Getting here
One Night in Florence by Car: The Stopover Hotel Without the Hassle (Motel Alternative)
Quick answer: real motels in Florence are almost non-existent. If you want somewhere to arrive by car in the evening, sleep well, have breakfast and leave without hassle, the answer is a budget hotel outside the ZTL with a garage and a 24-hour reception. Hotel Firenze 2000 does exactly that: Viale Raffaello Sanzio, outside the restricted-traffic zone, partner garage at €30 with valet, check-in until midnight and Ponte Vecchio about 20 minutes on foot.
Anyone searching “motel Florence” or “overnight stop Florence” is usually not planning a holiday: they want a stopover. Driving south or north, a meeting in the morning, an early flight, a match or a concert in the evening. The questions are practical: where do I put the car, how late can I arrive, what does it cost, when can I leave. This guide answers all of them, in order.
Why “motel” means something else in Florence
The American-style motel with the car parked outside your door does not exist in central Florence: the city is old, the streets are narrow and the historic centre is a camera-controlled ZTL. What people actually want when they type “motel” is:
- easy, safe parking for one night;
- a late arrival without endless phone calls;
- a low price, without services you will not use;
- a quick departure in the morning.
A budget hotel outside the ZTL, with a garage and a reception open at night, gives all four. On top you get a proper breakfast and the chance to see Florence in an evening.
How one night with us works, hour by hour
| Moment | What happens |
|---|---|
| Arrival, 14:00–00:00 | Drive right up to the hotel: we are outside the ZTL. Check in, and the car goes to the partner garage (€30/24h, valet pick-up and return included). |
| Arrival after midnight | Possible with a €20 supplement agreed beforehand. Tell us your estimated time and we will be waiting. |
| Evening | Ponte Vecchio about 20 minutes on foot. Dinner in the trattorias of Santo Spirito and San Frediano, recommended by the family. |
| Night | Room with private bathroom, air conditioning, free Wi-Fi. Single and quadruple rooms have soundproofed walls. |
| Morning | Homemade sweet and savoury buffet breakfast, included when you book on the website. Leaving early? Tell us the evening before. |
| Departure | Check-out by 10:00; free late check-out subject to availability when booking on the website. The car is waiting at the entrance. |
Everything else, sat-nav routing, ZTL hours and parking alternatives, is in the guide for arriving by car.
Arriving from the motorway: two ways
- Drive to the hotel. From the A1 exits for Florence follow the ring roads to the Oltrarno without entering the historic centre. Enter the exact address, Viale Raffaello Sanzio 16, and if the sat-nav suggests the centre, ignore it.
- Park-and-ride. Leave the car at the T1 tram terminus at Villa Costanza (Scandicci) and take the tram: the Paolo Uccello stop is a few minutes’ walk from the hotel. Useful if you will not use the car during the stop.
Arriving by train for one night
People without a car look for a simple overnight too. From Santa Maria Novella station the T1 tram towards Villa Costanza reaches Paolo Uccello in about ten minutes; from there it is about nine minutes on foot. The honest comparison between sleeping opposite the station and sleeping here is in our guide to hotels near the train station.
Florence in one evening and one morning
One night is enough to take something home, if you sleep in the right place:
- Evening: walk from San Frediano to Ponte Vecchio along the Arno, dinner in a Santo Spirito trattoria, back on foot in about 20 minutes.
- Early morning: Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens are in the neighbourhood; Piazzale Michelangelo, for the view over the city, is reachable on foot or by bus.
- With two spare hours: cross Ponte Vecchio to Piazza della Signoria and the Duomo, then come back for the car.
More ideas, with real distances from the hotel, in our guide to things to do near the hotel.
Which room for one night
- Alone: the 16 m² Single Room with soundproofed walls: really sleep before getting back behind the wheel.
- Two of you: the Double Room with a double bed, or the Twin Room if you are travelling for work.
- Family or three: the Triple Room or the Quadruple, everyone in the same room, no juggling. Beds and sizes are in the room guide.
Before booking the stop
- Mention the car and your arrival time in the booking: the garage is arranged accordingly.
- If you leave before breakfast, tell us the evening before.
- Book on the official website: best rate guaranteed, no commission, breakfast included, free late check-out subject to availability.
- Any doubt about the route, call us: we answer ourselves, in the evening too.
One night in Florence should not be a logistics problem. With the car in the garage, the room ready and Ponte Vecchio about 20 minutes away, it becomes the best part of the journey.
