Your choice of area matters more here than in many cities. In the Judería you have the Mezquita almost to yourself in the morning, Centro gives you tapas bars and local life, and the station area is handy if you’re arriving by AVE. Here are my five picks.

Where to Stay in Córdoba: The Best Areas

• Judería & Mezquita-Catedral - best area for first-time visitors
• San Basilio & Alcázar - best area for peace and quiet and patios
• Centro, Tendillas & Corredera - best area for tapas and local life
• Santa Marina, San Agustín & Realejo - best area for quiet days away from the tourists
• The Station & Ciudad Jardín - best area for rail travellers and budget stays

Below I go through the five areas one by one with maps, distances, price levels and three specific hotels in each neighbourhood, so you can pick the one that suits your trip and your budget.

1. Judería & Mezquita-Catedral - best area for first-time visitors

• Distance to the centre: You’re staying in the heart of the Old Town. The Mezquita-Catedral, the Puente Romano and the Calleja de las Flores are all within a 5-minute walk, and Plaza de las Tendillas is 10 minutes away.
• Transport: You won’t need the bus here. Everything is within walking distance, and the streets are so narrow that taxis can only drop you at the edge of the neighbourhood.
• Time from Seville Airport: About 2 hours. The EA bus from Seville Airport to Santa Justa, the AVE to Córdoba in about 45 minutes, then a 20-minute walk or a short taxi ride.
• Price level: €€ to €€€€. The three hotels below cost roughly £135 to £400 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• Safety: Very safe, including in the evening. Keep an eye on pockets and bags in the crowds around the Mezquita and the Calleja de las Flores in the middle of the day.

The Judería is the old Jewish quarter between the Mezquita-Catedral and the city walls to the west. The streets are white, narrow and full of flowerpots, and they all lead down towards the great mosque, which was begun in the 8th century and consecrated as a cathedral in 1236. According to UNESCO, it has been on the World Heritage List since 1984, and in 1994 the whole neighbourhood, the Alcázar, the Puente Romano and the Calahorra Tower were added. On Calle Judíos you’ll find the synagogue from 1315, one of the few medieval synagogues in Spain still standing, and it’s free to visit.

Entry to the Mezquita costs 15 euros (around £13), but Monday to Saturday you can get in free between 8.30 and 9.30. That’s one of the best reasons to stay right here, because you can be waiting at the gate before the day-trippers from Seville arrive. The bell tower costs an extra 4 euros (around £3), and if you want the history too, the guided tour of the Mezquita with a skip-the-line ticket for about 30 euros (around £25) is a good alternative to reading signs.

See hotels in the Judería here.

I’d stay here if it’s your first trip to Córdoba and you only have one or two nights. You’re right next to everything, and from the neighbourhood it’s a two-minute walk down to the Puente Romano, the Roman bridge over the Guadalquivir, which is now pedestrian-only. On the other side stands the Torre de la Calahorra, with a small museum about al-Andalus and the city’s best view back towards the Mezquita. The downside is the daytime: from 10 to 5, the Calleja de las Flores and Calle Judíos are packed with tour groups and souvenir shops, and the food around the Mezquita is the most expensive in the city, so walk a few streets away when you want to eat.

The hotels here are typically small, converted patio houses with 10 to 30 rooms. It’s charming, but it also means small bathrooms, rarely a pool and often stairs instead of a lift. If you have a car, park outside the walls, because you can’t drive into the neighbourhood.

Hotels in Judería & Mezquita-Catedral

Balcón de Córdoba - luxury with a roof terrace a minute from the Mezquita

Balcón de Córdoba is on Calle Encarnación, a minute’s walk from the Mezquita, and has just 10 rooms in an old house with patios and a roof terrace where you can see the bell tower. The hotel has a restaurant, room service and a score of 9.5 on Booking.com, but it’s also the most expensive of my picks in Córdoba, and some guests mention that the breakfast doesn’t live up to the price.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “Beautiful hotel with only 10 rooms and a perfect location, right in the centre of town but on a small, quiet side street.”

See photos and book Balcón de Córdoba here.

Eurostars Maimonides - mid-range with the Mezquita’s west wall as your neighbour

Eurostars Maimonides is on Calle Torrijos, directly opposite the Mezquita’s west wall, so the mosque’s gates are your view as you step out of the door. The hotel is set in an old house with a patio and terrace, the rooms are simple but nice, and it scores 9.0 from more than 5,000 reviews. A few guests mention that sound carries in the corridors.

From a review: “I fell in love with this hotel: the decor, the rooms, the location, the staff. Everything was fantastic.”

See photos and book Eurostars Maimonides here.

Hotel Casa Museo de la Mezquita - budget option 50 metres from the Mezquita’s east side

Hotel Casa Museo de la Mezquita is on Plaza Santa Catalina by the east side of the Mezquita, a small 2-star hotel in a house full of antiques and art. You get air conditioning, a 24-hour reception and a score of 8.6 from about 2,800 reviews, but the bathrooms are very small, and you shouldn’t expect facilities beyond the bed.

One guest highlights: “A lovely building with very interesting decor. The location was central with plenty of restaurants and sights within walking distance.”

See photos and book Hotel Casa Museo de la Mezquita here.

2. San Basilio & Alcázar - best area for peace and quiet and patios

• Distance to the centre: A 10-minute walk to the Mezquita and 15 minutes to Plaza de las Tendillas. The Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos and the Caballerizas Reales border the neighbourhood.
• Transport: You walk. The neighbourhood lies within the old city walls, but it’s one of the few places in the Old Town where quite a few apartments and hotels have their own parking.
• Time from Málaga Airport: About 1 hour 45 minutes. The Cercanías train from Málaga Airport to María Zambrano, the AVE to Córdoba in about 1 hour, then a short taxi ride.
• Price level: €€ to €€€. The three places below cost roughly £135 to £315 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• Safety: A quiet residential area with very little traffic. In the evening the streets are almost empty, but it feels safe.

San Basilio, which locals also call Alcázar Viejo, is the neighbourhood just south of the Alcázar and the Caballerizas Reales, the royal stables where Philip II had the Andalusian horse bred in the 16th century. This is where Córdoba’s famous patios are most densely packed. Every May, residents open their courtyards for two weeks during the Fiesta de los Patios, which has been on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list since 2012, and according to Córdoba City Council entry to all the patios is free. Some of the patios in San Basilio can also be visited the rest of the year for a small fee.

The Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos is the fortress where Isabella and Ferdinand lived for eight years and received Columbus before he sailed for the Americas. Entry costs 5 euros (around £4) for adults, and it’s the gardens with their pools, cypresses and orange trees that you come for. Parts of the fortress may be closed for restoration at times, so check the official site before you buy a ticket. Right next door are the Baños del Alcázar Califal, the old caliphal baths.

See hotels in San Basilio here.

I’d choose San Basilio if you’ve been to Córdoba before, or if you’re travelling in May and want to stay in the middle of the patio festival. It’s also the best bet for couples who want quiet evenings without staying far out. The downside is that there aren’t many restaurants and bars in the neighbourhood itself, and the choice of proper hotels is small. Most options are holiday apartments and small hotels in old patio houses, and in May they’re booked many months in advance.

You enter and leave the neighbourhood through the old city gates, the Puerta de Sevilla and the Puerta de Almodóvar, and just outside the walls is the Paseo de la Victoria with a multi-storey car park. If you’re coming by car, San Basilio is the easiest place to stay in the Old Town, but expect to wheel your suitcase the last few metres, as many of the streets are too narrow for cars.

Hotels in San Basilio & Alcázar

Las Casas de la Judería de Córdoba - luxury in linked patio houses with a pool

Las Casas de la Judería is on Calle Tomás Conde right by the Puerta de Almodóvar, a few minutes’ walk from the Alcázar and San Basilio. The hotel is made up of several old houses linked by patios, passageways and a small garden with an outdoor pool, and it has 4 stars, parking and a score of 9.2. Some guests mention that parts of the decor could do with a refresh.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “The best hotel I’ve stayed in, and believe me, I’ve stayed in quite a few through my work.”

See photos and book Las Casas de la Judería de Córdoba here.

MiRa San Basilio - modern apartments on Calle San Basilio itself

MiRa San Basilio is on Calle San Basilio, the neighbourhood’s main street, and is a newer complex of apartments with air conditioning, soundproofed windows and parking. Check-in is self-service, and it scores 9.4 from about 800 reviews. These are apartments rather than a hotel, so there’s no 24-hour reception, and some guests mention you can hear noise from the other apartments in the building.

From a review: “Wonderful, brand-new apartment in a charming part of the Old Town.”

See photos and book MiRa San Basilio here.

EM21 Apartamentos - budget apartments with parking on Calle Enmedio

EM21 Apartamentos is on Calle Enmedio in the middle of San Basilio, offering bright, soundproofed apartments with a garage, lift and luggage storage. It scores 9.4, and it was the cheapest of my three picks in the area when I searched. The downside is the same as next door: no reception and no breakfast, so you’ll have to pop down to the bakery yourself.

One guest highlights: “The apartment was excellent, lots of little extras that made a difference during our 5-night stay.”

See photos and book EM21 Apartamentos here.

3. Centro, Tendillas & Corredera - best area for tapas and local life

• Distance to the centre: You’re in it. Plaza de las Tendillas is the city’s modern focal point, and from here it’s a 10-minute walk to the Mezquita and 5 minutes to Plaza de la Corredera.
• Transport: Bus routes 1, 12 and C2 terminate at Tendillas, but you’ll walk most of the time. The station is a 10 to 15-minute walk north along Avenida del Gran Capitán.
• Time from Madrid-Barajas: About 2 hours 45 minutes. The Cercanías train from Terminal 4 to Atocha in about 30 minutes and the AVE to Córdoba in about 1 hour 45 minutes.
• Price level: €€ to €€€. The three hotels below cost roughly £155 to £235 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• Safety: Safe and busy until late. Around Plaza de la Corredera there can be a bit of noise from the bars at weekends.

Centro is Córdoba’s real city centre, where the cordobeses themselves shop, drink coffee and go out. Plaza de las Tendillas, with its clock that chimes the hours on flamenco guitar, is the meeting point, and from here the pedestrian streets fan out with Spanish chains and local shops. A few steps away stand the columns of the Templo Romano, a 1st-century Roman temple discovered when the town hall was extended. To the east lies Plaza de la Corredera, a large, rectangular 17th-century square surrounded by arcades, with the Mercado de la Corredera market hall and tapas bars all the way round.

The San Pedro neighbourhood behind the Corredera is my favourite area for food. Here you’ll find Plaza del Potro with the Posada del Potro, the inn Cervantes mentions in Don Quixote, and the little streets down towards the river are full of tabernas serving salmorejo, flamenquín and rabo de toro at local prices. You can also try the region’s sweet Montilla-Moriles wine straight from the barrel.

See hotels in Centro and near the Corredera here.

I’d stay in Centro if you want to experience Córdoba as a living city and not just a museum, and if you’d like to eat out without ending up in tourist restaurants. It also suits anyone who wants to go shopping. The downside is that it’s less picture-postcard than the Judería: a fair few of the buildings are from the 20th century, and there’s traffic on the bigger streets. In return, you get more hotel for your money, and hotels more often have a lift, parking and bigger rooms.

If you want a compromise between Centro and the Judería, look at the streets between Tendillas and the Mezquita, for example around Calle Jesús María and Plaza de Séneca. Here you’re a few minutes from both and avoid the worst of the tourist crowds.

Hotels in Centro, Tendillas & Corredera

Eurostars Azahar - modern 4-star hotel a minute from Tendillas

Eurostars Azahar is on Calle García Lovera, a minute’s walk from Plaza de las Tendillas, a modern hotel with a gym, sauna, bar and large, soundproofed rooms. It scores 9.2 from about 2,000 reviews. The hotel has no parking of its own, and that’s what most guests complain about.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “Fantastic hotel. Lovely big rooms. Very comfortable. The staff were very helpful.”

See photos and book Eurostars Azahar here.

Hotel Viento10 - small boutique hotel with a pool and hammam in San Pedro

Hotel Viento10 is on Calle Ronquillo Briceño in San Pedro, a few minutes from Plaza del Potro and the river. It’s a small hotel in an old house with a patio, saltwater pool, Turkish bath and massages, and it scores 9.2. Officially it only has 2 stars, so don’t expect a restaurant or a 24-hour reception, but it’s one of the most personal places to stay in the city.

From a review: “Attentive hotel staff with thorough explanations about the area and interesting places to visit.”

See photos and book Hotel Viento10 here.

Hotel Córdoba Centro - budget-friendly and practical right by Tendillas

Hotel Córdoba Centro is on Calle Jesús María, a side street off Plaza de las Tendillas, so both Centro and the Mezquita are within a 10-minute walk. The hotel has 3 stars, soundproofed rooms, a bar, a garage and a score of 8.7. The rooms are nice but lack charm, and there’s no pool.

One guest highlights: “Clean, comfortable and modern hotel with a fantastic location.”

See photos and book Hotel Córdoba Centro here.

4. Santa Marina, San Agustín & Realejo - best area for quiet days away from the tourists

• Distance to the centre: A 10-minute walk to Plaza de las Tendillas and 20 to 25 minutes to the Mezquita. The Palacio de Viana is in the middle of the neighbourhood.
• Transport: You can manage most of it on foot. City buses cost 1.30 euros (around £1.10) per journey, and a taxi home from the Mezquita in the evening is cheap if your legs are tired.
• Time from Seville Airport: About 2 hours by bus to Santa Justa and the AVE to Córdoba. From the station it’s about a 20-minute walk to Santa Marina.
• Price level: €€ to €€€€. The three places below cost roughly £145 to £390 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• Safety: An ordinary residential area, safe and quiet. The narrow streets are dark in the evening, but it doesn’t feel unsafe.

Santa Marina, San Agustín and Realejo lie in the north-eastern part of the Old Town, the area the cordobeses call the Axerquía. There are no souvenir shops here, and you’ll hear more Spanish than English in the squares. The area is known for its Fernandine churches, the parish churches Ferdinand III had built after the Christian conquest in 1236. The 13th-century Santa Marina church is the best known, and in the square in front stands the monument to the bullfighter Manolete, who grew up in the neighbourhood.

