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Florence gay travel advice for the best places to stay, gay bars, restaurants, saunas & more.
Florence is a wonderful and picturesque Italian city. But experiencing authentic Italian culture in Florence is tricky! The majority of the main city center is engulfed by tourists, so you’ll need to travel smart to get the best experience. During my time visiting Florence, I heard more American English than Italian!
Even though tourists are everywhere, you will still be able to experience Florence like a gay local with the help of this wolfyy Florence gay travel guide. The local gay population as well as the number of gay tourists in Florence is quite large, so you’ll have no issue making friends!
There are many great areas to stay in Florence. If you are short on time, it is best to stay in the center of the city.
These accommodations though, come at quite an elevated price compared to other Italian cities. Florence is so popular with international tourists, that prices have been driven up significantly.
I stayed at Grand Hotel Minerva during my first visit to Florence. The hotel is located directly adjacent to the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella. The piazza outside is beautiful and the hotel gym has a view directly onto the plaza.
If you prefer a chic hotel with a river view, I recommend Gallery Art Hotel Florence. Their design is quite masculine and the rooftop views are unbeatable.They also have a popular cocktail bar outside the lobby.
Just slightly to the north, The Westin Excelsior has a similar view along the river, but a more classically designed interior.
My second time visiting, I stayed in a magnificent Florence Airbnb in the Santa Croce neighborhood. I had three huge windows with shutters that opened up to the picturesque street below.
Santa Croce is awesome because it is quieter, away from all the tourist activity. It was still very easy to walk to the city center and there were plenty of restaurants around to choose from.
Take a stroll through the Santo Spirito neighborhood in Florence. It’s an amazing and authentic Florence neighborhood that you’ll surely enjoy. There are much less tourists in this area since it is out of the direct city center.
Santo Spirito has a bunch of bars, perfect for a cocktail. It’s definitely part of Florence you need to experience!
Nearby the San Spirito neighborhood is the Piazzale Michelangelo and Forte di Belvedere. From Piazzale Michelangelo you can get a stellar view of Florence. It is by far the best viewpoint of Florence.
Giardino delle Rose is also near the San Spirito neighborhood. (Can you tell I love this area?) This park is popular with locals to take a nap in the grass or spread out a picnic blanket.
There are great views of the city lush grass all around to make for a cozy time. For gay couples traveling to Florence, this is a great date spot!
Normally, people search online for tickets to the museum to see the David statue. For these tickets, you need to choose a specific time slot. For those who stick to a regimented schedule, this may be best. Personally however, I like to keep my schedule flexible. You can do this too. Here’s how.
When you arrive at the Accademia to see the statue of David, you can purchase tickets directly from guys on the street. They are trustworthy and will sell you a ticket for the time slot during which you arrive.
The price will be a bit higher than what you’d pay online, but the flexibility is worth it. I paid only 25 Euro.
If you do not have a ticket for the Accademia and you want to wait in the line to see the David, you may be waiting for hours. I personally see no reason to wait so long, especially if you are short on time!
As you make your way toward the part of Florence south of the river, cross over Ponte Vecchio first and then take a different bridge back into the center. This way you can see Ponte Vecchio from afar and catch a glimpse of all the small shops that line the rear of the bridge.
Dinner at Cucina Torcicoda was fantastic! I ate dinner here with my handsome boyfriend Michael and Italian friend Nicola. The restaurant is Michelin Star rated and has a stellar view of the Basilica di Santa Croce di Firenze. Make sure to try their carpaccio!
Dinner at a Trattoria Il Francescano was also a beautifully memorable experience. The servers were upbeat, the food was amazing.
Plus, we loved the outdoor seating next to Basilica di Santa Croce. Trattoria Il Francescano is a highly rated restaurant, so you should definitely try it.
La Ménagère is a cute brunch restaurant with an airy ambiance. Although the food seemed to be somewhat overpriced and not too exciting, the interior was very inviting.
The restaurant feels more like a garden without being outdoors. Lots of light, relaxed seating and also good for groups. Call ahead for a reservation as they can get very busy!
Stop by Inferno for some delicious classic cocktails. Inferno is a cozy spot to hang out inside to escape any rain or heat.
Fusion Bar & Restaurant has fun cocktails in a beautiful outdoor space. It is located next to Gallery Hotel Art. You can count on this cocktail bar rain or shine, as they have a permanently covered outdoor space that’s cozily lit
Oibó Restaurant is another fantastic option for a relatively formal dinner in Florence. I personally did not eat here, but when I passed by during dinner time, the food looked stellar. Even better is the cute outdoor seating.
Piccolo Café is my favorite gay bar in Florence. The crowd is a ton of fun. Piccolo Café is frequented by both locals and tourists, so you can truly get an authentic gay nightlife experience here.
I had such a great time here people watching and taking in the vibe of Florence. The crowd is bubbly and friendly. I highly recommend!
Queer Pub is another spot to try, tucked away in a quaint little alley. It’s a smaller venue than the others and not as rowdy, but its right in the center of Florence.
Crisco Club is Florence’s most popular gay cruising bar. Located in central Florence, Crisco Club only gets busy later in the evening. The bar will remain quite empty until at least midnight. The best time to show up is about 1:00 AM.
Fabrik is another extremely popular gay cruising bar. Many Italians from outside of Florence come to Fabrik for a good time. It’s especially popular with locals.
Fabrik is outside the Florence city center, so it takes some commitment to make it there. I personally did not get to go to this Florence gay cruising spot, but many locals let me know that it’s the best around!
Many tourists wonder specifically about the gay saunas and bathhouses in Florence. Although a gay sauna in Florence does exist, called Florence Baths, it has many negative reviews. Overall it seems you may want to skip this one.
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Any restaurant situated across from a major tourist attraction is probably not going to be good. Try to avoid those restaurants that have a huge number of seats located in main squares.
Smaller, local restaurants that don’t serve massive amounts of food to tourists will likely be of higher quality.
Pizza in Florence is notoriously bad, even in comparison to nearby areas of Italy. I didn’t have a single good pizza in Florence. If you want authentic and delicious pizza, head to Naples.
Traveling between cities in Italy is quite convenient by bus. I traveled all around the Mediterranean coast using Flixbus buses, which are almost always exactly on time, comfortable, civilized and safe. They’re also pretty cheap. Book your ticket!
Don’t waste your time browsing the counterfeit goods and trinket shops that fill the area around Market di San Lorenzo. Firstly, none of it is authentic. Secondly, you can likely do this anywhere, maybe even in your own city.
Florence is a very walkable city and so there’s definitely no reason to join a guided tour. If you join a Florence guided tour, you won’t get to experience anything authentic and you’ll collide with dozens of other tour groups in crowded areas.
Same-sex activity has been legal in Italy since 1890 and transgender people have been able to legally change their gender since 1982. Also, gays and lesbians are allowed to openly serve in the military and there are workplace protections for LGBT people as well.
Gay rights in Italy are opposed by a strong far-right faction of the nation. However, there are increasing instances of victories for those supporting gay rights. Here’s a short article on Italy’s first transgender mayor speaking about how to defeat the far-right.
Explore more gay-friendly Italian destinations in wolfyy’s gay guides to Rome or the Amalfi Coast.
Because I've been to every destination I write about.
wolfyy travel guides are based on my own experiences, plus trusted tips from LGBT travelers & locals.
My mission is to provide authentic, local gay travel information you can rely on.
Advice you can trust. No outsourced content. Sounds good, right?