Emerald Palace
Rooftop with direct Duomo view, 350 metres from Brunelleschi — 8.9-rated central-of-central pick
Wonderful
4,845 reviews
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Compare prices for Emerald Palace in Florence
65%
Solo travelers
89%
Would stay again
52%
Made friends here
2.5 nights
Avg. stay
Our Honest Take
From the Hostelpedia team. No BS, just real advice
Emerald Palace trades on one of the best central-central locations in Florence and a rooftop that punches way above its price point. 350 metres to the Duomo, 100 metres to Mercato Centrale food hall, staff that gets named in half the reviews — hard to argue at this price. The catch is the building: no lift, narrow stairs, and San Lorenzo market streets go quiet at night in a way that surprises first-time Florence visitors. Pick Emerald if the morning walk to the Duomo is the reason you came. Skip if you need a 24-hour street outside your window or you're arriving with a trekking pack and a bad knee.
🎯 Insider Tips
- 1Go up to the rooftop 30 minutes before sunset. The Duomo dome catches the last light from about 20:00 in summer, 17:30 in winter, and the top terrace fills up in the last ten minutes. Buy a bottle at the Conad inside Mercato Centrale on the way home — 4 EUR for something drinkable.
- 2Ask for a third-floor room facing east at booking. Those get the Duomo-dome glimpse through the windows in the morning and the least street noise from the San Lorenzo market setup at 07:00.
- 3Trattoria Mario is literally two minutes from the door and is a lunch-only, cash-only, queue-for-a-stool legendary spot. Get there by 12:30 or the wait is 45 minutes. Bistecca alla Fiorentina for two is 45 EUR.
- 4The shared kitchen is small and fills fast at 19:00. Cook early (18:00) or late (21:00). Mercato Centrale upstairs food hall is the better choice for a 15-EUR dinner if you want to skip the stove.
🔥 Why We Love It
Rooftop terrace with direct Duomo-dome view — 30 metres of elevation over San Lorenzo
350 metres to Brunelleschi's dome, 4-min walk
Shared kitchen on the second floor, small but functional
Italian-standard breakfast included on the top floor
Warm, named-in-reviews staff (Guilherme from Brazil's review is one of many)
📖 The Full Story
Emerald Palace is on Via dell'Ariento, the market street that runs from Mercato Centrale toward the Duomo, wedged into the San Lorenzo leather-stall block. From the hostel door to the Brunelleschi dome is 350 metres — call it four minutes on foot. The building is a narrow old palazzo converted to hostel, with reception and lounge on the ground floor, dorms and privates on two through four, and a small roof terrace on top that faces east.
That roof terrace is the reason the hostel sits at 8.9 despite basic dorm finishes. The view of the Duomo dome from 30 metres up is unmatched by any hostel at this price — not rooftop-pool rooftop, but a stone sundeck with tables, wine, and a direct line of sight to the cathedral every evening. Sunset on the roof with a bottle from the market is the single most-photographed moment in the review pool.
Dorms are simple 4, 6 and 8-bed mixes; most have en-suite bathrooms. AC in every room. Breakfast is Italian-standard (pastry, cereal, espresso) served on the top floor. A shared kitchen on the second floor has two hobs and a microwave — adequate for pasta-and-sauce, not for a four-course dinner.
The trade-off is the building. San Lorenzo market closes at 19:00 and the street gets much quieter at night — safe, just not picturesque after dark. The stairs to the roof are narrow and old-palazzo; no lift in the building. If you're carrying a 70L pack or have mobility issues, ask for a ground-floor private.
✨ The Vibes
💬 What Travelers Say
Emily
🇺🇸 United States · April 2026
“In such a great area, close to everything. Staff super friendly and helpful. They showed me the room and pointed things out on the map — felt taken care of from minute one.”
Guilherme
🇧🇷 Brazil · April 2026
“The staff was amazing, they told me all about the city's history. Did not expect to be treated so well. Rooftop view of the Duomo is real.”
Stavroula
🇬🇷 Greece · April 2026
“Exceptional people and location. Four minutes to the Duomo, five to Mercato Centrale, rooftop drinks at sunset.”
Wu
🇨🇳 China · March 2026
“Clean room, great services, reception are very kind. Private bathroom in our 4-bed dorm, AC worked well.”
📍 What's Nearby
Duomo di Firenze
4 min on foot (350 metres)
Mercato Centrale food hall
2 min on foot
San Lorenzo leather market
0 min (the hostel is inside)
Santa Maria Novella station
12 min on foot
Piazza della Signoria
9 min on foot
Trattoria Mario (legendary lunch spot)
2 min on foot
📋 House Rules
- •Check-in 14:00 to 22:30, check-out before 10:30
- •Quiet hours 23:00 to 07:30
- •No lift in the building — top floor is four flights up
- •Rooftop closes at 23:30 (neighbourhood noise rule)
- •No parties, no outside guests after 22:00
From
€31/night
Compare prices across booking sites
Room Types
Bed in 8-bed mixed dorm with shared bathroom
€26
Cheapest. Shared bathroom on the corridor. AC, lockers, reading lights.
8
Bed in 6-bed mixed dorm with en-suite
€31
Private bathroom in the dorm. Popular — book 4+ weeks out in summer.
6
Bed in 4-bed female dorm with en-suite
€33
Women-only, en-suite, AC.
4
Private double room with en-suite
€92
Double bed, private bathroom, breakfast for two. Top floor rooms have partial Duomo view.
2
🏠 Amenities
Don't sleep on this one
Emerald Palace is one of the most popular hostels in Florence. Beds fill up fast, especially during peak season. Lock in your dates now.
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