The main attraction is the Palacio de Viana, an aristocratic palace with 12 patios and a garden, and it’s the closest you’ll get to the patio festival the rest of the year. Entry to the palace and patios costs 14 euros (around £12), or 8.50 euros (around £7) if you only want to see the patios, and it’s closed on Mondays. A little to the south is Plaza de Capuchinos with the Cristo de los Faroles, the white square with the figure of Christ surrounded by eight lanterns, one of the city’s most photographed sights, especially in the evening.

See hotels in Santa Marina and San Agustín here.

I’d stay here if you’re spending three or four nights and would like a neighbourhood where you can find a local. It’s also a good choice if you’re travelling in May without having booked a year ahead, as there are more rooms available here than in the Judería. The downside is the distance: 20 to 25 minutes to the Mezquita each way, and in summer that’s a long walk in the heat.

Take the heat seriously in Córdoba. The average maximum temperature in July is just under 37 degrees, according to AEMET, and days over 40 degrees are completely normal in July and August. Choose a hotel with a pool and air conditioning if you’re travelling in summer, and plan your sightseeing for the morning and evening. That applies across the city, but especially here, where you walk a bit further.

Hotels in Santa Marina, San Agustín & Realejo

Hospes Palacio del Bailío - 5-star palace with Roman ruins under a glass floor

Hospes Palacio del Bailío is on Calle Ramírez de las Casas Deza by the Cuesta del Bailío, a few minutes’ walk from Plaza de Capuchinos. It’s a palace with frescoes, patios, a spa, indoor and outdoor pools and a restaurant where you dine above Roman ruins under a glass floor. It scores 9.1, and it’s the most expensive address in the city. Some rooms face the street and can be a little noisy.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “The pool area was amazing.”

See photos and book Hospes Palacio del Bailío here.

Hotel Macià Alfaros - 4-star chain hotel with a pool on Calle Alfaros

Hotel Macià Alfaros is on Calle Alfaros between Santa Marina and Plaza de las Tendillas, a 10-minute walk from both. The hotel is built around a large Moorish-style courtyard with an outdoor pool, and there’s a gym, a garage and soundproofed rooms. It scores 8.8 from more than 6,000 reviews. The pool is only open in the summer season.

From a review: “The location was excellent. Easy to walk to everything.”

See photos and book Hotel Macià Alfaros here.

Suites Casa San Mateo - budget-friendly suites with a rooftop pool near the Palacio de Viana

Suites Casa San Mateo is on Calle Mateo Inurria, a couple of hundred metres from the Palacio de Viana, offering modern suites with a lift, roof terrace and a small rooftop pool. It scores 9.2, and it was the cheapest of my three picks here. The street is partly car-free, so you’ll have to haul your suitcase the last few metres yourself.

One guest highlights: “The apartment was very clean and modern and close enough to the sights, but in a lovely quiet area.”

See photos and book Suites Casa San Mateo here.

5. The Station & Ciudad Jardín - best area for rail travellers and budget stays

• Distance to the centre: A 10-minute walk to Plaza de las Tendillas along Avenida del Gran Capitán and 20 to 25 minutes to the Mezquita.
• Transport: The AVE station and the bus station are side by side. Several Aucorsa city routes, including 3, 4 and 5, stop at the station, and a single ticket costs 1.30 euros (around £1.10).
• Time from Málaga Airport: About 1 hour 30 minutes. The Cercanías train to María Zambrano and the AVE to Córdoba in about 1 hour, and you’re right in the neighbourhood.
• Price level: € to €€. The three hotels below cost roughly £120 to £175 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• Safety: A modern, open area with wide boulevards. Safe, but a bit dead in the evening right around the station.

Córdoba’s station was built for the AVE in the 1990s and is just a kilometre north of the Old Town. The area around it, Vial Norte, is modern with wide boulevards, offices and new hotels, and Ciudad Jardín just west of the station is an ordinary residential area with local bars and low prices. It isn’t pretty, but it’s practical, and this is where you’ll find the city’s best combination of price, pool and parking.

This is also where you set off on day trips. AVE and Avant trains run to Seville in about 45 minutes, to Málaga in about 1 hour and to Madrid in about 1 hour 45 minutes, and you can check times and fares with Renfe. Córdoba makes a perfect base for two or three day trips in Andalusia, and if you’re thinking of switching things round and using the neighbouring city as your base, you can read my guide to where to stay in Seville.

See hotels near the station and in Ciudad Jardín here.

Staying here also makes it easy to get out to Medina Azahara, the 10th-century palace city of Caliph Abd al-Rahman III, 8 kilometres west of the city, which was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2018. According to the Junta de Andalucía, entry is free for EU citizens, and the site is closed on Mondays. The easiest option is a guided tour to Medina Azahara from about 18 euros (around £15). If you’d rather drive yourself, you can pick up hire cars through Booking.com at the station. You park at the museum, and a shuttle bus takes you the last few kilometres up to the ruins.

I’d choose the station area if you’re arriving late by train, moving on early, have a car or are on a budget. The downside is obvious: you’re not staying in the historic city, and you’ll have to walk 20 to 25 minutes or take the bus every time you want to go to the Mezquita. There’s not much going on around the station in the evening either, so you’ll end up eating in the centre anyway.

Hotels near the Station & Ciudad Jardín

Hotel Mezquita Center - new 4-star hotel with a rooftop pool 200 metres from the station

Hotel Mezquita Center is on Bulevar Hernán Ruiz, about 200 metres from the station, a newer hotel with a restaurant, gym, garage and a rooftop pool that’s open all year. It scores 9.4 from more than 3,700 reviews. The name is a little misleading, as it’s a 20 to 25-minute walk to the Mezquita, and that’s the drawback guests mention most often.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “Very comfortable, large rooms, good breakfast and a great rooftop pool area.”

See photos and book Hotel Mezquita Center here.

Sercotel Córdoba Medina Azahara - mid-range with a rooftop pool in Ciudad Jardín

Sercotel Córdoba Medina Azahara is on Avenida Medina Azahara in Ciudad Jardín, a 5-minute walk from the station and 10 minutes from the Puerta de Almodóvar and the Judería. The hotel has 3 stars, a gym, a seasonal rooftop pool and a score of 8.8 from about 6,000 reviews. It has no parking of its own, but there’s a multi-storey car park nearby.

From a review: “Good value for money, clean and a quiet location.”

See photos and book Sercotel Córdoba Medina Azahara here.

Hotel Serrano - cheap 2-star hotel between the station and Tendillas

Hotel Serrano is on Calle Benito Pérez Galdós, a 7 to 8-minute walk from both the station and Plaza de las Tendillas, so it’s more central than the price suggests. It’s a simple 2-star hotel with air conditioning, a lift, a 24-hour reception and a score of 8.5 from about 2,100 reviews. The soundproofing isn’t the best, so bring earplugs if you’re a light sleeper.

One guest highlights: “All in all a comfortable room, the location was excellent, very cheap.”

See photos and book Hotel Serrano here.

Where not to stay in Córdoba?

Córdoba is a safe city, so it’s more about distance and atmosphere than safety. I’d avoid Sector Sur and Campo de la Verdad on the other side of the Guadalquivir. Some hotels here advertise views of the Mezquita and low prices, but you have to cross the Puente Romano or the Puente de Miraflores every time you want to do anything, and the area itself has very little to offer in the evening. Also avoid Polígono Guadalquivir south-east of the centre, a deprived housing estate with no reason to stay there, and the hotels along the motorway and out on Avenida de Cádiz, which mostly cater to drivers passing through. During the Feria de Córdoba at the end of May, the area around El Arenal is also full of noise until late into the night, so don’t stay there unless you’re going to the festival yourself.

If it’s your first trip to Córdoba and you only have one or two nights, I’d stay in the Judería and get up early for the free morning hour at the Mezquita. If you’re travelling in May or want quiet evenings, choose San Basilio. If you want tapas and local life, stay in Centro, and if you’re on a budget or arriving by train, the station area is absolutely fine, as long as you accept the walk.

Córdoba is also ideal to combine with its neighbouring cities. If you’re wondering where to stay in Granada afterwards, the city is under two hours away by train, and with Seville on the other side, you can easily fit in all three in a week.

The post Where to Stay in Córdoba? The 5 Best Areas & Places to Stay appeared first on Destination Well Known.

Plenty of people land in Pisa without staying there. If you’re going to Florence, you can choose between the train via Pisa Centrale and direct buses from the airport, and if you’re heading for Lucca, Livorno or the Cinque Terre, the train is almost always the right call. Here you’ll find every option with prices, journey times, stations and pitfalls, both for Pisa itself and for the journey onwards.

If you’d rather drive yourself from the airport, you can compare prices on car hire at Booking.com.

Quick overview

• PisaMover: €6.50 (around £5.45) one way or €13 (around £11) return, 5 minutes to Pisa Centrale, running every 5 to 8 minutes at busy times and every 12 to 15 minutes early and late, daily from 6am to midnight (until 1am in summer).
• Train from Pisa Centrale: Florence Santa Maria Novella about €9.30 (around £7.80) and 50 to 80 minutes, Lucca about €4 (around £3.35) and 25 to 30 minutes, Livorno about €3 (around £2.50) and a quarter of an hour, La Spezia about €9 (around £7.55) and roughly 1 hour.
• Direct bus to Florence: Flibco from €12.90 (around £11) and about 1 hour to Guidoni on the outskirts of Florence (to Santa Maria Novella at night), Bus4Fly from €3.99 (around £3.35) to Piazzale Montelungo by Santa Maria Novella, but with few departures a day.
• City bus and walking: city ticket €2 (around £1.70); line 21 runs directly from the airport to the station and the tower, but only in the evening. During the day, take the PisaMover and line 1+ from the station, or walk the roughly 2 kilometres to Pisa Centrale and Corso Italia in 25 to 30 minutes.
• Taxi: about €11 (around £9) to Pisa Centrale and about €15 (around £13) to Piazza dei Miracoli as a fixed fare from the rank, 5 to 15 minutes. To Florence about €220 (around £185) plus motorway tolls.
• Private transfer: from about €185 (around £155) to Florence, with the driver waiting in the arrivals hall holding a sign.
• Car hire: the rental companies are based in a separate car hire building about 500 metres from the terminal, with a free shuttle bus. Perfect for Tuscany, useless in central Florence.

How to find the transport at the airport

Pisa Airport has just one passenger terminal, and the arrivals hall is on the ground floor, so you can’t go wrong. When you walk out of the arrivals exit, you’re on the forecourt, Piazzale D’Ascanio. The PisaMover station is just outside the terminal and signposted “PisaMover” all the way from the baggage reclaim. The buses to Florence stop on the forecourt less than 50 metres from the arrivals exit, and the taxi rank is directly opposite the exit from the arrivals hall. You’ll find the airport’s own transport pages at Toscana Aeroporti, which runs the airport.

Car hire isn’t in the terminal. The rental companies are in a separate building about 500 metres away, which you can reach on foot in 5 minutes or by the free shuttle bus that stops on the arrivals side. Drivers from private transfer companies wait inside the arrivals hall with a sign bearing your name.

1. PisaMover from Pisa Airport to the city centre

The PisaMover is a driverless people mover on rubber tyres that shuttles back and forth between the airport and Pisa Centrale, with one intermediate stop at San Giusto/Aurelia, where the airport’s large Aurelia and Goletta car parks are. The whole journey takes about 5 minutes including the stop, and it is quite simply the fastest and most predictable way to get from the plane to a train. You arrive at Pisa Centrale at the former platform 14 and walk through the station underpass to the other platforms and to the forecourt, Piazza della Stazione.

It runs every day all year from 6am to midnight, and from June to September until 1am. During the busy hours in the middle of the day, two trains run with departures roughly every 5 to 8 minutes, while early in the morning and late in the evening there can be 12 to 15 minutes between trains. During maintenance periods only one train runs, and then the frequency is also 12 to 15 minutes, so never count on catching a train at Pisa Centrale with only ten minutes to spare.

Prices and tickets

A single ticket costs €6.50 (around £5.45) and a return costs €13 (around £11), so there’s no discount for buying a return straight away. On the other hand, the ticket is valid for 180 days from purchase, so you can easily buy your return journey on the day you arrive. Prices are listed at PisaMover, which also states that there are four ticket machines at each of the three stations and that you can buy up to ten tickets at a time. You can also buy your ticket online from PisaMover before you land.

If you’re continuing by train, you can buy the PisaMover and train ticket together. Choose “Pisa Aeroporto” as your departure station in the Trenitalia app or at Trenitalia ticket machines and you’ll get one ticket covering both the shuttle and the train, which saves you queuing at the machine at Pisa Centrale. Residents of the Pisa municipality can buy heavily discounted tickets, but only with Italian ID, so as a tourist you can forget that discount.

Where should you get off?

You’ll almost always want to ride to the end of the line at Pisa Centrale. The intermediate stop at San Giusto/Aurelia is only relevant if you’ve parked in the airport’s long-stay car park or are collecting a car there. From Pisa Centrale it’s a 10-minute walk along the pedestrianised Corso Italia to the River Arno and the town centre, and about 25 minutes to Piazza dei Miracoli and the Leaning Tower, so if you’re staying in the centre you’ve essentially arrived when you step off the PisaMover.

2. Trains from Pisa Centrale onwards in Tuscany

Pisa Centrale is one of Tuscany’s most important rail hubs, which is why Pisa Airport works so well as a gateway to the whole region. From here, regional trains run towards Florence, Lucca, Livorno, Viareggio and La Spezia several times an hour for most of the day, and you don’t need to reserve a seat. The train is cheaper than the buses to Florence once you factor in Lucca and the Cinque Terre, and it runs regardless of motorway traffic.

Regional trains come in two types: the Regionale, which stops everywhere, and the Regionale Veloce, which skips the small stations. To Florence, the Regionale Veloce takes about 50 minutes, while an ordinary Regionale can take up to 1 hour and 20 minutes. The fare is the same, so look out for the fast one if you have the choice. Also check the final destination on the departures board, as some trains terminate at Firenze Rifredi rather than Santa Maria Novella.

Prices and tickets

Regional trains have fixed fares based on distance, and they only change when the region adjusts its tariffs. From Pisa Centrale, a single ticket costs about €9.30 (around £7.80) to Florence Santa Maria Novella, about €4 (around £3.35) to Lucca, about €3 (around £2.50) to Livorno and about €9 (around £7.55) to La Spezia Centrale. The easiest way to buy is in the Trenitalia app, where the ticket is valid for the train you choose. If you buy a paper ticket from the machine, you must validate it in the small green machines on the platform before boarding, or you risk a fine. Trenitalia’s page on connections to Pisa Airport explains how to combine your train ticket with the PisaMover.

