Hotels

Throughout the 1990s, past the turn of the millennium, and especially at the introduction of the euro in 2002, inflation ran rampant in Italy. Hotel prices more than tripled in cities like Florence in that period. Since 2006, thanks to growing competition and the high euro-dollar exchange rate, prices have begun to level off a bit, but it is still nearly impossible to find a double you'd want to stay in for less than 100€ ($130). Because hotel prices had outpaced inflation, the hoteliers stockpiled some surplus cash, and over the last decade they've been reinvesting in their properties. In many hotels, the amenity levels are now at or above what Americans expect to find at home, and the days of the bathroom-down-the-hall cheap pensioni are fading -- or at least those properties are now mostly student dives. Almost everyone seems to have put in new bathrooms and some sort of Internet access. Extras such as heated towel racks, whirlpool tubs, satellite TVs with CNN and the BBC, and direct-dial phones that once only the top few inns boasted are now in four-fifths of the properties listed here. In the past few years, the trend has been to trade quantity of rooms for quality, eliminating small doubles to create larger suites and attract a higher-rolling clientele. I've tried to balance the selections to suit all tastes and budgets.

For help finding a room, visit the Santa Maria Novella train station for the Consorzio Informazioni Turistiche Alberghiere (ITA) office, near Track 9 (tel. 055-282-893), and the tiny tourist office, near Track 16, both of which will find you a room in your price range (for a small commission). Or go to the official tourist office's website subsection on accommodations at www.toscanaeturismo.net/dovedormire.

Many budget hotels are concentrated in the area around the Stazione Santa Maria Novella. You'll find most of the hotels in this convenient and relatively safe (if charmless) area on noisy Via Nazionale and its first two side streets, Via Fiume and Via Faenza; an adjunct is the area surrounding the Mercato San Lorenzo. The area between the Duomo and Piazza della Signoria, particularly along and near Via dei Calzaiuoli, is a good though invariably more expensive place to look.

Peak season is mid-March through mid-July, September through early November, and December 23 through January 6. May and September are particularly popular in the city as well as in the outlying Tuscan hills.

Note that I've included parking information only for those hotels or pensioni that offer it.

Hostels & Campgrounds -- Both hostels listed here are immensely popular, especially in summer. If you aren't able to write or fax to reserve a space -- months ahead, if possible -- show up when they open. Also check out the private hostel Archi Rossi, (along with its sister hotel Mia Cara) in the Santa Maria Novella/Mercato Centrale neighborhood.

Long-Term Stays -- One of the most reputable specialists in Florence is Florence and Abroad, Via San Zanobi 58 (tel. 055-487-004; fax 055-490-143; www.florenceandabroad.com), which matches different tastes and budgets to a wide range of apartments starting at about 500€ ($650) per week -- though note they take a commission (10% for 1-month rentals, less for longer periods). Another reputable agency for short-term apartment and house rentals (weekly and monthly) is Windows on Tuscany, Via Tornabuoni 2 or Via della Vigna Vecchia 2 (tel. 055-268-510; fax 055-238-1524; www.windowsontuscany.com). To go it alone, check out the classifieds in the biweekly Le Pulce, available at newsstands.