More about Porta Faenza
Decent hotel with good location
by A TripAdvisor Member
My wife and I stayed for 2 nights in early April. We found the hotel to be a good place to stay and a relatively good value.
The hotel is close to the train station and provides a good point of access to easily walkable Florence. The Duomo, Uffizi and other sites are all within a 10 minute walk. The street is relatively quite so even though our room overlooked the street we were able to sleep with the windows open.
The decore is dated and the walls and floors show signs of wear, especially in public spaces. The bathrooms are decent, but not too large. The linen is changed every day. However, if you are looking for glamorous lodgings, this is not the place. Porta Faenza is a good "functional" hotel.
The best part of the hotel is the staff. Extremely friendly and helpful. We also enjoyed the Trattoria Enzo e Mario right down the street.
Footloose in Firenze
by TripAdvisor Member BelleVoyage
My husband and I have just returned from a wonderful week in Florence and we stayed at Porta Faenza the entire time. It is a really sweet little hotel. It is easy to find and very close for any one walking from the bus or train station. The hotel is well kept and is decorated with interesting funky old stuff. Our room was immaculate and quiet, except for the occasional banging door (the doors are tricky to close). Our room on the top floor had a view over the roof. The room seemed small at first, but then I realized it was because the bed was huge! The staff was pleasant and helpful and called to make reservations for us at several of the museums so that we could avoid the long lines. The night clerk cleaned out his change drawer for us when we needed change for the airport shuttle (a real deal at 4 euro.) We enjoyed the daily breakfast and loved the charming attendant who came around and took our coffee orders.
I see someone mentioned Enzo and Piero's. I wasn't particularly impressed with the food. In the European style, the portions are smaller and there is the included service charge. They were happy friendly people but their food was fairly average and my chicken cacciatore had bone chips in it. We discovered the mercado near San Lorenzo and bought bread, cheese, fruit, etc. and made one meal per day a picnic. The cheeses were incredible and so were the olives. There is a little eatery in the mercado called Pork's that is a little rough around the edges, but we ate there twice and the homemade gnocci with leek cream sauce (at E. 4.20) was the best deal and the most delicious pasta I ate in Florence. Also, the hot chocolate is delicious.
The hotel has free maps to help you find your way around. Walk to the Piazzella Michaelangelo through the pleasant streets of Oltrarno, see the great views of Florence and ride back. Take the number 12 or 13 bus for a trip through the back streets you would ordinarily never see or the D bus for a quicker trip to the station. The bus is only one euro. It is clean and safe.
I must say that I read these revews when I was in the process of selecting a hotel, and found them very helpful. However, alot of people tend complain about things like room size, weird showers, etc. It really helps if you can leave your American expectations behind and just appreciate the European experience for what it is: different!
Great Value
by TripAdvisor Member mollyann40
This is an excellent hotel for the price, great location. Only a short walk from the train station. With in walking distance to all sites. Great outdoor market at San Lorenzo, just down the street. The hotel had a nice breakfast, cheese, meats, breads, cereal. The rooms were spacious, comfortable beds with crisp sheets. Very clean. Would stay here again.
Warm hospitality
by A TripAdvisor Member
We decided to stay at the hotel based on some of the comments on this website. We were very pleased with our spacious room, separate tub and shower bathroom, and the warm, attentive staff. During our stay in Florence, we wanted to see everything but the lines were very long even during the month of Feb-Mar. The hotel staff offered to make reservations for us which made everything easier. They even called to confirm our flight back home. The breakfast was okay...no hot food, but it sufficed. They have a morning attendant that will offer coffee, cappuccino or expresso to have with your breakfast. The only qualm I have is that the window in our room faced the Faenza street. During all hours of the night, you can hear conversations and cars driving by. Ask for a room away from the street. Other than that, our stay was wonderful! We will definitely stay there again and recommend this hotel to our friends.
It was OK
by TripAdvisor Member daisycutter
This hotel is well located for all the major sights of Florence. However after reading other reviewer's reports we may have been unlucky as our room was the smallest we had in our 6 hotels stays in Europe and was quite claustraphobic. The staff were friendly, breakfast was OK but would rank it at the bottom of the list of other hotels we stayed at on this trip. However I think it is still a nice hotel to stay at if in a better room.
The real highlight was the Trattoria "Enzo and Piero"" which is located about 20 metres away. The food there was quite fantastic (we ate there on 3 nights) and the staff delightful especially Aldo who alternated between cooking and waiting on tables. We also ate at another Trattoria a little further away called La Guida which was good but not in the same class as Enzo and Piero.
Would stay here again
by A TripAdvisor Member
My wife and I stayed here and had a very pleasant time. It has a great location and is on a quiet street right near the train station. The staff was very pleasant and helpful and the breakfast was very good. My only complaints/comments are that the website says they have a computer for the internet, which they do not, and the breaker kept tripping when my wife would use her hair dryer.
If you need internet there is a great place across from the Pitti Palace. You buy a block of time and come and go as you please. Nice staff there and there is a bathroom.
Excellent for a 3-star
by TripAdvisor Member am2338
We got a great deal from Expedia.ca for this hotel. We stayed here for the last 3 nights out of 8 nights in Florence. The first hotel was part of a package deal. It was okay but not as nice as this hotel. The room was a lot bigger. Only problem is if you are a big man like my husband, you might find the shower stall, which is 2 ft x 2 ft, too tight. The breakfast was also a bigger spread that our first hotel. There is also an excellent restaurant next door, Enzo Trattoria, and a cafe which serves sandwiches and coffee cheaper than cafes closer to famous buildings and monuments. Very convenient location but quiet street.
Great location, charming hotel
by A TripAdvisor Member
This hotel is located within walking distance of the Santa Maria Novella train station, a great straw market, Duomo, and many other tourist sites. The hotel has been refurbished and modernized. It definitely had a lot of character. The ceiling was made out of bricks! Our room was small, as expected, and had no views but served its purpose. It was clean and comfortable. Front desk staff was helpful and spoke fluent English. Breakfast was adequate, complete with breads, cereals, fruits, meats, and cheeses. We got a great deal through hotels at $106 per night.
Nice hotel
by TripAdvisor Member rosscoe7999
We stayed for two nights in early April and found the hotel to be in a good location with comfortable accommodations. The staff was also helpful with directions, finding hours for museums, etc. It is not as warm and hospitable as a B&B, but for a busy city like Florence, it is comfortable and I can definitely recommend it.
Forum Posts
HOTEL PORTA FAENZA
by jmd6936
We will be staying at the "Hotel Porta Faenza (Via Faenza, 77 - 50123 Firenza". Any information about this hotel including previous experiences, neighborhood, condition etc. will be extremely helpful. Thanks
Re: HOTEL PORTA FAENZA
by mariocibelli
It is fine. I do not care for the neighborhood, not because it is dangerous or dirty but it is one of those blah train station areas - complete with 15th and 16th century buildings. You are a few minutes from the train station as well as from the San Lorenzo Market, so quite convenient for all your activities.
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