Pisa San Rossore: the station near the tower

Pisa has another small station that few people know about. Pisa San Rossore is about a 10-minute walk west of Piazza dei Miracoli, and regional trains towards Lucca and Viareggio stop here as the first stop after Pisa Centrale. So if you’re staying up by the tower with heavy suitcases, you can take the PisaMover to Pisa Centrale and hop on a train for one stop instead of walking through town. And if you’re taking a day trip to Lucca from a hotel by the tower, San Rossore is the station to use.

3. Direct bus from the airport to Florence

If you’re heading to Florence and want to avoid changing at Pisa Centrale, direct buses leave from the forecourt in front of the terminal. The route follows the Fi-Pi-Li motorway and takes about 1 hour without traffic, but it can drag on at rush hour and in summer, when there are often queues into Florence. The advantage is that your suitcase sits in the luggage hold the whole way. The downside is that during the day the buses don’t go all the way to Santa Maria Novella.

Flibco and Caronna Tour

The most frequent service is sold by Flibco and operated together with the Tuscan coach company Caronna Tour. Tickets cost from €12.90 (around £11) online, typically around €15 (around £13) close to departure, and children aged 4 to 13 travel for less. There are about 11 departures a day, so almost hourly, from early morning to late evening, and the bus runs non-stop. One suitcase and one piece of hand luggage are included, and you can use your ticket for an earlier or later departure on the same day if your flight is delayed. Timetables and prices are on Flibco.

Here’s the catch: during the day, the bus stops at the Guidoni coach park on Via Guidoni on the north-western outskirts of Florence, not in the centre. From the stop it’s a few minutes’ walk to the Guidoni tram stop on line T2, and the tram takes you to Unità by Santa Maria Novella in about 20 minutes for €2 (around £1.70). It works fine, but allow 1 hour and 30 minutes from the airport to your hotel lobby. At night, when the tram isn’t running, the bus does stop directly at Santa Maria Novella.

Bus4Fly to Piazzale Montelungo

Bus4Fly is a joint service run by Tiemme, Busitalia and Florentia Bus, and it runs from Piazzale D’Ascanio in front of the terminal to Piazzale Montelungo, just behind Florence Santa Maria Novella. Fares start at €3.99 (around £3.35) for the cheapest online tickets, which is the cheapest way you can possibly get to Florence. On the other hand, there are only a handful of departures a day, so the bus only works if your flight time fits the timetable. Tickets can be bought online, contactless on board or at the ticket office in the airport, and an extra suitcase beyond the one included costs €5 (around £4.20). Departures are listed at Bus4Fly.

FlixBus also runs between Pisa Airport and Florence as part of its longer routes, stopping at Gate B near the PisaMover station and on Piazzale D’Ascanio. Prices vary a lot and departures are few, so I’d only look at FlixBus if the other two buses don’t suit. Once you’re in Florence, you can walk to most of what I describe in my guide to the sights in Florence directly from Santa Maria Novella.

4. City bus and walking to Pisa city centre

The regular city bus from the airport is less useful than you might think. Autolinee Toscane’s line 21 runs from the Via dell’Aeroporto stop to Pisa Centrale in 4 minutes and on past the Leaning Tower (the Torre di Pisa 1 stop) in about 20 minutes, but it only runs in the evening, roughly every half hour from just before 9pm to just after 11pm. Times are on Autolinee Toscane’s line 21 page. If you land in the evening and are staying by the tower, it’s actually a good tip, as it saves you the walk through town.

During the day, take the PisaMover to Pisa Centrale instead and change to line 1+ from the Stazione 1 stop in front of the station. It runs towards Park Pietrasantina about every 10 minutes and drops you at the Torre 1 stop right by Piazza dei Miracoli, which is also what Opera della Primaziale, which runs the tower and the cathedral, recommends. A city ticket costs €2 (around £1.70) and is valid for 70 minutes in Pisa, and you can buy it in the AT app, at tabacchi shops or contactless with your card on board. If you buy it from the driver, it costs €3 (around £2.50). Prices are listed at Autolinee Toscane.

Walking from the airport

Pisa is one of the few airports in Europe where you can genuinely walk into town. From the terminal, follow Via dell’Aeroporto and Via Corridoni north, and after about 2 kilometres and 25 to 30 minutes you’re on Piazza della Stazione in front of Pisa Centrale with Corso Italia straight ahead. The route is flat with a pavement the whole way, but it isn’t pretty, and with two suitcases in 30 degrees it’s no fun. If you want to go all the way to the Leaning Tower, allow about 4 kilometres and 50 minutes, so there I’d take the PisaMover and the bus, or walk from the station through the centre instead.

Where should you get off?

Pisa Centrale and Corso Italia: Get off here and you have the pedestrian street, the River Arno and most of the town’s hotels within a 10-minute walk, and you’re close to the trains for day trips. If you’re staying here, you can see hotels in central Pisa here.

Torre 1 by Piazza dei Miracoli: The stop for you if you want to wake up with a view of the tower. The area is packed with tourists during the day but quiet in the evening once the day-trippers have left. If you’re unsure which part of town suits you, read my guide to where to stay in Pisa, where I go through the areas and the hotels.

5. Taxi from Pisa Airport

Prices and fixed fares

Pisa’s taxis are run by the Co.Ta.Pi. cooperative, and the rank is directly opposite the arrivals exit. From the rank, fixed fares apply to the most popular destinations in town: about €11 (around £9) to Pisa Centrale and about €15 (around £13) to Piazza dei Miracoli and Cisanello hospital. The fixed fares include surcharges, but they’re adjusted from time to time, so treat the figures as approximate. If you book a taxi by phone or in the Taxi Move app, you pay the meter plus a booking surcharge, which usually works out slightly more expensive.

For trips out of town, Co.Ta.Pi. has guide prices, and they’re not for the faint-hearted: about €220 (around £185) to Florence, €75 to €95 (around £65 to £80) to Lucca depending on the route, about €70 (around £60) to Livorno and about €250 (around £210) to La Spezia, all plus motorway tolls. Prices are listed at Co.Ta.Pi.. To Florence, then, the train is more than 20 times cheaper, and even with four people and lots of luggage a pre-booked transfer is still cheaper than the taxi.

A taxi makes sense if there are three or four of you with suitcases staying in Pisa, if you land after midnight when the PisaMover has stopped, or if you’re going to a hotel outside the centre. For one person heading to Pisa Centrale it’s pure luxury, as the PisaMover makes the same trip in 5 minutes for €6.50.

6. Private transfer

A private transfer is a pre-booked car with a driver who waits in the arrivals hall with your name on a sign and takes you straight to the door. For Pisa itself it’s overkill, but to Florence, to an agriturismo in Tuscany or to Lucca with a family and heavy suitcases, it’s the most relaxing option money can buy. Prices to Florence start at around €185 (around £155), so it’s on a par with the taxi, but with the difference that the price is agreed in advance, the driver keeps an eye on your flight, and you don’t have to negotiate anything after a long day of travelling.

Book a private transfer from Pisa Airport here.

Remember to enter your flight number when booking, and check whether the price is per car and how many people and suitcases it covers. Some providers require booking several days in advance, so it’s not something you sort out in the arrivals hall.

7. Car hire from Pisa Airport

Pisa is the obvious airport if you want to drive around Tuscany. The Fi-Pi-Li motorway towards Florence and Livorno starts more or less at the airport, the A12 towards Versilia and the Cinque Terre and the A11 towards Lucca are just a few minutes away, and you’re out of town before you’ve found the right radio station. All the big rental companies such as Avis, Hertz, Europcar and Sixt are represented, and rentals are handled from a separate car hire building about 500 metres from the passenger terminal. You can walk there in 5 minutes by turning right outside the terminal, or take the free shuttle bus that stops on the arrivals side. The rental desks are usually open from early morning to late evening, but if you land late, check your company’s opening hours, or you’ll be left with a key you can only collect the next morning. The region’s own overview of car hire is at Visit Tuscany.

Now for the warning. A hire car is excellent for the vineyards of Chianti, the Val d’Orcia and the little hill towns, but it’s useless in Florence. The entire centre is a ZTL, a restricted traffic zone monitored by cameras for most of the day on weekdays and Saturdays, and in summer also on several nights a week. If you drive in, you’ll get a fine for each entry, sent months later via the rental company with a hefty admin fee on top. If you’re staying at a hotel inside the zone, the hotel must register your number plate; otherwise, park outside the zone. The rules are set out by Florence’s official tourist office. Pisa also has a ZTL around its centre, so the same applies there.

My recommendation is therefore to plan Tuscany in two parts: the cities first without a car, then the car for the days you’re heading into the countryside. Hire the car when you leave Florence, or pick it up in Pisa and drive around the cities to an agriturismo. In my guide to where to stay in Tuscany, I go through the areas where a car really makes sense. The easiest way to compare car hire prices from Pisa is via the link at the top of this article.

Onwards from Pisa to Florence, Lucca and the Cinque Terre

Most people who land in Pisa are heading somewhere else, so here’s my take on the best option for each of the main destinations.

Florence

Take the PisaMover to Pisa Centrale and a Regionale Veloce to Florence Santa Maria Novella. Total cost about €15.80 (around £13), total time about 1 hour and 15 minutes including the change, and you arrive in the middle of the city, a 10-minute walk from the Duomo. The Flibco bus is a good alternative if you can’t face the change, but factor in the tram from Guidoni at the end. Santa Maria Novella is on the western edge of the centro storico, and if you’re staying nearby, you can walk from the train to your hotel. You can see hotels in central Florence here, and if you want to know which neighbourhood to choose, read my guide to where to stay in Florence.

Lucca

Lucca is the easiest onward journey of them all. The PisaMover to Pisa Centrale and a regional train to Lucca in 25 to 30 minutes for about €4 (around £3.35), with trains running roughly every half hour to hour for most of the day. Lucca station is just outside the city walls, so you walk in through the gate and you’re in the centre in 5 minutes. A taxi costs €75 to €95 and only makes sense with a full car and lots of luggage. If you want to stay within the walls, you can see hotels in Lucca here.

Cinque Terre and La Spezia

Pisa is the best airport for the Cinque Terre because the trains run straight up the coast. From Pisa Centrale, the regional train to La Spezia Centrale takes about 1 hour for about €9 (around £7.55), and in La Spezia you change to the Cinque Terre Express, which stops at all five villages on the way to Levanto. Some regional trains towards Genoa also stop directly at Monterosso, so check the Trenitalia app to see whether you can skip the change. Allow 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes from the airport to your village. You can happily forget the car here, as the villages are largely car-free and parking is expensive and far away. I’ve rounded up the villages and hotels in my guide to where to stay in the Cinque Terre.

Livorno and the Tuscan coast

If you’re joining a cruise from Livorno or taking a ferry on to Sardinia or Corsica, the regional train from Pisa Centrale to Livorno Centrale takes about a quarter of an hour for about €3 (around £2.50). From Livorno Centrale there are buses or taxis out to the port. For the beach resorts of Viareggio and Forte dei Marmi north of Pisa, the trains towards Lucca and La Spezia take you to Viareggio in around 20 minutes.

Getting back to the airport

From central Pisa, take the PisaMover from Pisa Centrale. The station is at the end of the platform underpass by the former platform 14 and is signposted from the main concourse, but give yourself five minutes to find it the first time. It runs from 6am, so if you have a flight before 7am it can be tight, and a taxi for about €11 from the centre is the safe option. If you’re staying by the tower, line 1+ runs back to the station during the day, and in the evening line 21 runs all the way to Via dell’Aeroporto.

From Florence, the key is to work backwards with plenty of margin. The train from Santa Maria Novella to Pisa Centrale takes 50 to 80 minutes, the PisaMover 5 minutes plus waiting time, and on top of that come check-in and security at an airport that is small and often packed in the morning. I’d be at Santa Maria Novella at least 3 hours before departure, and take a Regionale Veloce, not a Regionale that stops everywhere. The buses from Guidoni and Piazzale Montelungo run directly to the terminal, but they depend on traffic on the Fi-Pi-Li, so I’d only use them with extra time to spare.

If you’re returning a hire car, follow the signs to the car hire building and allow an extra 10 minutes to walk or take the shuttle bus to the terminal. Fill up the tank before returning it, or the rental company will add a charge.

Which should you choose?

Here’s my recommendation based on where you’re staying:

Central Pisa and Corso Italia: Take the PisaMover to Pisa Centrale for €6.50 (around £5.45) and walk the last bit. You’ll be there within a quarter of an hour of the baggage reclaim.

By the Leaning Tower: The PisaMover and line 1+ from the station to the Torre 1 stop, or line 21 directly from the airport if you land in the evening. With lots of luggage, the taxi for about €15 (around £13) is worth the money.

Florence: The PisaMover and a Regionale Veloce to Santa Maria Novella for about €15.80 (around £13) in total. Flibco’s bus if you don’t want to change and have time for the tram from Guidoni.

Lucca, the Cinque Terre and Livorno: The train from Pisa Centrale, every time. No bus or car beats it on either price or time.

If you land at night: The PisaMover stops at midnight, or 1am in summer, and trains from Pisa Centrale become infrequent late in the evening. For Pisa, a taxi from the rank is easiest, and for Florence a pre-booked transfer or Flibco’s night bus to Santa Maria Novella are the only real options.

3 to 4 people or lots of luggage: For Pisa, the taxi at about €11 to €15 is cheaper than four PisaMover tickets. For Florence, the train is still by far the cheapest, but a private transfer costs roughly the same as the taxi and is far more comfortable.

Touring Tuscany: Hire the car at the airport and drive straight out into the countryside. Save Florence and Pisa for car-free days so you avoid the ZTL fines.

Practical tips for transport from Pisa Airport

Buy the PisaMover and train as one ticket. If you choose “Pisa Aeroporto” as your departure station in the Trenitalia app, you get both the shuttle and the regional train in the same purchase, and you avoid queuing at the machines twice. Remember that the PisaMover ticket is valid for 180 days, so feel free to buy your return straight away.

Check that the train goes to Santa Maria Novella. Some regional trains from Pisa terminate at Firenze Rifredi, and Frecce trains use Campo di Marte. If the board doesn’t say “Firenze S.M.N.”, wait for the next one or change along the way.

