Pet-Friendly Family Hotels in Florence

Travelling with kids plus a dog usually means juggling timing: you need a hotel close enough to the centre that you can dash back at lunchtime to take the dog out, but quiet enough that a barking neighbour does not wake the whole floor. Three of these five sit inside the centro storico walls. Two are slightly outside, in the kind of green setting where the dog gets a proper morning walk before breakfast. All five have lifts, ground-floor exits onto streets the dog can use, and family rooms or suites that fit four people without anyone tripping over the leash.

Italian hotel pet policies vary widely from one property to the next, so it pays to check the exact rules rather than rely on a generic search filter. The five hotels here all have a written policy. Palazzo Portinari Salviati takes dogs of any size for a supplement, and Hotel L'Orologio charges a similar fee per pet, with 24 hours' written notice for dogs over 20 kilograms. Il Malaspina accepts dogs under 15 kilograms for a fee, Eden Rock Resort takes pets up to 15 kilograms for a fee, and Villa Nardi accepts one dog of any size per room free of charge.

The geography of Florence helps a lot if your dog needs proper exercise twice a day. The Arno path on the south bank runs uninterrupted for about three kilometres from Ponte San Niccolò west to Cascine Park, all on lead, mostly on cobbles or hardpack. The Boboli Gardens accept dogs on lead. So does the climb up to Piazzale Michelangelo, which is the standard sunset walk from the city centre. The hill villas of Fiesole and Bellosguardo are the better option if you have a bigger dog and want grass underfoot rather than stone.

The choice between the centre and the hills shapes the whole stay. Palazzo Portinari Salviati, a fourteenth-century Medici palazzo about a hundred metres from the Duomo, puts the main sights on your doorstep and includes a pet kit with a bed, bowls and treats. Il Malaspina, on Via degli Strozzi, is six minutes on foot from the Duomo and has family rooms and a small spa, while Hotel L'Orologio near Santa Maria Novella station has connecting family rooms. These suit families who want to walk everywhere and come back to rest between outings.

Families who prefer space and greenery should look at the hills. Villa Nardi sits in the quiet Bellosguardo area on the south bank, with a private garden, free guest parking and family rooms that sleep four, which makes daily dog walks and car trips into Tuscany much simpler. Eden Rock Resort is a hill villa about ten minutes by car from the centre, with private gardens, a pool and rooms looking down towards Florence, plus a dog bed and bowls included. Both trade the buzz of the centre for calm evenings and room to run.