Tuscany areas:
Florence Siena Lucca Chianti San Gimignano Arezzo Pisa Versilia Cortona Montecatini GarfagnanaAccommodation listings, plus useful information, tips and some history:
Florence is one of the best known and best loved cities of the world. Its artistic treasures and architectural masterpieces attract huge numbers of visitors each year, and there is really no season when the city is empty of tourists, although the summer months are certainly the busiest. Those who can choose their time do well to come in early summer or autumn, when the weather is most temperate, and the crowds slightly less dense. However, Florence is a wonderful city to be in at any time of the year.
The historical part of the city is largely contained in quite a small area, and very many of the places you will want to see can be reached easily on foot. Indeed there are restrictions on traffic in the historic centre, although this does not deter many moped riders who may make your walks extra exciting.
As well as its art and culture, Florence has wonderful shopping, peaceful parks, excellent eating, an exhilarating atmosphere and breathtaking views.
The hub of the Renaissance; one of the world's most architecturally beautiful cities; with countless museums and galleries crammed with masterpieces; and with marvellous shopping and tremendous cuisine and restaurants; it's perhaps unsurprising that Florence is also very busy with tourists. Yet choose your times well, and step a little way outside the well-trodden tourist paths, and you'll get more from a visit to the city than ... well almost anywhere on the planet.
A couple of big things in the visitors' favour: though the city now spreads out along the Arno river and into the hills, most of the sights you'll want to see lie within a half hour walk of the Duomo (cathedral) in the city centre. And with motorcars limited in the centre, rambling around looking at the sights is a lot more enjoyable than it used to be.
Today, even if much of Florence's greatness lies in its history, the city is thriving. It has wonderful shopping, peaceful parks, excellent eating, an exhilarating atmosphere and breathtaking views.
When you aren't taking in the works of artists and sculptors in churches, and galleries and museums such as the Uffizi and Accademia, you can wander amidst the luxury of world famous boutiques, watch craftsmen at work on traditional Florentine leatherwork, and peruse numerous bustling street markets. You can eat in the finest restaurants or in simple trattorie with delicious home cooking. Or buy the ingredients for a marvellous picnic at the Mercato Centrale or Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio, grab a bottle of Chianti, and take the lot to the Boboli Gardens or to the ramparts of the Belvedere Fort with its stunning views.
View Tuscany accommodation on Google map:
Zoom into Tuscany
Zoom into Florence
Zoom into Siena
Zoom into Lucca
Zoom into Arezzo
Jump directly to an area of interest in Tuscany:
View all Tuscany accommodation listings
A map of Tuscany:
FEATURED ACCOMMODATION IN CITY OF FLORENCE
Sleeps 1 to 8, map
Florence holiday - Apartment and Bed and Breakfast accommodation - Residenza Strozzi
Sleeps 4 to 6, map
Self catering in Italy - Vacation apartment San Gallo - Florence, Tuscany
Sleeps 4, map
Rent an apartment in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. Via dei Gioberti, just ten minutes from the center of town.