Validate paper tickets for regional trains. Tickets from the machine must be validated in the green machines on the platform before you board. Tickets bought in the app are automatically activated for the chosen train, so that’s the easiest option for most people.

Expect queues at the airport. Pisa Airport is small, and in the summer months and around weekends there are often long queues at security in the morning. That’s yet another reason to leave plenty of time when coming by train from Florence.

Consider whether you should fly to Florence instead. Florence has its own airport, Peretola, with a tram straight to the centre. If you’re only going to Florence, it can be the smarter choice, even though there may be fewer direct flights from the UK, and I cover the transport from there in my guide from Florence Airport to the city centre. If you want to see Pisa, Lucca and the Cinque Terre as well, though, Pisa is the right airport.

Never buy your bus ticket to Florence before you know your arrival time. Flibco’s ticket can be moved to another departure on the same day, but it’s only valid for the date you’ve chosen. If you land late in the evening, check whether your departure stops at Guidoni or Santa Maria Novella, as that decides whether you’ll need the tram afterwards.

The post Pisa Airport to the City Centre & Florence – Transport Guide appeared first on Destination Well Known.

Your choice of area matters more here than you might think. Stay right next to the tower and you get the sights in the morning light, but also a neighbourhood that shuts down in the evening. Stay in the centre or by the station and you get the restaurants, the trains and everyday life. Here are my five picks.

Where to Stay in Pisa: The Best Areas

• Piazza dei Miracoli & Santa Maria - best area for sights right on your doorstep
• Centro storico, Borgo Stretto & Piazza dei Cavalieri - best area for first-time visitors
• Stazione Centrale, Sant’Antonio & San Martino - best area for train travellers and budget stays
• Marina di Pisa & Tirrenia - best area for beaches and families
• San Giuliano Terme & Calci - best area for a Tuscan feel, spas and agriturismo

Below, I go through the five areas one at a time. For each area you get a map, the key distances and prices, my honest thoughts on the pros and cons, and three specific hotels in different price ranges that I found on Booking.com.

1. Piazza dei Miracoli & Santa Maria - best area for sights right on your doorstep

• Distance to the centre: You’re a 10-15 minute walk from Borgo Stretto and Ponte di Mezzo. Pisa Centrale is about 2 km away, or 25 minutes on foot.
• Transport: You can do everything in the neighbourhood on foot. City buses run between the tower and Pisa Centrale in about 10 minutes, and if you’re heading to the airport, you change to the PisaMover at the station.
• Time from Pisa Galileo Galilei: About 25-30 minutes by PisaMover to Pisa Centrale and then a city bus on to the tower, or about 10 minutes by taxi.
• Price level: €€ to €€€. The three hotels below cost from around £85 to £220 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• Safety: Safe, but watch out for pickpockets and street sellers in the daytime crowds on the square. In the evening the streets are quiet, more deserted than unsafe.

Piazza dei Miracoli is officially called Piazza del Duomo, and this is where you’ll find it all on one lawn: the Leaning Tower, the cathedral, the round Baptistery and the Camposanto cemetery. The whole square is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Climbing the tower costs 20 euros (around £17) from Opera della Primaziale Pisana, you get a fixed time slot, the visit takes about half an hour, and bags must be left in the cloakroom before you go up. Children must turn 8 in the calendar year they visit the tower, otherwise they can’t go up. On the plus side, free entry to the cathedral is included when you buy any ticket.

I’d stay here if you’re coming mainly to see the square and would like to experience it at seven in the morning or in the evening sun, once the day-trippers have gone. They’re two completely different experiences, and you only get them if you’re staying within a few minutes’ walk. Via Santa Maria runs from the square down towards the Arno and is packed with trattorias and gelato shops, and just behind the square lies the university’s botanical garden, Orto e Museo Botanico, a calm break from the crowds.

See hotels near Piazza dei Miracoli here.

The downsides are easy to spot. During the day, the square and Via Santa Maria are one big tourist throng with souvenir stalls and menus in six languages, and in the evening most places close, so you’ll have to walk into the centre to eat well anyway. Many of the places to stay are small B&Bs in old houses with steep stairs and no lift, so check before booking if you’re travelling with a heavy suitcase. If you’re coming by car, be aware that the whole centre is a ZTL zone you can’t drive into without a permit, so ask the hotel about parking before you book.

Hotels near Piazza dei Miracoli & Santa Maria

Grand Hotel Duomo - 4-star classic with a roof terrace and views of the tower

Grand Hotel Duomo is at Via Santa Maria 94, a minute’s walk from the square, and it’s the closest you’ll get to a proper hotel with a restaurant, bar and 24-hour reception in this neighbourhood. Its trump card is the roof terrace, where you can sit with a glass of wine looking straight at the Leaning Tower. The décor is classic rather than modern, and street-facing rooms can be noisy in the morning, so ask for a quiet room when you book.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “The location is fantastic, a minute’s walk to the tower, which we could see from our room.”

See photos and book Grand Hotel Duomo here.

Hotel Pisa Tower - mid-range hotel with a garden just outside the city walls

Hotel Pisa Tower is on Piazza Manin, just outside the city walls by the square’s western entrance, so you’re at the tower in two minutes. It’s a 3-star hotel with family rooms, a small garden with tables and a gazebo, and a score of 8.6 from over 2,000 guests. The downside is its position on a busy square, where buses and cars can be noisy early in the morning.

From one review: “The hotel’s location was fantastic for us and our plans.”

See photos and book Hotel Pisa Tower here.

Il cardinale - budget guesthouse 200 steps from the tower

Il cardinale is on Via Cardinale Pietro Maffi just east of the square, and from here it’s literally a couple of hundred steps to the tower. It’s a simple guesthouse with family rooms, air conditioning and a small café, and the score of 9.0 is high for the price. Some guests mention that the air conditioning in the large room doesn’t cool very well, so choose one of the smaller rooms in high summer.

One guest highlights: “The location was absolutely perfect, just a short walk from one of the world’s most iconic landmarks.”

See photos and book Il cardinale here.

2. Centro storico, Borgo Stretto & Piazza dei Cavalieri - best area for first-time visitors

• Distance to the centre: You’re right in the middle of everything. Ponte di Mezzo, Borgo Stretto and Piazza dei Cavalieri are all within five minutes’ walk, and the tower is 10-15 minutes away.
• Transport: Everything is walkable. Pisa Centrale is a 15-minute walk south along Corso Italia, and city buses stop along the Lungarno and at Piazza Garibaldi.
• Time from Pisa Galileo Galilei: About 20 minutes: 5 minutes on the PisaMover to Pisa Centrale, then a 15-minute walk up Corso Italia and across Ponte di Mezzo.
• Price level: €€ to €€€. The three hotels below cost from around £95 to £240 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• Safety: Safe and lively until late, especially around Piazza delle Vettovaglie and Piazza Garibaldi, where the students meet. It’s noise rather than safety you need to think about when choosing a room.

The historic centre north of the Arno is the Pisa most visitors never get to see, because they rush between train and tower. Borgo Stretto is the main street, with medieval arcades, old cafés and shops, and it opens out onto Piazza Garibaldi and Ponte di Mezzo, the city’s central bridge. A few streets to the west lies Piazza dei Cavalieri, the Renaissance square with the ornate Palazzo della Carovana, now home to the elite Scuola Normale Superiore university, and Palazzo dell’Orologio, where, according to Dante, Count Ugolino was locked up with his sons. And tucked away just behind Borgo Stretto is Piazza delle Vettovaglie, the old market square that becomes the city’s aperitivo hotspot in the evening.

This is where I’d stay on a first trip to Pisa. You have the restaurants, everyday life and the Lungarno promenade right outside the door, and the tower is a short walk away whenever you fancy it. If you’re in town on 16 June, be here in the evening: for the Luminara di San Ranieri, the palazzi along the Arno are outlined with around 100,000 small lights, and at around 11pm fireworks are set off over the river. Book well in advance, as the city is full that weekend.

See hotels in the centro storico here.

The downside is that you pay for the location, and the choice of actual hotels is small. Most places to stay are B&Bs and apartments on the second or third floor of old buildings, often without a lift and with self check-in. Rooms facing Piazza delle Vettovaglie and Piazza Garibaldi can be noisy well into the night, especially Thursday to Saturday. And if you’re coming by car, this is the most difficult area of all: the ZTL zone applies around the clock, and the few car parks are expensive.

Hotels in the centro storico

Palazzo Feroci - luxury in a restored townhouse near Piazza dei Cavalieri

Palazzo Feroci is on Via della Faggiola, the quiet street between Piazza dei Cavalieri and the tower, so you have both within five minutes’ walk. It’s a residenza d’epoca with a garden, bar, lift, soundproofed rooms and a concierge, and the score of 9.5 from over 700 guests speaks for itself. The downside is the price, which is well above the rest of the city, and one guest says frankly that it was very expensive but fine for a single night.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “It’s a beautiful place. I had read reviews before booking, and it lived up to expectations.”

See photos and book Palazzo Feroci here.

Hotel Di Stefano - 3-star hotel with a roof terrace in the heart of the centro storico

Hotel Di Stefano is on Via Sant’Apollonia, a side street a couple of minutes from both Borgo Stretto and Piazza dei Cavalieri. It’s one of the few proper hotels in the neighbourhood, with 24-hour reception, a lift and a roof terrace overlooking the rooftops, and the score is 8.6. The twin rooms are small if you’re staying several nights, and parking in the hotel garage costs about 30 euros (around £25) per night.

From one review: “Everything: the location, the staff and the quality.”

See photos and book Hotel Di Stefano here.

Casa Carducci 33 - budget B&B with breakfast at a local café

Casa Carducci 33 is on Via Carducci, five minutes’ walk from Piazza dei Cavalieri and Borgo Stretto, and is one of the best-rated cheap options in the centre, with a score of 9.1 from around 1,600 guests. Breakfast is included and served at a nearby café, and there’s a terrace, family rooms and self check-in. The downside is that the entrance can be hard to find the first time, so read the instructions before you arrive.

One guest puts it simply: “The location was fantastic.”

See photos and book Casa Carducci 33 here.

3. Stazione Centrale, Sant’Antonio & San Martino - best area for train travellers and budget stays

• Distance to the centre: From the station it’s about 1 km, or a 10-12 minute walk, along Corso Italia to Ponte di Mezzo. The tower is about 2 km away.
• Transport: Here you have regional trains to Florence in about an hour, Lucca in 25-35 minutes and La Spezia for the Cinque Terre, the PisaMover to the airport, and the city buses that gather in front of the station.
• Time from Pisa Galileo Galilei: About 5 minutes on the PisaMover, so you can be at your hotel with your suitcase 15 minutes after leaving the terminal.
• Price level: € to €€€€. The three hotels below cost from around £85 to £300 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• Safety: The station square and Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II can feel a bit scruffy late in the evening, with people hanging around and the odd pushy type. It isn’t dangerous, but keep an eye on your bag, and ideally choose a hotel a few streets north in Sant’Antonio.

South of the Arno lie the neighbourhoods of Sant’Antonio to the west and San Martino to the east, with Pisa Centrale station as their hub. Corso Italia, the city’s busiest shopping street, runs in a straight line from the station up to Ponte di Mezzo, so you’ll never be unsure of the way into the centre. The area has its own attractions too: Keith Haring’s giant 1989 mural Tuttomondo on the back of the church of Sant’Antonio Abate right by the station, the Palazzo Blu art museum on Lungarno Gambacorti with changing exhibitions, the small Gothic church of Santa Maria della Spina on the riverbank, and Giardino Scotto, the park inside the old fortress by Lungarno Fibonacci, with an open-air cinema in summer.

I’d stay here if you’re arriving by train, flying in and out of Pisa or using the city as a base for day trips. The PisaMover runs between the airport and the station in about 5 minutes and costs 6.50 euros (around £5.50) per journey, and you can read much more about it in my guide to getting from Pisa Airport to the city centre. From here, regional trains to Florence take about an hour and cost around 10 euros (about £8.50), Lucca takes around half an hour, and if you’re doing a day trip to the Cinque Terre, it’s also from Pisa Centrale that you head towards La Spezia.

See hotels near Pisa Centrale here.

The downside is charm, or the lack of it. The streets right around the station, Via Corridoni behind the platforms and Viale Gramsci in front, are busy and dominated by functional hotels, and you have to walk 10 minutes before Pisa starts to look like the postcards. This is also where you’ll find the city’s shabbiest corners late in the evening. If you choose a hotel in the northern part of Sant’Antonio, between Corso Italia and the Arno, you get the best of both worlds: five minutes to the train and five minutes to the river.

Hotels near Stazione Centrale, Sant’Antonio & San Martino

Palazzo Cini Luxury Rooms - luxury rooms with a garden and hot tub between the station and Corso Italia

Palazzo Cini is on Via Manzoni, five minutes’ walk from the station and just round the corner from Corso Italia, and it’s the area’s most expensive and best-rated address, with a score of 9.4. There’s a garden, sun terrace, hot tub and massages on request, the rooms are soundproofed, and breakfast can be served in your room. The downside is that there’s no private parking, so if you’re coming by car, you’ll need to find a space on the street or in a car park.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “The room itself was stunning, beautifully decorated, spotless and extremely comfortable.”

See photos and book Palazzo Cini Luxury Rooms here.

NH Pisa - 4-star chain hotel right on the station square

NH Pisa is on Piazza della Stazione directly opposite the station, so you just wheel your suitcase across the square and you’re there. It’s a classic chain hotel with a gym, 24-hour reception, family rooms and a car park at about 19 euros (around £16) a day, and the score is 8.2 from almost 3,000 guests. The downside is noise from the station and square in the front-facing rooms, so ask for a room at the back.

From one review: “Friendly, welcoming staff and stylish, comfortable rooms.”

See photos and book NH Pisa here.

Hotel Moderno - simple 2-star hotel 150 metres from the platforms

Hotel Moderno is on Via Corridoni just behind the station, about 150 metres from the platforms, and is one of the cheapest places in the city with 24-hour reception. The rooms are basic, but there’s air conditioning, a bar, family rooms and luggage storage, and the score of 8.1 from over 2,000 guests is solid for a 2-star hotel. The downside is that it really is basic, and Via Corridoni is a busy road, so this isn’t the place if you want a Pisa atmosphere outside the door.

One guest highlights: “The staff are so friendly and really care about you and your stay.”

See photos and book Hotel Moderno here.

