Boutique Hotels in Florence, Italy Worth Booking: From Our Honeymoon Stay to a Hilltop Monastery
Last Updated on October 16, 2026 by Lauren Belzer Sanford
Florence is one of those cities that lingers long after you leave. I’ve visited twice, first in 2019 with my family and again on our Italian honeymoon in June 2025, and even though I’ve never thought of myself as a city girl, Florence is the one place I know I’ll keep returning to. It’s intimate, walkable, sun-soaked, and inspiring in an easy, unhurried way only Florence manages (if you’ve been, you know).
On our honeymoon we stayed at Stella d’Italia, and we wandered into a few of the other hotels below just to peek at their lobbies and courtyards, imagining what it would be like to stay. Call it hotel window shopping. So here’s the honest breakdown: one hotel we stayed in and loved, one where we stopped for a drink, and five I’ve researched closely and would book for our next trip.
Florence Boutique Hotels at a Glance
Where We Stayed
Stella d’Italia
Via de’ Tornabuoni, rooftop terrace
Best Rooftop
Hotel Calimala
Historic center, Duomo views
Next on My List
Hotel La Gemma
Spa + Luca’s restaurant
Biggest Splurge
Villa San Michele
Fiesole hills, a Belmond hotel
The short answer: the best boutique hotel in Florence for a romantic trip is Stella d’Italia on Via de’ Tornabuoni, where we stayed on our honeymoon, for its rooftop, its design, and a location that’s walkable to everything. For rooftop views, Hotel Calimala. For a once-in-a-lifetime splurge outside the city, Villa San Michele in Fiesole.
A Quick Note on Florence
Florence rewards slow travelers. It’s a city best experienced without an agenda: crossing the Ponte Vecchio at golden hour, getting genuinely lost in the Oltrarno, stumbling into a courtyard that makes you stop and catch your breath. The right hotel is a big part of that. It should feel like a home base you look forward to coming back to, not just a place to leave your luggage.
Book These Before You Go
The Uffizi: Timed tickets sell out in summer. A skip-the-line Uffizi tour takes it off your plate.
David at the Accademia: Same story; book skip-the-line Accademia tickets ahead.
A day in Chianti: Chianti wine tours from Florence fill up in harvest season.
A cooking class: Florentine cooking classes are the souvenir you’ll actually use.
Stella d’Italia – Via de’ Tornabuoni (Our Honeymoon Stay)
Stella d’Italia became one of my favorite boutique stays anywhere. It’s artsy, eclectic, and full of whimsy, the kind of place where every corner, color, and object feels chosen. Vintage soul meets modern touches, and it was the perfect home base for the Florence part of our honeymoon. The staff greeted us with celebratory prosecco, and the rooftop, with views over Florence’s terracotta rooftops to the hills, is the kind of place you linger long after you meant to leave.
It sits on Via de’ Tornabuoni, Florence’s famous luxury shopping street, and everything you’ll want to see is within walking distance. It also has three sister hotels, each with its own personality: Oltrarno Splendid, SoprArno Suites, and AdAstra. If you love one, you’ll love them all.
Best for: Couples, honeymoons, design lovers who want a personality-rich stay in the center.
Casa G. Firenze – Historic Center
Casa G. Firenze is polished and modern, with a warmth that feels distinctly Florentine. The interiors pair soft contemporary design with subtle historic touches: warm tones, curated art, and details that feel lived-in rather than styled. Rooms are spacious by city standards, and the lobby is a chic living room you’ll actually want to sit in. It’s right in the center of Florence, yet it feels like a refuge to come back to.
Best for: Slow travelers who want a stylish, grounded base in the center.
Hotel Calimala – Historic Center
Hotel Calimala is bold, design-forward, and cool, a boutique hotel with no shortage of personality. Rooms are layered with texture, color, and contemporary art, but the real highlight is the rooftop. With panoramic views over the city and the Duomo rising above the skyline, it’s the Florence you daydream about. Sunset cocktails up here are borderline required.
Best for: Travelers who want style, energy, and one of the best rooftop views in Florence.
