Lungarno del Tempio sits on Florence's eastern riverfront, around 2.5 km from the historic core, and the two resort-style hotels here trade the noise of the tourist center for wide Arno views, on-site wellness facilities, and significantly calmer surroundings. If your stay in Florence involves spa sessions, river-facing rooms, or a need for quiet after full days of sightseeing, this riverside avenue delivers where the centro storico cannot.
What It's Like Staying in Lungarno del Tempio
Lungarno del Tempio is a long, tree-lined riverside avenue on Florence's eastern edge - quieter than Santa Croce or the Duomo area, with almost no tourist foot traffic after 9 pm. Bus line 14 runs from Beato Angelico Amendola stop to the city center in around 5 minutes, and the walk to Piazza della Signoria takes roughly 30 minutes along the river. Travelers who prioritize calm evenings and Arno views without reverting to a countryside retreat will find this strip genuinely functional rather than just scenic.
Pros:
- * Residential calm with no nightclub or bar noise typical of central Florence neighborhoods
- * Direct bus access to Santa Maria Nuova in 5 minutes; Piazza Santa Croce reachable on foot in 15 minutes
- * Both hotels here are on or near the Arno, with garden and river-facing room options unavailable at comparable central addresses
Cons:
- * Around a 30-minute walk to Piazza del Duomo, which is tiring after museum-heavy days
- * Fewer restaurant and café options within immediate walking distance compared to Santa Croce or Oltrarno
- * Taxis from this strip to Florence's main train station (SMN) cost noticeably more than from central neighborhoods
Why Choose a Resort Hotel in Lungarno del Tempio
Resort hotels in this part of Florence come with amenities - pools, spas, fitness centers, on-site dining - that are structurally absent from boutique city-center stays. Both properties on this stretch include wellness centers with pools, saunas, and steam rooms, which is rare within Florence's historic ZTL zone where building constraints make such facilities almost impossible. Expect to pay a premium over standard guesthouses in the same district, but in return you get soundproofed rooms, valet or private parking, and full-service restaurants that genuinely function as an in-house dining option rather than a lobby café. The trade-off is distance: you are not walking to the Uffizi in 10 minutes, and that matters on a short 2-night itinerary. For stays of around 4 nights or more, the resort infrastructure pays off.
Pros:
- * On-site spa, pool, and fitness facilities - unavailable in most comparable central Florence hotels
- * Private and valet parking options, which are critical given Florence's ZTL restrictions
- * Soundproofed rooms with river or garden views, at rates typically lower than equivalent-amenity hotels near Ponte Vecchio
Cons:
- * Spa access is charged separately at Hotel Grifone; it is not automatically included in the room rate
- * The resort setting means higher minimum rates than non-resort options in the same district
- * Distance from the center makes spontaneous evening strolls to Piazza della Repubblica less practical
Practical Booking & Area Strategy for Lungarno del Tempio
Both resort hotels here sit directly on or within 200 meters of Lungarno del Tempio itself - the avenue that runs east from Ponte San Niccolò toward the Campo di Marte area. Ponte San Niccolò is the logical orientation point: from it, you can walk west along the Arno to Ponte Vecchio in around 25 minutes, or take bus line 14 from the nearby Beato Angelico Amendola stop. Lungarno del Tempio itself offers direct riverfront walking toward Piazzale Michelangelo, one of Florence's highest-footfall viewpoints, without passing through the congested center. If you are driving into Florence, this zone sits outside the most restrictive ZTL core, and both hotels offer on-site or adjacent parking - a decisive practical advantage over centro storico stays. Book at least 6 weeks ahead for April, May, and September, when Florence's resort properties fill quickly and river-view room categories in particular sell out first.
Micro-location tip: Rooms facing the Arno at both properties carry higher rates but provide the defining experience of this address - early morning river light and reduced traffic noise versus garden-facing alternatives.
Transport insight: Bus line 14 departing from Beato Angelico Amendola connects to the historic center every 15 minutes; journey time to Santa Maria Nuova is around 5 minutes, making daily sightseeing fully viable without a car or taxi.
Best Resort Hotels in Lungarno del Tempio
Both properties below operate as full resort experiences on the Lungarno del Tempio strip, with on-site wellness, dining, and parking - features that define their positioning above standard Florence hotels in this district.
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1. Ville Sull'Arno - Preferred Hotels & Resorts
Show on mapJust a few rooms left at the best rate!
fromUS$ 124
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2. Hotel Grifone Firenze - Meetings & Spa
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fromUS$ 276
Smart Travel & Timing Advice for Lungarno del Tempio
April, May, and September are the highest-demand months for resort hotels in Lungarno del Tempio - river-view rooms and spa suite categories at both properties regularly sell out during these windows, and prices spike accordingly. June through August sees higher overall Florence occupancy, but resort properties on this strip tend to attract guests on longer stays who book well in advance, meaning last-minute availability in summer is genuinely scarce. January and February offer the lowest rates and the quietest atmosphere on the lungarno, though the outdoor pool at Hotel Grifone is closed until May. A stay of around 4 nights makes the most logistical sense here: it amortizes the 30-minute walk time to the Duomo across enough sightseeing days and allows proper use of spa and wellness facilities that would go unused on a 2-night city sprint. Book river-view room categories at least 6 weeks before arrival during spring and autumn - these are the first to fill at both properties and carry a meaningful rate premium that disappears entirely if availability runs out. The free bike rental at Ville Sull'Arno and the shuttle service also shift the value calculation: guests who use them consistently reduce their transport costs enough to partially offset the premium over non-resort alternatives in the same district.