4. Marina di Pisa & Tirrenia - best area for beaches and families

• Distance to the centre: Marina di Pisa is about 12 km west of Pisa at the mouth of the Arno, and Tirrenia about 15 km to the south-west. Allow 20-25 minutes by car.
• Transport: Bus routes 10 and 20 run from Pisa to Marina di Pisa, Tirrenia and Calambrone, and a Litorale Pisano ticket costs 2 euros (around £1.70) and is valid for 90 minutes. With a car, though, you’re far more independent.
• Time from Pisa Galileo Galilei: About 20 minutes by car or taxi. By bus you first have to go into Pisa and change, so allow up to an hour.
• Price level: € to €€€. The three hotels below cost from around £65 to £140 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• Safety: Quiet seaside resorts with families and cycling tourists. In summer the promenade is lively until late; out of season it’s very quiet. Don’t leave valuables visible in your car by the beach.

Few people think of Pisa as a beach destination, but the coast is only 20 minutes from the tower. Marina di Pisa is the oldest of the resorts, laid out in the late 19th century at the mouth of the Arno, with old villas, a marina and small beaches of white pebbles behind the breakwaters. Along the river’s last kilometre stand the distinctive retoni, fishing huts on stilts with large nets that are lowered into the water, and this is also where you’ll find some of the area’s best seafood restaurants. Tirrenia, a few kilometres to the south, is the classic family resort, with a long sandy beach, beach clubs with sunloungers and parasols, pine forest and a golf course.

I’d stay here if you’re travelling with children in summer, or if you’d like to combine a few days by the sea with day trips into Pisa and Lucca. Between the city and the coast lies the Parco di San Rossore, the old royal estate with pine forests, meadows with semi-wild horses and miles of paths for walking and cycling. The estate is open every day, but swimming is banned on its beaches, so the actual beach life happens in Marina di Pisa and Tirrenia. It’s also an area where a car makes everyday life much easier, so have a look at car hire on Booking.com if you want to stay out here.

See hotels in Marina di Pisa and Tirrenia here.

The downside is that this is a seasonal coast. From October to April many restaurants and beach clubs are closed, and the resorts feel half empty. The beaches in Marina di Pisa are pebbles rather than sand, and the fine sandy beaches in Tirrenia are largely private beach clubs where you pay for a sunlounger and parasol. Without a car you rely on buses 10 and 20, which run frequently in summer but less often the rest of the year. And you’ll need to allow half an hour’s travel every time you want to go in and see the tower.

Hotels in Marina di Pisa & Tirrenia

Toscana Charme Resort - 5-star beach resort with a rooftop pool in Tirrenia

Toscana Charme Resort is on Viale del Tirreno in Tirrenia, with a private beach, a rooftop infinity pool with sea views, a restaurant, gym, playground and kids’ club. It’s one of the few 5-star hotels on the coast, and with over 3,000 reviews and a score of 8.0, you know what you’re getting. The downside is that several guests feel the bathrooms need a refresh, and the standard is more solid family resort than true luxury.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “Beautiful hotel, great facilities and very helpful staff.”

See photos and book Toscana Charme Resort here.

Residence Hotel L’incanto di Boccadarno - mid-range hotel right by the sea in Marina di Pisa

L’incanto di Boccadarno is on Via Barbolani at the northern end of Marina di Pisa, where the Arno flows into the sea, with views over the water from the terrace and access to a private beach for a fee. There’s a lift, gym, garden and family rooms, and the score is 8.4 from over 1,000 guests. Despite the name, the rooms have no kitchen, and breakfast isn’t served all year, so check before booking out of season.

From one review: “The location couldn’t be better, right by the sea, with stunning views and easy access to the beach.”

See photos and book Residence Hotel L’incanto di Boccadarno here.

Il Pescatore - budget B&B with free parking in Marina di Pisa

Il Pescatore is a small B&B on Via Barbolani in Marina di Pisa with a garden, free parking, air conditioning and family rooms, and it was the cheapest of my coastal picks when I searched. It’s just over 600 metres to the beach at Bagno Gorgona, and the score is 8.4. The downside is that it’s simple, without many facilities, so it’s a place to sleep and have breakfast, not somewhere to spend your holiday in your room.

One guest writes honestly: “It’s not a five-star hotel, but the atmosphere was pleasant and comfortable.”

See photos and book Il Pescatore here.

5. San Giuliano Terme & Calci - best area for a Tuscan feel, spas and agriturismo

• Distance to the centre: San Giuliano Terme is about 7 km north of Pisa at the foot of Monte Pisano, and Calci about 12 km to the east. Allow 15-25 minutes by car.
• Transport: A car is almost essential. San Giuliano Terme does have a station on the railway line between Pisa and Lucca, though, and buses run from Pisa to Calci in about half an hour.
• Time from Pisa Galileo Galilei: About 20 minutes by car to San Giuliano Terme and 25-30 minutes to Calci.
• Price level: € to €€€€. The three hotels below cost from around £85 to £315 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• Safety: Small villages where the biggest problem is narrow roads and darkness without street lighting. Very safe.

Just north and east of Pisa rises Monte Pisano, the range of hills with olive groves, cypresses and small stone villages that separates Pisa from Lucca. San Giuliano Terme at the foot of the mountain has been a spa town since the 18th century, when the Grand Dukes of Tuscany built their bathing palace here, and poets such as Shelley and Byron came to the town to take the waters. Calci lies in a lush valley to the east, the Valgraziosa, and is best known for the Certosa di Calci, the vast 14th-century Carthusian monastery that now houses the university’s natural history museum, with a large collection of whale skeletons. The museum is open every day, an adult ticket costs 15 euros (around £13), and a visit takes a couple of hours.

I’d stay here if you have a car, want peace and quiet in the evening and dream of a pool, olive groves and long dinners, but would still like to be able to drive into Pisa in 20 minutes. Lucca is just on the other side of the mountain, and from here it’s also easy to head further into the region if you want to combine your trip with one of the other destinations in my guide to where to stay in Tuscany. Without a car it gets awkward, so check car hire on Booking.com before you book an agriturismo out here.

See hotels in San Giuliano Terme and Calci here.

The downsides are the same as anywhere in rural Tuscany. Not much happens in the evening, so it’s either the restaurant on site or a drive to the village, and many of the best places lie at the end of narrow, steep gravel roads. If you drive into Pisa, remember the ZTL zone in the centre and park outside the city walls instead, for example at the large car park on Via Pietrasantina north of the tower, and walk the last stretch. And if you’re climbing the tower with a fixed time on your ticket, allow plenty of time for parking.

Hotels in San Giuliano Terme & Calci

Bagni di Pisa Palace & Thermal Spa - 5-star spa hotel in the Grand Duke’s former summer residence

Bagni di Pisa is on Largo Shelley in the heart of San Giuliano Terme and is one of the few genuine luxury hotels in the Pisa area. The spa has indoor and outdoor thermal pools, a hammam, sauna and treatments, there’s a restaurant, terrace and free parking, and the score is 8.4. The downside is that some guests feel parts of the hotel look worn and need a refresh, which is hard to swallow at the price.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “The staff were lovely. The food was excellent, and the room was so beautiful.”

See photos and book Bagni di Pisa Palace & Thermal Spa here.

Al Palazzaccio - agriturismo with an infinity pool and restaurant in the hills above Calci

Al Palazzaccio is on Via del Seminario up in the hills above Calci, not far from the monastery, with a seasonal infinity pool, a restaurant serving traditional Tuscan food, a garden, free parking and massages on request. The score is 8.8, and it’s the kind of place where you end up lingering by the pool instead of driving into town. The downside is the access road, which is steep and narrow, so you’ll need a car and a bit of courage behind the wheel.

From one review: “We loved everything about this place.”

See photos and book Al Palazzaccio here.

B&B Cribò - budget B&B with a garden a few hundred metres from the spa

B&B Cribò is on Via Dinucci in San Giuliano Terme, a few hundred metres from Bagni di Pisa, so you can stay cheaply and still have the spa town and its restaurants right outside the door. There’s a garden, free parking, family rooms and air conditioning, and the score of 9.4 is the highest among my picks in the area. The downside is that it’s a small place with few rooms, and one guest mentions that the shower could have more pressure.

One guest highlights: “The interior has been renovated, but they’ve kept the authentic Italian character.”

See photos and book B&B Cribò here.

Where not to stay in Pisa

Pisa is a small, easy-to-navigate city, so there aren’t many outright mistakes to make, but there are a few. If you’re a light sleeper, avoid rooms facing directly onto Piazza della Stazione, Viale Gramsci and Via Corridoni behind the station, where the traffic and nightlife around the station are noisy until late. Also avoid the hotels along Via Aurelia and in the industrial and business areas towards Ospedaletto south of the city. They’re cheap because there’s traffic, no atmosphere and it’s a long way to everything you came for. The same goes for Cascina and the other suburbs along the motorway towards Florence, where you’re stuck in the evening without a car. And the hotels right out by the airport only make sense the night before a very early flight, because the airport is only about 2 km from the centre anyway, so you gain nothing by staying out there.

If it’s your first trip to Pisa and you’re staying a few nights, I’d stay in the centro storico around Borgo Stretto and Piazza dei Cavalieri, where you get both the restaurants and a short walk to the tower. If you’re arriving by train or plane and mainly using Pisa as a base for day trips, the area around Pisa Centrale makes the most sense. If you want the sights to yourself in the morning light, stay near Piazza dei Miracoli, and if you’re travelling with children in summer, look at Tirrenia.

If you have a car and fancy peace, hills and a pool, choose San Giuliano Terme or Calci. And if your trip continues to Florence, only an hour away by train, my guide to where to stay in Florence can help you plan your next stop.

The post Where to Stay in Pisa? The 5 Best Areas & Places to Stay appeared first on Destination Well Known.

Your choice of area matters more here than in many other Italian cities. In the centro storico you have the baroque and the fish market right outside your door, but also nightlife and traffic. On the coast you get peace and sea views, but you’ll need to take the bus into town. Here are my five suggestions.

Where to Stay in Catania: The Best Areas

• Centro storico & Piazza del Duomo - best area for first-time visitors
• Via Etnea, Piazza Università & Borgo - best area for shopping and nightlife
• Ognina & San Giovanni li Cuti - best area for sea views and peace and quiet
• Aci Castello & Aci Trezza - best area for fishing villages and day trips by car
• Playa & Lido di Catania - best area for sandy beaches and families

Below I go through the five areas one by one, with maps, distances, price levels and three hotel suggestions for each, so you can find the one that suits your trip.

1. Centro storico & Piazza del Duomo - best area for first-time visitors ⛪

• 📍 Distance to the centre: You’re right in the centre. From Piazza del Duomo it’s a few minutes’ walk to the fish market, Via Crociferi, Castello Ursino and Teatro Massimo Bellini.
• 🚌 Transport: The Alibus from the airport stops on Via Dusmet just below the square, and Stesicoro metro station is a ten-minute walk up Via Etnea. Everything else you can do on foot.
• ✈️ Time from Catania-Fontanarossa: About 15 minutes on the Alibus to Via Dusmet or Stazione Centrale, and roughly the same by taxi.
• 💰 Price level: €€ to €€€€. The three hotels below cost from around £65 to £225 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• 👮 Safety: Busy until late in the evening and generally safe, but keep an eye on your bags and pockets at the fish market and avoid the empty streets of San Berillo towards the station at night.

The centro storico is Catania’s baroque heart and the part of the city that, together with seven other towns, is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of the Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto. Piazza del Duomo is the centrepiece, with the Cattedrale di Sant’Agata, the Palazzo degli Elefanti town hall and the elephant fountain, u Liotru, which is the symbol of the city. Just behind the square is the La Pescheria fish market, where there’s shouting and haggling every morning from Monday to Saturday, and a few steps away Via Crociferi begins with its row of baroque churches.

I’d stay here if it’s your first trip to Catania. Everything is within walking distance: Castello Ursino, Teatro Massimo Bellini, where a guided tour costs €6.50 (around £5.50) and may be suspended during maintenance periods, and the enormous Monastero dei Benedettini, which is now a university and can only be visited on pre-booked guided tours. The Alibus runs from the airport to Via Dusmet just below the square for €4 (around £3.35), and the ticket is also valid for 90 minutes on city buses. I’ve put together how the whole journey from the airport works in my guide to getting from Catania and Palermo airports.

See hotels in the centro storico here.

The downsides are noise and parking. The streets around Teatro Massimo Bellini and Piazza Scammacca are full of bars until the early hours, so ask for a room facing the courtyard if you want to sleep. Several streets around the theatre and Via Vittorio Emanuele II are also a ZTL with cameras, so if you arrive by car, the hotel has to register your number plate, and a space in a car park typically costs €20 (around £17) a day. My advice is to return the hire car before you check in here.

Hotels in the centro storico

Asmundo di Gisira - artistic boutique hotel a minute from Piazza del Duomo

Asmundo di Gisira is set in an old palazzo on Piazza Mazzini, a minute’s walk from Piazza del Duomo and the fish market. Each suite has been designed by an artist around its own theme, there’s a roof terrace and bar, and breakfast is included. The hotel is adults only, and because the street is car-free, parking in a nearby car park costs €20 (around £17) per night.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “Very creative surroundings! Spacious rooms with inspired décor.”

See photos and book Asmundo di Gisira here.

Il Gattopardo House - free parking on a side street off Via Etnea

Il Gattopardo House is on Via Minoriti, a side street off Via Etnea between Piazza Università and Piazza Stesicoro, in an old palazzo with high ceilings and a lift. The rooms are simple and clean, there’s a 24-hour reception and, rare in the centre, free parking. Some guests complain that the rooms with a shared bathroom in the corridor smell damp, so pay a little extra for a private bathroom.

From one review: “Loved the atmosphere of the hotel, and breakfast was good too.”

See photos and book Il Gattopardo House here.

The Uncle’s House - budget guesthouse two minutes from Via Crociferi

The Uncle’s House is a small guesthouse on Via Antonino di Sangiuliano, the street that crosses Via Etnea at Piazza Università, and the baroque Via Crociferi is two minutes away. The rooms are modern and soundproofed, there’s a shared kitchen and lounge, and the price is hard to beat this centrally. A few guests mention that the air conditioning is weak and takes a while to cool the room down.

One guest highlights: “The room was clean and exactly as in the photos.”

See photos and book The Uncle’s House here.