Hotel La Gemma – Piazza della Repubblica
Possibly my favorite on this list for its color and eclectic charm, Hotel La Gemma feels like stepping into a jewelry box: polished, contemporary, and beautifully decorated. Rooms have rich fabrics, soft lighting, and marble accents, luxurious without ever feeling cold. There’s a spa for after long days on the cobblestones, and the hotel is home to the Michelin-recognized Luca’s, by chef Paulo Airaudo, which I’ve also written about in my guide to where to eat in Florence.
You’ll find La Gemma right near the central Piazza della Repubblica, so the Duomo and the shopping streets are a short stroll away. This might be the hotel to prioritize for our next visit to Firenze. I need to stay here at some point in my life.
Best for: Food lovers and anyone who wants eclectic luxury with a spa.
Ottantotto Firenze – Oltrarno
Set in the Oltrarno, Florence’s artsy, charming, slower-paced side of the river, Ottantotto feels like staying in a beautifully restored private home. With only a handful of rooms, each with its own personality, it has a warmth bigger hotels can’t replicate. The small garden is the sweetest surprise, and the perfect place for a coffee before heading out.
Best for: Hidden-gem lovers; intimate, soulful, and romantic.
The Place Firenze – Piazza Santa Maria Novella
The Place overlooks Piazza Santa Maria Novella and still feels like a private sanctuary. The interiors are soft, warm, and refined, the epitome of understated luxury, and the service is famously personal. We stopped in for a drink at The Kitchen & Bar on our honeymoon, and every detail, from the linens to the lighting, seemed designed to make you slow down and savor it.
Best for: Travelers who want impeccable, personal hospitality in a central location.
Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel – Fiesole
In the hills of Fiesole, just outside the bustle of Florence, Villa San Michele is fairytale luxury. It’s set within a restored monastery and surrounded by terraced gardens, courtyards, and panoramic views that feel almost otherworldly. It’s a Belmond property, so everything is done at the highest level: the service, the candlelit dinners overlooking the city, an atmosphere so romantic you’ll want to bottle it. It’s the definition of a splurge, the kind of stay people dream about for years. Myself included.
Best for: Once-in-a-lifetime trips and anyone who wants to be tucked away, a short ride from the city.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the best area to stay in Florence?
For a first trip, stay in the historic center near Via de’ Tornabuoni, Santa Maria Novella, or the Duomo, where nearly everything is walkable. For a slower, more local feel, cross the river to the Oltrarno. For a resort-style escape, stay in the hills of Fiesole and ride into town.
What is the best boutique hotel in Florence for a honeymoon?
We chose Stella d’Italia on Via de’ Tornabuoni for our honeymoon in June 2025 and loved it: eclectic design, a rooftop terrace with views over the city, and a central location. For a bigger splurge, Villa San Michele in Fiesole is a restored monastery with sweeping views of Florence.
Which Florence hotels have rooftop views?
Hotel Calimala has one of the best rooftop views of the Duomo, and Stella d’Italia’s rooftop looks out over Florence’s terracotta rooftops to the hills.
How many nights do you need in Florence?
Three to five. Three covers the highlights; five lets you add a day trip to Chianti or Siena and still wander without a schedule. My Florence travel guide has the full plan.
When should I book a hotel in Florence?
For April through October, book as early as you can; the best boutique hotels have few rooms and fill first. Winter brings lower prices and fewer crowds.
Florence is a city I’d pick over and over again, for the feeling it gives you that nowhere else quite replicates.
Each of these hotels holds a different piece of that magic, from the intimate and eclectic to the polished and ultra-luxurious. After a little hotel window shopping on our honeymoon, I’m already dreaming about which one we’ll book next.
Once you’ve found your room, plan where to eat in Florence, from a lasagna worth crossing the city for to a rooftop table with a Duomo view. Prefer an apartment of your own? Here are the best Airbnbs in Florence. And for the full picture, from things to do to day trips into Tuscany, my Florence travel guide has you covered. If Italy is calling more broadly, wander over to the Amalfi Coast, Puglia, or our destination wedding.