Note: If you’re looking for our most recent recommendations, check out the 2023 list of our favorite hotels in Florence.
Florentines are famously proud of their city, and rightfully so. The capital of Tuscany and birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, Florence is an epicenter of art, history, culture, and architecture, charmingly set along the Arno River. Visitors spend days admiring some of the world’s greatest masterpieces at the Uffizi and Accademia galleries, climbing the 463 steps of the magnificent Duomo, and strolling the stunning Boboli Gardens. So it’s only fitting that the end of the day should be just as special — and travelers are spoiled for choice when it comes to the best hotels in Florence.
Every year for our World’s Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Hotels (including safari lodges) were rated on their facilities, location, service, food, and overall value. Properties were classified as city hotel, resort, or safari lodge based on their locations and amenities.
Courtesy of the Lungarno Collection
As in any Italian city, the food in Florence is a highlight — and a significant factor in hotel selection. Hotel Lungarno, No. 4, and the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, No. 5, each house a Michelin-starred restaurant. At Hotel Lungarno, Borgo San Jacopo has a new menu to accompany the views over the Ponte Vecchio that it’s become known for. At the Four Seasons, Il Palagio serves fresh Tuscan ingredients and local wines best enjoyed on its leafy terrace.
Above all, the top five city hotels in Florence lived up to visitors’ high expectations with excellent service, sophisticated design, and unforgettable views. One reader called No. 3 Helvetia & Bristol Firenze “different, better, and special,” raving about the “over and beyond” staff. Another loved his stay at “intimate” Hotel Savoy (No. 2) — an adjective that also fits this year’s No. 1 pick, Portrait Firenze, an refined, residential-feeling property with only 37 rooms, most with balconies overlooking the Arno.
1. Portrait Firenze
Courtesy of the Lungarno Collection
Portrait Firenze is part of the Lungarno Collection, owned by the high-fashion Ferragamo family — and it shows. Its suites ooze with style, channeling the likes of Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly. Vintage photographs dot the walls beside glamorous furnishings and grand marble bathrooms. That 1950s-era allure spills out to the hotel’s riverside Caffè dell’Oro, where guests gush about the views and people-watching. But it’s the over-the-top, 2,939-square-foot penthouse floor that has the best vantage point of all. It sleeps 10 and boasts a terrace that spans the full façade of the building, overlooking the city, the Arno, and the hotel’s private inner courtyard.
Score: 98.25
2. Hotel Savoy, a Rocco Forte Hotel
Courtesy of Hotel Savoy
Score: 96.47
3. Helvetia & Bristol Firenze
Courtesy of Helvetia & Bristol Firenze – Starhotels Collezione
Score: 95.60
4. Hotel Lungarno
Courtesy of the Lungarno Collection
Score: 93.89
5. Four Seasons Hotel Firenze
Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel Firenze
Score: 92.71