2. Via Etnea, Piazza Università & Borgo - best area for shopping and nightlife 🛍️

• 📍 Distance to the centre: From Piazza Università it’s a five-minute walk to Piazza del Duomo. If you stay up in Borgo, it’s just over two kilometres, about half an hour on foot or a couple of metro stops.
• 🚇 Transport: The metro has stations at Stesicoro, Giovanni XXIII and Borgo, and the Alibus stops at Piazza Stesicoro. From Catania Borgo, the Circumetnea train runs around Etna.
• ✈️ Time from Catania-Fontanarossa: About 25 to 30 minutes on the Alibus to Piazza Stesicoro, or about 20 minutes by taxi.
• 💰 Price level: €€ to €€€€. The three hotels below cost from around £75 to £320 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• 👮 Safety: Safe and well lit all along Via Etnea, including in the evening. Stick to the main street and the area around Villa Bellini, and don’t walk through San Berillo to the east late at night.

Via Etnea is Catania’s main street, an almost three-kilometre-long, dead-straight road running north from Piazza del Duomo with Etna as the backdrop at the end. The lower part around Piazza Università and Piazza Stesicoro is all shops, bars and coffee bars, and at Piazza Stesicoro you can look down on the remains of the Roman amphitheatre. Further up is the Villa Bellini park, where the locals take their evening stroll, and north of it Borgo begins around Piazza Cavour.

The area suits couples and anyone who wants city life without staying in the middle of the baroque tourist zone. Via Santa Filomena, the restaurant street, and the bars around Teatro Massimo Bellini are a few minutes away, and the metro costs €1 (around 85p) per journey between Stesicoro and the western suburbs. From Catania Borgo, the Circumetnea train also runs all the way around Etna through Paternò, Adrano, Bronte and Randazzo, a lovely full-day trip, though it doesn’t run on Sundays and public holidays. If you’re heading to Taormina or Syracuse, the regional trains leave from Stazione Centrale, a 15-minute walk east, and the journey takes about an hour to Taormina-Giardini and a little longer to Syracuse.

See hotels on Via Etnea and in Borgo here.

The further up Via Etnea you go, the more traffic there is, and the hotels in Borgo are just over two kilometres from Piazza del Duomo. That’s half an hour on foot or a couple of metro stops, which is perfectly fine, but you should know before you book. On the plus side, prices are lower than down by the Duomo, and this is the end where you’ll find the large, modern rooms and the hotels with pools.

Hotels on Via Etnea and in Borgo

Palace Catania | UNA Esperienze - four-star hotel with a rooftop bar and views of Etna

Palace Catania is at Via Etnea 218 in a historic palazzo, a few minutes’ walk from Villa Bellini and ten minutes from Piazza del Duomo. This is the hotel with Catania’s best roof terrace: the rooftop bar looks straight out at Etna and the city’s domes, and there’s a gym, sauna and classically styled rooms. Breakfast costs an extra €15 (around £12.50) in the cheapest room categories, valet parking is €20 (around £17) per night, and some guests mention that the air conditioning is noisy.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “Breakfast was excellent.”

See photos and book Palace Catania here.

ETNEA 454 Catania Luxury Rooms - large, modern rooms by Borgo metro station

ETNEA 454 is, as the name suggests, at Via Etnea 454 in Borgo, close to Borgo metro station and the Circumetnea station. The rooms are large and modern with good soundproofing, there’s a lift, a bar and breakfast served in your room, and a score of 9.2 from over 600 guests speaks for itself. Via Etnea is busy here, so some guests mention street noise.

From one review: “The rooms are fantastic, large, clean, modern and very close to the centre.”

See photos and book ETNEA 454 here.

San Max Hotel - three-star hotel with a pool opposite Villa Bellini

San Max Hotel is a three-star hotel at Via Etnea 329 opposite Villa Bellini, with something rare in Catania: an outdoor pool on the terrace during the season. The rooms are simple and a little old-fashioned, but there’s a lift, private parking and an airport shuttle, and with over 2,400 reviews averaging 8.4, you get what you pay for. Some guests mention that the rooms can be cold in the winter months.

One guest highlights: “The location, very close to the centre but quiet.”

See photos and book San Max Hotel here.

3. Ognina & San Giovanni li Cuti - best area for sea views and peace and quiet 🌊

• 📍 Distance to the centre: About 4 kilometres to Piazza del Duomo, 15 minutes by taxi or 20 to 30 minutes by bus.
• 🚌 Transport: Bus 534 runs along the coast between Catania and Aci Castello all year round and stops at Ognina. The quickest way into the centre is a bus towards Stazione Centrale or a taxi.
• ✈️ Time from Catania-Fontanarossa: About 20 to 25 minutes by taxi. With the Alibus to Stazione Centrale and a bus onwards, allow up to an hour.
• 💰 Price level: €€ to €€€. The three hotels below cost from around £60 to £150 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• 👮 Safety: A quiet residential area with families and joggers on the promenade. Safe by day and in the evening, but take care when crossing the busy coast road.

Catania has no sandy beach in the city itself, but it does have la Scogliera: a coastline of black lava rock running north from Piazza Europa past San Giovanni li Cuti to the little fishing harbour at Ognina. San Giovanni li Cuti is a small cove of black lava stones, a few fishing boats and restaurants right by the water, and in summer the lidos open on the rocks with sunloungers and steps down into the sea. Ognina has a small harbour with fishing boats, seafood restaurants along the quay and the church of Santa Maria di Ognina right next to it.

This is where I’d stay with children or as a couple wanting quiet evenings and a morning swim in the sea. The hotels line Viale Ruggero di Lauria and Viale Alcide De Gasperi with views over the Ionian Sea, and several have pools, which are worth their weight in gold in July and August when the city is sweltering. Bus 534 runs along the coast between Catania and Aci Castello all year round, and a taxi to Piazza del Duomo takes 15 minutes. In the evening the promenade fills with joggers and families eating ice cream, and the seafood restaurants by Ognina harbour are a good place for grilled swordfish with a view of the boats.

See hotels in Ognina here.

The downside is the distance. It’s about four kilometres to the centro storico, so you’ll need a bus or taxi every time you head in for the baroque and the restaurants, and the buses don’t always run to timetable. The rocky coast isn’t ideal for small children who want to dig in the sand either; Playa south of the city is better for that. On the other hand, parking is far easier than in the centre, and several of the hotels have free parking.

Hotels in Ognina and San Giovanni li Cuti

Plaza Hotel Catania - four-star hotel on the lungomare with sea views

Plaza Hotel Catania is on the lungomare, Viale Ruggero di Lauria, with the sea just across the road, and the rocks at San Giovanni li Cuti are a five-minute walk away. There’s a restaurant, bar, terrace and rooms with sea views, and parking costs €10 (around £8.50) a day. The hotel has no beach of its own but partners with the lidos on the rocks in summer, and some guests complain about noise from neighbouring rooms.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “The highlight was definitely the breathtaking sea view, especially at sunset.”

See photos and book Plaza Hotel Catania here.

Ognina Sea - newly renovated rooms overlooking the harbour

Ognina Sea is a small guesthouse on the fourth floor on Viale Alcide De Gasperi with views over the sea, a few minutes’ walk from the seafood restaurants at Ognina harbour. The rooms are newly renovated and bright, there’s a lift, terrace and free parking, and its score of 9.4 is the highest of my suggestions in the area. The walls are thin, so you can hear the neighbours.

From one review: “The room was beautiful, even better than in the photos.”

See photos and book Ognina Sea here.

B&B Lungomare - budget B&B with direct access to the rocky coast

B&B Lungomare is on the ground floor on Via del Rotolo, a side street with direct access to the rocky coast between Ognina and San Giovanni li Cuti. The rooms are simple, there’s a terrace, free private parking and a kitchen for guests, and it’s the cheapest of my seaside suggestions. Be aware that late check-in costs extra and has to be arranged in advance.

One guest highlights: “Clean and a nice kitchen.”

See photos and book B&B Lungomare here.

4. Aci Castello & Aci Trezza - best area for fishing villages and day trips by car 🏰

• 📍 Distance to the centre: About 9 kilometres from Aci Castello and 11 kilometres from Aci Trezza to Piazza del Duomo, 20 to 30 minutes by car or taxi.
• 🚌 Transport: Bus 534 runs between Catania and Aci Castello all year round, and there are buses on to Aci Trezza. By car you’re an hour from Rifugio Sapienza on Etna and 40 minutes from Taormina.
• ✈️ Time from Catania-Fontanarossa: About 25 to 30 minutes by taxi or hire car outside rush hour.
• 💰 Price level: €€ to €€€. The three hotels below cost from around £75 to £145 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• 👮 Safety: Small, safe towns with family life on the promenade. The biggest risks are the traffic on the coast road and parking fines in high season.

Ten kilometres north of Catania are the two small towns of Aci Castello and Aci Trezza, which together make up the Riviera dei Ciclopi. Aci Castello has an 11th-century Norman castle on a black lava rock right above the sea, and Aci Trezza is the fishing village from Giovanni Verga’s novel I Malavoglia, with the famous Faraglioni, the pointed rock stacks that, according to Homer, the Cyclops Polyphemus hurled at Odysseus. Here you swim from rocks and bathing platforms, eat fish by the harbour and take boat trips out to Isola Lachea.

The area suits you if you want to combine Catania with Etna, Taormina and the coast and have a car. Rifugio Sapienza, where the Funivia dell’Etna cable car goes up to 2,500 metres for about €54 (around £45) return, is an hour’s drive away, and Parco dell’Etna, with its 59,000 hectares of protected nature, begins just above the towns. Taormina is 40 minutes north along the coast road, and if you’d rather stay there, I’ve written a guide to where to stay in Taormina. Check prices for car hire at Booking.com, and choose a hotel with free parking.

See hotels in Aci Castello and Aci Trezza here.

Without a car, Aci Trezza is less practical. Bus 534 runs to Aci Castello all year round, and there are buses on to Aci Trezza, but the journey into central Catania takes half an hour or more, and there are fewer services in the evening. In July and August the promenade is packed with Catanians at weekends, so book early and expect parking by the harbour to be a test of patience. If you decide to stay without a car, Aci Castello is the more practical of the two, because bus 534 runs directly to Catania from here.

Hotels in Aci Castello and Aci Trezza

Grand Hotel Baia Verde - seaside hotel on the lava rocks with a pool and steps into the sea

Grand Hotel Baia Verde is in Cannizzaro, the southernmost part of the Aci Castello municipality, right on the lava rocks, with sun terraces built into the rock, steps down into the sea and a pool with a view in season. The four-star hotel has a restaurant, gym, parking and breakfast included, and it’s the closest you’ll get to a beach resort hotel near Catania. Many guests mention noise from the corridor and neighbouring rooms, so ask for a room at the end of the corridor.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “Beautiful view, very clean and well-kept rooms.”

See photos and book Grand Hotel Baia Verde here.

President Park Hotel - four-star hotel with a pool and free parking in Aci Trezza

President Park Hotel is slightly uphill in Aci Trezza, about ten minutes’ walk from the harbour and the Faraglioni. The hotel has a pool with a pool bar in the summer season, a gym, free parking and family rooms, and it’s a good base if you have a car, because you avoid the parking chaos down by the harbour. Several guests mention that the hotel can be noisy, so it’s not the quietest choice in high season.

From one review: “The staff were a real highlight of my stay; consistently warm, attentive and eager to help.”

See photos and book President Park Hotel here.

Villa Ortensia - B&B in a villa with a garden on the coast at Aci Castello

Villa Ortensia is a B&B in an old villa with a large garden on Via Antonello da Messina in Aci Castello, with the rocks and bathing platforms just across the coast road. There’s free parking, a shared kitchen, a sun terrace and breakfast served in your room, and with 9.4 from over 400 guests it’s one of the best-rated places on the whole coast. It’s adults only, and some guests mention noise from neighbouring rooms.

One guest highlights: “The garden is beautifully laid out, a truly peaceful corner.”

See photos and book Villa Ortensia here.

5. Playa & Lido di Catania - best area for sandy beaches and families 🏖️

• 📍 Distance to the centre: About 4 to 6 kilometres to Piazza del Duomo depending on where along the beach you stay, so 15 minutes by taxi.
• 🚌 Transport: During the bathing season, AMTS bus D runs from Piazza Borsellino by the harbour down along Viale Kennedy about every 15 minutes. Otherwise it’s a taxi or your own car.
• ✈️ Time from Catania-Fontanarossa: About 10 minutes by taxi. The airport is only a few kilometres from the beach.
• 💰 Price level: €€ to €€€. The three hotels below cost from around £100 to £160 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• 👮 Safety: The hotels are fenced and have their own parking, but Viale Kennedy is deserted in the evening outside the season, so don’t walk along the road after dark, and don’t leave anything in the car.

Playa, also spelt la Plaia, is Catania’s only sandy beach: a long, wide stretch of golden sand that begins just south of the harbour and runs several kilometres south along Viale Kennedy. This is where the city’s lidos are, with sunloungers, parasols, bars and playgrounds, and the hotels have pool areas and their own sections of beach, so it feels more like a beach holiday than a city break. The water stays shallow a long way out, making it a good beach for children, and at weekends in July and August the locals fill it from morning till sunset.

The area suits families with children who want sand between their toes, and anyone catching an early flight: Catania-Fontanarossa airport is only a few kilometres away, and a taxi takes ten minutes. In summer, AMTS bus D runs from Piazza Borsellino by the harbour down along Viale Kennedy about every 15 minutes, and a city bus ticket costs €1.40 (around £1.20). With it you can stay by the beach and still get into Piazza del Duomo for dinner.

See hotels at Playa here.

I’ll be honest: Playa isn’t pretty. Viale Kennedy is a busy road, the hinterland is an industrial area, and the big hotels have seen better days, which guest reviews also reflect. The beach and pools are only in use during the bathing season, and outside it there’s not much to come for. If you want to experience Catania the city, stay in the centre and head to Playa for a beach day instead. It’s a place you book for the pool, the sand and a short hop to your flight, not for Catania itself.

Hotels at Playa

Romano Palace Luxury Hotel - five-star hotel with a palm garden, pool and beach club

Romano Palace is Playa’s only five-star hotel, a large complex on Viale Kennedy with a palm garden, a big outdoor pool, a restaurant and free access to the hotel’s beach club in summer, about four kilometres from the centre. The décor is opulent with marble and oriental touches, and parking costs just €7 (around £6) a day. I’ll be honest: a score of 7.6 is low for a five-star hotel, and many guests complain about cleaning and maintenance, so don’t expect anything brand new.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “The décor was stunning, and the staff were incredibly accommodating.”

