenheim built Villa Cora, close to Florence's city centre, for his wife. He certainly put his heart into it: armies of statues, frescoes and rose motifs show a love for embellishment equal to that for his spouse. He may have tried to burn the villa down later, when he thought his spouse had been unfaithful, but it's still a lovely gesture… Lavish canopied beds beckon for drama-seeking twosomes and the hotel also has the only outdoor heated pool in Florence, and manicured gardens for arm-in-arm strolling.