Hostels in Florence

A room at the Plus Florence hostel, Florence

A stylish room at the Plus Florence hostel, Florence.

Hostels (ostelli in Italian) and other cheap digs in Florence, Italy

Grabbing a bed in a traditional hostel is a bit like staying at summer camp, only without the lanyards.

These days, such rooms full of 40 bunk-beds sharing one big, funky bathroom down the hall are being replaced by friendlier hostels with teensy "dorms" of just four to eight beds each, often with a bathroom attached to each share room.

Many hostels also now have private rooms, often sleeping 2-5.

How much do hostels in Florence cost?

A bunk in a shared dorm usually goes for around $15 to $40. This is undeniably a savings over the price of a single room at a hotel, B&B, or other type of lodging—but only for the solo traveler.

Two or three people traveling together can usually find a private room in a cheap hotel or B&B for the same price but with fewer rules and less of a party atmosphere.

Private rooms at Florence hostels start around $40–$55.

What is a hostel in Florence like?

If you're really scrimping on every eurocent, or are particularly fond of fraternizing with primarily youthful backpackers, you might want to stay in a hostel. (For the record, I'm not a fan of hostels. Never did like them, really, not even when I was a backpacking student, but that's just me.)

You might enjoy the camaraderie, the chance to rub elbows with other English-speakers, the evenings of contributing an ingredient to the shared spaghetti dinner someone is whipping up in the communal kitchen while your laundry spins in the back room, a dreadlocked dropout strums a guitar, and everyone sits around and shares travel tips and recently discovered gems not yet in the guidebooks.

Oh, and the massive savings. That's the upside to the hostelling experience for solo travelers.

The downsides, though, are enough to keep me away, despite the savings.

Though some private hostels have done away with most of the old rules, some (especially official HI hostels) still impose evening curfews (10pm-midnight or so), midday lockout periods, and limits on how long you can stay (often no more than three days). » more

Favorite Florence hostels

Ostello Archi Rossi

The Archi Rossi is the best hostel in Florence: right on Florence's main drag of cheap hotels near the train station, the walls slathered with shockingly bad murals, and loaded with freebies: free Internet terminals (in the lobby and in the rooms), free WiFi, free breakfast, free walking tours of the city, and even (in winter) free dinner. Sweet...

Via Faenza 94r; tel. +39-055-290-804; www.hostelarchirossi.com

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A room at the Ostello Villa Camerata, Florence

Villa Camerata Hostel

Regulation hostel-bland rooms in a 15th century countryside villa at the northern edge of Florence (20 minutes by bus/walk from the center). Shared dorm rooms sleep 4–8 from €13 per person; private rooms sleep 2 (from €30) or 3 (from €54).

Viale Augusto Righi 2–4; tel. +39-055-601-451.

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Frescoes in the Foresteria Valdese di Firenze (Istututo Gould), Florence

Foresteria Valdese–Gould

Though Spartan and institutional, this is nonetheless one of the nicest hostels in Florence: No curfew or lockout, in a lovely cloistered building with gardens, and almost all the rooms are double or triples for an almost hotel experience at hostel prices. It's in the Oltrarno, but only a five-minute walk from the sights...

Via dei Serragli 49; tel. +39-055-212-576; www.istitutogould.it/foresteria

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Academy Hostel

In the historic Palazzo Ricasoli just one block north of the Duomo and a block and a half south of the Accademia and Michelangelo's David, this ten-room hostel offers free WiFi, breakfast, and shared rooms sleeping 4–6 (€24–€40 per person), and private rooms from €48 with shared bath, €53 with private bathroom...

Via Ricasoli 9; tel. +39-055-239-8665; www.academyhostel.eu

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Wow Florence Hostel

Bright colors, comic book art, and top-floor terrace views over Florentine rooftops to the Duomo define this vibrant hostel in the northern reaches of Florence's historic center. There's a communal kitchen, free WiFi, and shared dorms sleeping 4–8 (€17–€24), with private rooms from €35...