See photos and book Romano Palace here.

NH Catania Parco degli Aragonesi - four-star chain hotel with a pool and private beach

NH Catania Parco degli Aragonesi is next to Romano Palace on Viale Kennedy and is a large, reliable four-star chain hotel with an outdoor pool, pool bar, gym and a private stretch of beach. The beach and pool are only open in season, parking costs €8 (around £6.70) a day, and it’s about a 15-minute drive to the centre. Guests praise the staff but often mention that the rooms are worn and in need of renovation.

From one review: “The staff were friendly, the hotel and room were clean, and the bed was comfortable.”

See photos and book NH Catania Parco degli Aragonesi here.

Le Dune Sicily Hotel - three-star beach hotel closest to the harbour and the centre

Le Dune Sicily Hotel is a three-star hotel at Viale Kennedy 10 at the northern end of Playa, closest to the harbour and the centre, with a pool, private beach, free parking and a restaurant. It’s the cheapest of the three and a good choice for a family who mainly want to swim and perhaps spend one day in the city. Guests praise the garden and the staff, but many say the rooms are old and worn.

One guest highlights: “Charming hotel with beautiful flowers, a lovely pool and super helpful staff.”

See photos and book Le Dune Sicily Hotel here.

Where not to stay in Catania

Avoid San Berillo, the area between Via Etnea, Corso Sicilia and the railway station. It’s Catania’s run-down back side, with shuttered shops and street prostitution around Via delle Finanze and Via di Prima, and although it’s central, it feels unsafe after dark. The streets right by Stazione Centrale and Piazza Giovanni XXIII aren’t dangerous, but they’re noisy, busy with traffic and dead in the evening, so only stay here if you’re catching an early train. Librino and the large housing blocks to the south-west have nothing for tourists and are far from everything. And if you want to experience Catania the city, don’t book one of the cheap B&Bs in the airport district of San Giuseppe La Rena without a car: they’re fine for a single night before a morning flight, but otherwise you’ll spend your days in taxis.

If it’s your first trip to Catania, I’d stay in the centro storico around Piazza del Duomo, so you have the baroque, the fish market and the restaurants right outside your door. If you want more peace and a morning swim in the sea, choose Ognina, and if you have a car and want to use Catania as a base for Etna and Taormina, Aci Castello and Aci Trezza are the best compromise between city, coast and volcano.

Catania is also a great place to start a tour of the island. If you’re travelling on around Sicily, you can use my guide to where to stay in Sicily, and if you end up at the other end of the island, I’ve also written about where to stay in Palermo.

The post Where to Stay in Catania? The 5 Best Areas & Places to Stay appeared first on Destination Well Known.

Turin is large and spread out, though, and the metro has only one line. So it makes a big difference whether you stay in the centre with everything within walking distance, in one of the lively neighbourhoods around Porta Nuova or out at Lingotto, where prices are lower.

Where to Stay in Turin: The Best Areas

• Centro & Quadrilatero Romano - best area for first-time visitors
• San Salvario - best area for nightlife and restaurants
• Crocetta - best area for peace, elegance and families
• Vanchiglia - best area for cafés, the Mole Antonelliana and local life
• Cit Turin & Porta Susa - best area for rail travellers and Liberty architecture
• Lingotto - best area for families and budget travellers

Below, I go through the areas one by one with maps, travel times from the airport, price levels and three hotel suggestions in each neighbourhood, so you can find the one that suits your trip.

1. Centro & Quadrilatero Romano - best area for first-time visitors

• Distance to the centre: You’re right in the middle of it all. From Piazza Castello it’s a five-minute walk to Piazza San Carlo, the Museo Egizio and Via Garibaldi, and Porta Nuova is about a quarter of an hour away on foot.
• Transport: Metro line M1 stops at Porta Nuova and Porta Susa at either end of the centre, and trams run along Via Po, Via Pietro Micca and Corso Regina Margherita. Most days you’ll manage on foot.
• Time from Turin Caselle: About 45 minutes. The train runs to Porta Susa in half an hour, and from there you walk 10-15 minutes or take the metro one stop. The airport bus to Porta Nuova takes 45-50 minutes.
• Price level: €€ to €€€€. The three places below cost roughly £80 to £290 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• Safety: Safe and well lit, with life on the streets until late in the evening. Keep an eye on your bag in the crowds on Via Garibaldi and around the Porta Palazzo market just north of the Quadrilatero.

Turin’s centre is built around Piazza Castello, where Palazzo Reale, Palazzo Madama and Teatro Regio stand side by side. From here, arcaded Via Roma runs down to Piazza San Carlo and on to Porta Nuova, while Via Garibaldi, a pedestrian street about a kilometre long, leads west towards Piazza Statuto. North of Via Garibaldi lies the Quadrilatero Romano, the old Roman street grid with narrow lanes, Porta Palatina and a dense string of wine bars, osterie and small shops. This is where aperitivo culture really comes alive from 6pm, and it’s where you’ll find Caffè Al Bicerin on Piazza della Consolata, which has been serving Turin’s hot mix of coffee, chocolate and cream since the 18th century.

I’d stay here if it’s your first trip to Turin and you want to see the big sights without spending time on transport. The Museo Egizio on Via Accademia delle Scienze is the world’s oldest Egyptian museum and only sells tickets online, so book ahead. The Musei Reali, with Palazzo Reale, the Armeria Reale and the Galleria Sabauda, are on Piazza Castello and closed on Wednesdays, so plan around that. If you’re visiting several museums, the Torino+Piemonte Card costs 29.90 euros (around £25) for 24 hours and 45.90 euros (around £40) for 72 hours and covers most of the city’s museums and royal residences. If you’d like the history explained, this small-group walking tour is a good way to start your stay.

See hotels in Centro and Quadrilatero Romano here.

The downsides are price and noise. The classic hotels around Piazza San Carlo and Via Roma are the city’s most expensive, and in the Quadrilatero many of the places to stay are apartments where you handle check-in and check-out yourself. If you’re facing one of the bar streets, expect voices and clinking glasses until after midnight at weekends. The centre is also a ZTL zone with driving restrictions during the day, so leave the car behind.

Hotels in Centro & Quadrilatero Romano

Principi di Piemonte | UNA Esperienze - five-star classic with an indoor pool two minutes from Piazza San Carlo

Principi di Piemonte is on Via Gobetti just behind Piazza San Carlo and is the most expensive of my suggestions in Turin. The hotel has a heated indoor pool, a spa with a Turkish bath, a restaurant and a score of 9.4 from over 2,000 guests. A couple of guests mention that the soundproofing between rooms could be better and that they could hear the neighbours talking.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “This hotel is the epitome of the art of hospitality! Everything is done and organised by the book.”

See photos and book Principi di Piemonte here.

Q71 Timeless Suites - suites with an address right on Piazza Castello

Q71 Timeless Suites is at number 71 on Piazza Castello itself, so Palazzo Reale is your view the moment you step out of the door. The suites are large and modern with soundproofing, air conditioning and a lift, and the place scores 9.4. On the other hand, several guests mention that there can be noise from the square at night, and there’s no staffed 24-hour reception.

From a review: “The space was bigger than I expected and tastefully furnished.”

See photos and book Q71 Timeless Suites here.

Calin Apartment - cheap apartment in the heart of the Quadrilatero Romano

Calin Apartment is on Via dei Mercanti, one of the little streets of the Quadrilatero, a few minutes from both Via Garibaldi and Piazza Castello. The apartment has air conditioning and scores 9.2, and the price is hard to beat this centrally. The downside is that it’s on the fifth floor and the lift only goes to the fourth, so you’ll have to carry your suitcase up the last flight of stairs.

One guest highlights: “The host is very friendly. The room is clean, and it’s in a really good neighbourhood.”

See photos and book Calin Apartment here.

2. San Salvario - best area for nightlife and restaurants

• Distance to the centre: A 10-15-minute walk to Piazza San Carlo. Porta Nuova is at the north-western corner of the neighbourhood, and Parco del Valentino is its neighbour to the east.
• Transport: Metro line M1 stops at Porta Nuova, Marconi and Nizza along the western edge of the neighbourhood, and from Porta Nuova both regional and high-speed trains run to Milan.
• Time from Turin Caselle: About 45-50 minutes on the Arriva airport bus direct to Porta Nuova. The train to Porta Susa plus two metro stops to Porta Nuova takes about the same.
• Price level: € to €€€. The three hotels below cost roughly £100 to £185 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• Safety: Generally safe, but the streets closest to Porta Nuova can be rough at night. Noise from the bars is a bigger problem than crime, so choose a room facing the courtyard.

San Salvario is the neighbourhood between Porta Nuova and the River Po, built in the 19th century on a tight grid of low blocks, with the synagogue on Via Sant’Anselmo and small squares such as Largo Saluzzo. For many years it was a run-down immigrant quarter, but today it’s Turin’s answer to Shoreditch: packed with osterie, cocktail bars, wine bars and cuisines from all over the world alongside the old Piedmontese trattorias. Via Baretti, Via Saluzzo and Via Belfiore are the streets to head for when you want a night out.

To the east, the neighbourhood borders Parco del Valentino, Turin’s big park along the Po. Here you’ll find the Castello del Valentino, one of the Savoy residences that, together with Palazzo Reale and Palazzo Madama, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997, and the little Borgo Medievale, a replica of a medieval village built for the 1884 world exhibition. From the park you can follow the river north to the Murazzi, the old embankments below Piazza Vittorio Veneto, where the summer’s outdoor bars are. I’d stay here if you’re between 25 and 45, love your food and want to be able to walk home from the bar. It also suits you if you’re arriving by train, because Porta Nuova is within walking distance.

See hotels in San Salvario here.

The downside is the noise from Thursday to Saturday, when the streets around Largo Saluzzo are packed until after midnight. If you want to sleep, stay in the southern part towards Corso Bramante or out by the park on Corso Massimo d’Azeglio. The streets just behind Porta Nuova, Via Nizza and Via Berthollet, are also less charming than the rest of the neighbourhood, with quite a few shabby façades and pushy types late in the evening.

Hotels in San Salvario

DUPARC Hotel & Apartments - four-star design hotel with a spa opposite Parco del Valentino

DUPARC is on Corso Massimo d’Azeglio with the park across the road and the lively part of San Salvario five minutes away. The hotel has a spa with a hot tub and steam room, a gym, a restaurant, a car park and a score of 9.2. Some guests are annoyed that small things such as dishwasher tablets in the apartments cost extra.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “Fantastic, luxurious, unforgettable. And an excellent location!”

See photos and book DUPARC Hotel & Apartments here.

Best Western Plus Executive Hotel and Suites - four-star hotel with a rooftop pool on Via Nizza

The Executive is on Via Nizza a couple of hundred metres from Porta Nuova and has something rare in Turin: an outdoor rooftop pool, open in summer. On top of that there’s a gym, a bar, parking and a score of 8.8 from over 1,600 guests. Several mention that the air conditioning doesn’t cool the rooms properly on hot days.

From a review: “The room and service were of exceptional quality for a moderate price.”

See photos and book Best Western Plus Executive Hotel and Suites here.

Tomato Urban Retreat - cosy budget hotel with a garden and shared kitchen

Tomato Urban Retreat is on Via Pellico in the middle of San Salvario’s restaurant streets and is a two-star hotel with soul: a garden, terrace, bar, shared kitchen and games room, and it scores 8.8 from almost 1,300 guests. The rooms are simple, and several guests write that the air conditioning works more like a fan, so it can get hot in summer.

One guest highlights: “An absolutely fantastic stay! The host was incredibly accommodating and attentive, which made my experience truly memorable.”

See photos and book Tomato Urban Retreat here.

3. Crocetta - best area for peace, elegance and families

• Distance to the centre: A 15-20-minute walk from Corso Re Umberto to Piazza San Carlo. Porta Nuova is on the north-eastern edge of the neighbourhood, so from the hotels on Via Sacchi you’re on the platform in five minutes.
• Transport: Metro line M1 runs under Corso Vittorio Emanuele II with stops at Porta Nuova, Re Umberto and Vinzaglio, and buses and trams run along Corso Re Umberto and Corso Duca degli Abruzzi.
• Time from Turin Caselle: About 50 minutes. The airport bus runs to Porta Nuova in 45-50 minutes, and from there you walk 5-15 minutes. Alternatively, take the train to Porta Susa and the metro two stops to Vinzaglio.
• Price level: €€ to €€€€. The three hotels below cost roughly £105 to £285 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• Safety: One of Turin’s safest neighbourhoods. The streets are quiet in the evening, and the only place to be a little alert is the forecourt at Porta Nuova late at night.

Crocetta is Turin’s smart neighbourhood. When Fiat made the city rich in the early 20th century, industrialists, engineers and doctors built their mansions and Liberty villas along the wide, tree-lined boulevards of Corso Re Umberto, Corso Galileo Ferraris and Corso Duca degli Abruzzi. The Politecnico di Torino is here too, so there’s a mix of well-off families, students and elderly ladies with little dogs. In the morning, take a stroll round the Mercato della Crocetta on Largo Cassini, known for clothes, shoes and leather goods at well below shop prices. The whole neighbourhood is laid out on a strict grid, so it’s easy to find your way around, and the wide pavements under the trees make it pleasant to walk with a pushchair.

I’d stay here if you’re travelling with children, want peace and quiet at night or simply prefer a calm residential area to a tourist street. You’re still only a few minutes from Porta Nuova, and GAM, the city’s modern art museum on Via Magenta, is just across Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm. The neighbourhood has good local trattorias, pastry shops and gelaterias, but not much nightlife.

See hotels in Crocetta here.

The downside is precisely the quiet. When the restaurants close at 11pm, there’s not much going on, and you’ll need to walk or take the metro to reach Piazza Castello and the Museo Egizio. The hotels nearest Porta Nuova are more expensive than those further into the neighbourhood, and in the southern part around the Politecnico you start to feel the distance to the centre. In return, staying here gives you a Turin that tourists rarely see.

Hotels in Crocetta

Turin Palace Hotel - Turin’s best-rated hotel, right opposite Porta Nuova

Turin Palace Hotel is on Via Sacchi with its entrance opposite Porta Nuova and scores 9.5 from over 2,700 guests, the highest among the city’s larger hotels. It’s a four-star hotel with a restaurant, terrace, gym and soundproofed rooms in a historic palazzo. The hotel has no parking of its own, and guests with large cars write that finding a space is a hassle.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “The hotel is fitted out to such a high standard, and wherever you are in the hotel, the furnishings and details are top quality.”

