Florence Travel Forum

I am planning a trip to Italy and will be staying in Florence for about 4-5 days. I have read online that one should not stay in the area near the Santa Maria Novella train station because it is not safe to walk at night because of drug traffic. I am a 55 y.o. woman who will be traveling with another 55 y.o. woman and we are looking for a nice hotel. Will we be safe in the Uffizi/Duomo area? We are considering Hotel Davanzati and Hotel Pierre, among others. Does anyone have any recommendations on where to stay with respect to safety, closeness to attractions, etc. Thanks you any help you can give. Karen

Wow! We have stayed numerous times close to the train station and never have seen any drug traffickers. It has always seemed very safe at night. If someone was selling drugs it certainly was not obivous. There are some nice hotels close to the train station that you can get for a reasonable price.

Mike

sorry, mean't "obvious" :)

You have heard an exaggeration. There are a few unsavoury types around every central railway station in Europe (including the UK) and they won't bother you if you don't bother them.

You are hardly likely to be walking around the area in the early hours, which is always the riskiest time anywhere......so, really, don't worry about it.

I'm a middle-aged single female: I stayed near to S.M. Novella (and near Rome Termini). It was absolutely fine, and I did not feel uncomfortable or at any risk.

Have a look at the VT Florence pages for hotel suggestions.

Enjoy your visit to florence, and don't worry about safety. Use the same common sense as you would in any big city and you'll have no problems at all.

I stayed near the train station as a mature woman travelling solo. True it was a few years ago - 2001 - but other than the noise it was just fine. I was 57 at the time.

To clarify, I stayed in Florence last year abd the year before, and in Rome Termini a few days ago.

There may well be drug transactions taking place......but you won't see them, because they are illegal! And the people who engage in such matters certainly do not want to draw attention to themselves.

Yes, you may see the odd passed-out alcoholic, or homeless person, or beggar, or prostitue. But you'd see exactly the same things in London.

I wouldn't particularly feel safe walking in any city very late at night/in the early hours of the morning, simply because far fewer people are around, but Florence is no worse than anywhere else.

Be reassured by these posts, and enjoy your visit!

You also will find many more people on the streets late at night then in the United States. Europeans tend to eat much later than Americans do. Often after dinner, they will stroll the streets just to relax and visit. The late dinners take some getting used to as lots of Europeans will be just starting their evenings while I'm ready to retire.

Mike

My friend and I stayed in Florence in September 2006 in a place called Relais Cavalcanti. A semi self-contained apartment which was wonderfully located, reasonably priced and very comfortable. We wandered around fairly late at night and it felt quite safe. You take all the same precautions you would in any city in the world. I can recommend two places to eat there - both less touristy than most. One is Osteria De Benci Cafe (Firenze Via de Benci 9r Te; 055216887) or the slightly more formal Osteria De Benci next door at 13r. Tel 055234492) For lunch, Magiafoco Caffe was great at Borgo s.s.Apostoli 26r Tel 055 2658170. (Assuming that they have not changed much in the intervening 18 months. Florence is beautiful. Enjoy !

Thanks to you all for your thoughtful replies. I feel much better now in choosing a place to stay. And thanks for the info on good places to eat. I will put them in my travel book and be sure to check them out while I am in Florence. Karen

I was there last summer and the people hanging around the area at night are quite different than those during the day. It is perfectly safe during the day, and probably is at night too (as per the above) but it looks a lot less safe at night so personally I would go elsewhere if this is a concern of yours. Two people will be safer than one walking about at night.