Via Venezia 18; tel. +39-055-579-603; www.wowflorence.com

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Plus Florence Hostel

This is the modern-chic hotstel of Florence, with a heated indoor pool, gym and sauna, flatscreen TVs in every room (dorm or private), and rooftop views of the Duomo. Every room has a private bath attached, and the WiFi is free. Rates for dorms sleeping 4–8 are €19–€27; nice hotel-like private rooms start from €48 single, €61 double...

Via Santa Caterina D'Alessandria 15; tel. +39-055-628-6347; plushostels.com/plusflorence

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Tips & links

Booking hostels in Florence

Hosteling tips

Private hostels are usually far superior to HI hostels—better locations, nicer decor, smaller rooms (often only 4-8 beds per room), more private baths, far fewer rules, and better perks (like free WiFi, often free breakfast).
There are lockers for your bags; use them,
Bring a sleep sack, which is basically a sheet folded in half lengthwise and sewn across the bottom and most of the way up the side—sort of like an ultra-thin sleeping bag. These are required at some official IYH hostels.
Hostels are mostly a savings for singles - since you pay a per-person rate, two or three people traveling together can usually find a hotel for the same price or even less
Families can often find hostels with 4-bunk rooms for semi-private housing.
Meals will be cheap (if offered), but lackluster. Many hostlels also feature communal kitchens where you can cook your own food (or go in with some other residents on a shared dinner).

Florence hotel & lodging links

Useful Italian for lodging

English *(Inglese)*	Italian (Italiano)	Pro-nun-cee-YAY-shun
Good day	Buon giorno	bwohn JOUR-noh
Good evening	Buona sera	BWOH-nah SAIR-rah
Good night	Buona notte	BWOH-nah NOTE-tay
Goodbye	Arrivederci	ah-ree-vah-DAIR-chee
Excuse me (to get attention)	Scusi	SKOO-zee
thank you	grazie	GRAT-tzee-yay
please	per favore	pair fa-VOHR-ray
yes	si	see
no	no	no
Do you speak English?	Parla Inglese?	PAR-la een-GLAY-zay
I don't understand	Non capisco	non ka-PEESK-koh
I'm sorry	Mi dispiace	mee dees-pee-YAT-chay

Where is?	Dov'é	doh-VAY
...a hotel	un albergo	oon al-BEAR-go
...a B&B	un bed-and-breakfast	oon bet hand BREK-fust
...a rental room	un'affittacamera	oon ah-feet-ah-CAH-mair-ra
...an apartment for rent	un appartamento	oon ah-part-tah-MENT-toh
...a farm stay	un agriturismo	oon ah-gree-tour-EES-moh
...a hostel	un ostello	oon oh-STEHL-loh

How much is...?	Quanto costa?	KWAN-toh COST-ah
a single room	una singola	OO-nah SEEN-go-la
double room for single use [will often be offered if singles are unavailable]	doppia uso singola	DOPE-pee-ya OO-so SEEN-go-la
a double room with two beds	una doppia con due letti	OO-nah DOPE-pee-ya cone DOO-way LET-tee
a double room with one big bed	una matrimoniale	OO-nah mat-tree-moan-nee-YAAL-lay
triple room	una tripla	OO-nah TREE-plah
with private bathroom	con bagno	cone BAHN-yoh
without private bathroom	senza bagno [they might say con bagno in comune—"with a communal bath"]	SEN-zah BAHN-yoh
for one night	per una notte	pair OO-nah NOH-tay
for two nights	per due notti	pair DOO-way NOH-tee
for three nights	per tre notti	pair tray NOH-tee
Is breakfast included?	É incluso la prima colazione?	ay in-CLOO-soh lah PREE-mah coal-laht-zee-YOAN-nay
Is there WiFi?	C'é WiFi?	chay WHY-fy?
May I see the room?	Posso vedere la camera?	POH-soh veh-DAIR-eh lah CAH-mair-rah
That's too much	É troppo	ay TROH-po
Is there a cheaper one?	C'é una più economica?	chay OO-nah pew eh-ko-NO-mee-kah