See photos and book Turin Palace Hotel here.

Liberty Hotel - charming hotel with a spa in the quiet streets behind Porta Nuova

Liberty Hotel is on Via Gioberti in the quiet streets behind Porta Nuova and fits the neighbourhood’s elegant style perfectly. The hotel has a spa with a hot tub and Turkish bath, a garden, a bar, private parking and a score of 9.0. A couple of guests point out that some of the rooms are small.

From a review: “The staff were really good, and the service was excellent.”

See photos and book Liberty Hotel here.

Torino Station Relais - modern budget rooms on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II

Torino Station Relais is on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, a few minutes’ walk from Porta Nuova and the Re Umberto metro stop. It’s a simple three-star hotel with soundproofed rooms, air conditioning, a lift and a score of 9.0 from almost 3,000 guests, which is impressive in this price range. There’s no restaurant, and some guests find the rooms a little small.

One guest highlights: “The place was very nice, with lovely details.”

See photos and book Torino Station Relais here.

4. Vanchiglia - best area for cafés, the Mole Antonelliana and local life

• Distance to the centre: About a 10-minute walk from Piazza Santa Giulia to Piazza Castello. The Mole Antonelliana stands on the border between Vanchiglia and the centre.
• Transport: No metro, but trams and buses run along Corso Regina Margherita and Corso San Maurizio to Porta Susa and Porta Nuova, and most of the centre can be reached on foot.
• Time from Turin Caselle: About 50-60 minutes. Train to Porta Susa in half an hour, then a tram or taxi for the last 15-20 minutes. A taxi all the way takes about half an hour.
• Price level: € to €€€. The three places below cost roughly £80 to £125 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• Safety: A safe and lively student neighbourhood. Piazza Santa Giulia can be noisy until late, and along the Po by the Murazzi you should watch your bags at night.

Vanchiglia lies east of the centre between Corso San Maurizio, Corso Regina Margherita and the River Po. It was originally a working-class district, but today it’s home to students from the university’s Campus Luigi Einaudi, graphic designers and young families, and the streets around Piazza Santa Giulia are full of coffee bars, vintage shops, small publishers and pubs where a spritz still costs half what it does on Piazza San Carlo. The neo-Gothic Santa Giulia church is its centrepiece, and on Saturdays the atmosphere feels more like a village square than a big city. Head down to Lungo Po Antonelli, the riverside promenade where locals go running in the morning and drink aperitivo with views of the Gran Madre church on the opposite bank.

Just across Corso San Maurizio stands the Mole Antonelliana, Turin’s 167.5-metre-tall landmark, which houses the Museo Nazionale del Cinema and a panoramic lift up through the dome, both open from 9am to 7pm. From Vanchiglia you’re also closest to Sassi on the other side of the river, where the rack railway to the Basilica di Superga takes about 18 minutes and costs 4 euros (around £3.35) each way on weekdays. I’d stay here if you’ve been to Turin before, love café life and would rather stay among locals than tourists.

See hotels in Vanchiglia here.

The downside is the choice. Vanchiglia has few proper hotels, so most options are apartments and B&Bs where you have to arrange key handover yourself. There’s no metro, and with a suitcase from Porta Nuova it’s a tram ride or a 25-minute walk. The neighbourhood is also livelier on weekday evenings during term time than in August, when the students have gone home and quite a few of the cafés close for the holidays.

Hotels in Vanchiglia

La Mole appartamento con vista - stylish apartment with views of the Mole Antonelliana

The apartment is on Via Riberi right at the foot of the Mole Antonelliana, where Vanchiglia meets the centre, and it scores 9.5 from 340 guests, which is rare for a single apartment. There’s air conditioning, a lift, a washing machine and a host who also offers walking tours. It’s the most expensive of my suggestions in the neighbourhood, and you’ll have to do without hotel services such as reception and breakfast.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “Perfect location, lovely place, excellent host.”

See photos and book La Mole appartamento con vista here.

CX Turin Vanchiglia - modern hotel with a gym and roof terrace by the Po

CX Turin Vanchiglia is on Corso Regina Margherita by the bridge over the Po and is a hybrid hotel for both students and travellers, with a gym, bar, terrace, games room and shared lounges. It scores 9.0 from almost 1,600 guests, and the rooms are new and clean. One guest writes that the air conditioning didn’t work in their room, so check it on arrival in summer.

From a review: “Fantastic value for money! The room was super clean, with a nice view and very comfortable.”

See photos and book CX Turin Vanchiglia here.

Hotel Serenella - cheap family-run hotel two minutes from the Mole Antonelliana

Hotel Serenella is on Via Luigi Tarino, a quiet side street between the Mole Antonelliana and Piazza Santa Giulia, and is a two-star hotel with a terrace, lift, room service and a score of 8.4. The price is among the lowest this close to the centre. Be aware that some rooms have a shared bathroom in the corridor and that some guests find the beds a little hard.

One guest highlights: “The room was spacious, clean and very comfortable.”

See photos and book Hotel Serenella here.

5. Cit Turin & Porta Susa - best area for rail travellers and Liberty architecture

• Distance to the centre: About a 15-minute walk from Piazza Statuto along Via Garibaldi to Piazza Castello, or two metro stops from Porta Susa to Porta Nuova.
• Transport: Porta Susa is the hub for Frecciarossa and Italo, regional trains, the airport train and metro line M1, which stops at Porta Susa, Principi d’Acaja and Bernini in the neighbourhood.
• Time from Turin Caselle: About 30 minutes on the direct train to Porta Susa for 3.70 euros (around £3.10). It’s the fastest of all the areas in this guide.
• Price level: € to €€€. The three places below cost roughly £80 to £175 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• Safety: A safe residential neighbourhood. The forecourt at Porta Susa and Corso Inghilterra are deserted and a bit dreary late in the evening, so keep an eye on your luggage there.

Cit Turin means “little Turin” in Piedmontese and is the neighbourhood west of Porta Susa between Corso Francia, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and Corso Ferrucci. It was built in the first decades of the 20th century, when Liberty, the Italian version of Art Nouveau, was at its height, and the result still stands: Casa Fenoglio-Lafleur on the corner of Corso Francia and Via Principi d’Acaja with its famous glass-and-iron bay window, Casa della Vittoria further down Corso Francia and dozens of façades with flowers, dragons and curving balconies. Around Piazza Benefica there’s a weekday market and good trattorias where you’ll rarely hear any language other than Italian.

The obvious reason to stay here is Porta Susa. The station is Turin’s modern hub with a 385-metre-long glass hall, and the train from the airport runs straight here in about half an hour. If you’re coming from Milan, the Frecciarossa and Italo take around an hour from Milano Centrale or Porta Garibaldi, and if you land at Malpensa, you can read how to get from Milan Malpensa Airport to the city centre before changing to the train to Turin. I’d stay here if you’re travelling by train, planning day trips to the Alps or want the most for your money close to the centre.

See hotels in Cit Turin and near Porta Susa here.

The downside is that Cit Turin is a residential area without major sights. There are few hotels, and the best deals are often aparthotels and private apartments. The area right around the station and the 166-metre-tall Intesa Sanpaolo skyscraper is modern and rather soulless in the evening, so you’ll walk into the centre or up towards Piazza Benefica to eat. On the other hand, it’s one of the best addresses if you want to use Turin as a base for trips to the Susa Valley or the ski areas towards France.

Hotels in Cit Turin & Porta Susa

Hotel & Residence Torino Centro - large rooms with a restaurant and parking right by Porta Susa

Hotel & Residence Torino Centro is on Corso Inghilterra, a couple of minutes’ walk from Porta Susa, and is the most hotel-like of my suggestions here, with a 24-hour reception, restaurant, bar, private parking and soundproofed rooms. It scores 8.3 from over 1,500 guests, who particularly praise the large rooms. Some feel, though, that the furniture is due an update.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “I absolutely loved my room! It was incredibly spacious with fabulous decor.”

See photos and book Hotel & Residence Torino Centro here.

Residence Star - aparthotel with a gym and parking on Via Susa

Residence Star is on Via Susa, a quiet street in the heart of Cit Turin, five minutes’ walk from Porta Susa and the metro. The apartments have air conditioning and access to a laundry service, and the building has a gym, private parking and a score of 8.8. It’s a good choice for longer stays, but several guests complain about the pillows, so you might want to bring your own.

From a review: “Spacious, very clean room with air conditioning and comfortable beds.”

See photos and book Residence Star here.

Le Grenier Apartment - cheap attic apartment with a lift in western Cit Turin

Le Grenier is a small apartment under the roof on Via Cavallermaggiore in the western part of the neighbourhood, a 10-15-minute walk from Porta Susa and close to the Bernini metro stop. It has air conditioning and a lift and scores 9.3 from over 150 guests, at a price that’s hard to match in Turin. Street parking can be a challenge if you’ve brought a car.

One guest highlights: “The bed is wonderfully comfortable, and it’s spotlessly clean.”

See photos and book Le Grenier Apartment here.

6. Lingotto - best area for families and budget travellers

• Distance to the centre: About 4 kilometres south of Porta Nuova. By metro, the journey from Lingotto to Porta Nuova takes around 10 minutes.
• Transport: Metro line M1 stops at Lingotto and Italia ’61, and Torino Lingotto railway station has regional trains and a few high-speed services. There’s easy access to the ring road and the motorways towards Milan, Genoa and Savona.
• Time from Turin Caselle: About an hour. Train to Porta Susa and the metro all the way to Lingotto, or the airport bus to Porta Nuova and the metro from there. A taxi takes 30-40 minutes.
• Price level: €€ to €€€. The three places below cost roughly £105 to £170 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
• Safety: Safe and quiet, but the streets around the exhibition centre are deserted in the evening when there are no events. Use ordinary common sense on the metro late at night.

Lingotto is the name of Fiat’s old factory from 1923, a 500-metre-long concrete building with spiral ramps and a car test track on the roof, and of the neighbourhood around it south of the centre. When production stopped, the architect Renzo Piano transformed the factory into a mini town with a shopping centre, hotels, a concert hall, a cinema and a branch of the Politecnico. Today the rooftop test track has become Pista 500, a hanging garden with art and views of the Alps, which you reach via the Pinacoteca Agnelli, the family’s art collection with Matisse, Picasso and Canaletto in a glass box at the top of the building.

Right next door is Eataly Lingotto on Via Nizza, the very first Eataly, which opened in 2007 in an old vermouth factory and is still the place to eat Piedmontese food and buy Barolo to take home. I’d stay here if you’re travelling with children and want space, free parking and a metro right outside the door, or if you’re going to a concert at Inalpi Arena or a trade fair at Lingotto Fiere. Lingotto is also the obvious choice if you have a car and want to take day trips to the vineyards of the Langhe or the mountains. If you don’t have a car, you can check prices for car hire on Booking.com, as the hotels here have parking and you avoid the ZTL zone in the centre.

See hotels in Lingotto here.

The downside is the charm, or lack of it. Lingotto is a modern neighbourhood with wide roads, and once the shopping centre closes, it goes quiet. You’ll need the metro every time you want to get to Piazza Castello, and evenings out in the centre end with ten minutes on the metro and a walk home through empty streets. Only choose Lingotto if the price, the parking or an event draws you, not for the atmosphere.

Hotels in Lingotto

NH Torino Lingotto Congress - four-star hotel with a garden and free parking in the Lingotto complex

NH Torino Lingotto Congress is on Via Nizza inside the Lingotto building itself, with its entrance a few steps from Eataly and the metro. The hotel has a restaurant, bar, gym, garden and free parking and scores 9.0 from over 4,300 guests. Parking spaces are limited, though, so don’t arrive too late on days with trade fairs and concerts.

One guest writes on Booking.com: “The location, the decor, the friendliness of the staff, an excellent breakfast and the parking facilities.”

See photos and book NH Torino Lingotto Congress here.

DoubleTree by Hilton Turin Lingotto - stay inside the old Fiat factory with free parking

The DoubleTree is on Via Matté Trucco at the other end of the Lingotto building and lets you stay right in the middle of Renzo Piano’s conversion of the old factory. The hotel has a restaurant, gym and free parking and scores 8.9 from almost 2,000 guests. Some guests describe check-in as chaotic, with long waits when lots of people arrive at once.

From a review: “The building’s architecture is simply spectacular.”

See photos and book DoubleTree by Hilton Turin Lingotto here.

Lingotto Residence - aparthotel with family rooms and parking at reasonable prices

Lingotto Residence is on Via Spotorno behind the Lingotto building, a couple of minutes’ walk from the metro, and consists of apartments with air conditioning and room for families. It scores 9.1 from over 700 guests and has on-site parking. One guest writes that there was a lot of noise at night, so ask for an apartment away from the road.

One guest highlights: “Everything was perfect, clean and comfortable.”

See photos and book Lingotto Residence here.

Where not to stay in Turin?

I’d avoid the streets north of Corso Regina Margherita around Porta Palazzo and Aurora. The market on Piazza della Repubblica and the Balon flea market are fantastic by day, but in the evening the area is poorly lit, and drugs are openly dealt in the side streets by Via Borgo Dora. Barriera di Milano, further out along Corso Giulio Cesare, is too far away and too rough for a holiday. Also steer clear of suburbs without a metro such as Mirafiori, Falchera and Vallette, where you’ll spend an hour on the bus each way. Hotels out by the airport in Caselle only make sense for a very early flight, and always check the address of “central” apartments that are actually in Grugliasco or Collegno.

If it’s your first trip to Turin, I’d stay in Centro or the Quadrilatero Romano and walk everywhere. If you want to eat well and go out, choose San Salvario, and if you’re travelling with children or want peace and quiet, Crocetta is the safe choice. Vanchiglia is for those who’ve seen the big sights and want café life, while Cit Turin and Lingotto are for those arriving by train or car who want the most for their money.

Turin is also an obvious base for a bigger tour of northern Italy. With an hour’s train ride to Milan, you can easily combine the two cities, and my guide to where to stay in Milan will help you from there. If you’d rather head for the coast, trains run from Porta Nuova via Genoa to Liguria, where you can read about where to stay in the Cinque Terre.

The post Where to Stay in Turin? The 6 Best Areas & Places to Stay appeared first on Destination Well Known.