My Friends
450 metres from the station, 8.8-rated quiet alternative on Florence's hostel row
Wonderful
1,833 reviews
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Compare prices for My Friends in Florence
58%
Solo travelers
90%
Would stay again
38%
Made friends here
2.3 nights
Avg. stay
Our Honest Take
From the Hostelpedia team. No BS, just real advice
My Friends is the small quiet counterpart to the bigger party-hostels on Via Faenza. It's 20 beds, family-run, no bar, no scheduled social programme — which is exactly why the reviewers who land on it keep coming back. The value is the headline: 450 metres from SMN station, 650 metres from the Duomo, under 30 EUR a dorm bed, and private doubles at 72 EUR that would cost 120 at a similar Via Faenza address. Skip it if you want a hostel bar, a free-pasta dinner, or a rooftop pool — those are the big-name properties across the street. Pick My Friends for the opposite reasons: a real welcome, thick walls, and a private room you can afford.
🎯 Insider Tips
- 1Book the private double with en-suite, not the dorm, if you can swing 72 EUR. It's the real value proposition — a private central Florence room with en-suite under 80 EUR is not easy to find, and it's quieter than the 8-bed dorm at the front of the building.
- 2Reception closes at 23:00. If your flight or train arrives later, call ahead and get the night-code — they'll give it to you, but they won't appreciate an unannounced 01:00 arrival. Same for a taxi drop.
- 3The kitchen is small — one hob, one fridge. If you plan to cook dinner, eat early (18:30-19:30) or late (21:00+). The Conad Via Nazionale 4 minutes away is where you buy pasta and sauce for a 3 EUR meal.
- 4The rooms at the back of the building are quieter than the Via Faenza-facing ones. Via Faenza has delivery trucks from 06:30 — ask for a courtyard-side room at booking if morning quiet matters.
🔥 Why We Love It
Family-run under 20 beds — genuine warmth, not a hostel-chain script
450 metres from Santa Maria Novella station, same block as the big-name hostels
Classic-style rooms with thick old-palazzo walls — quieter than the modern refurbs
Small shared kitchen with hob and fridge on the second floor
Value under 30 EUR a bed in a central-central location
📖 The Full Story
My Friends occupies a narrow Via Faenza building in the Santa Maria Novella district — the same block as Ostello Bello Firenze and Hostel Archi Rossi, but at a fraction of the footprint. The whole property is fewer than twenty beds. It's family-run in the literal sense: the owners live on the top floor and run the front desk across the three shifts.
Dorms are 4, 6 and 8-bed, mostly with shared bathrooms on the corridor (2 bathrooms per floor, never a proper queue). A handful of private singles, doubles and triples have en-suite. Linens included, towels on request. AC in every room — Florence summers are non-negotiable on this. The walls are classic palazzo-thick so noise from Via Faenza doesn't travel into the rooms.
A small common area + kitchen with hob, fridge and kettle sits on the second floor, enough to make pasta and coffee but not a proper group dinner. No bar, no events, no free-pasta night — if that's your Florence plan, the larger hostels on the same block (Ostello Bello, YellowSquare) are built for it. What My Friends does well is the thing a small family-run hostel always does well: staff that remembers your name after day two, recommendations that aren't just the Duomo, and a genuine sense that you're a houseguest rather than a bed-night.
Value is the headline. My Friends sits in the same 300-metre radius as properties charging 35+ EUR a bed, for 28. The Central-for-less pick.
✨ The Vibes
💬 What Travelers Say
Lopes
🇵🇹 Portugal · April 2026
“Very central, right next to the station and close to all the museums. They provided everything we needed. Staff really warm, not the usual receptionist energy.”
Darina
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan · April 2026
“Staff was really nice, the women in my dorm were respectful. Perfect for its price, honestly. Felt safe at all times.”
Hung-ju
🇹🇼 Taiwan · April 2026
“The location is very close to the train station. Staff are warm and nice. Breakfast is basic but included in some rates.”
Mario
🇦🇷 Argentina · March 2026
“Small family hostel, not a party place. Great location for 28 EUR a bed, 5 minutes from Mercato Centrale. Walls thick enough to sleep through.”
📍 What's Nearby
Santa Maria Novella station
5 min on foot
Mercato Centrale food hall
3 min on foot
Duomo di Firenze
8 min on foot
Fortezza da Basso
10 min on foot
Conad supermarket Via Nazionale
4 min on foot
Piazza della Signoria
12 min on foot
📋 House Rules
- •Reception 08:00 to 23:00 — call ahead for later check-in
- •Quiet hours 22:30 to 07:30 across all floors
- •No parties, no outside guests in rooms
- •Check-in 14:00 to 23:00, check-out before 10:30
- •No lift in the building
From
€28/night
Compare prices across booking sites
Room Types
Bed in 8-bed mixed dorm with corridor bathroom
€24
Cheapest. Corridor bathroom, AC, lockers.
8
Bed in 6-bed female dorm with corridor bathroom
€26
Women-only, corridor bathroom, AC.
6
Private double room with en-suite
€72
Double bed, private bathroom in the room. The main value room.
2
Private triple with corridor bathroom
€95
Three beds, bathroom on the corridor. For backpackers travelling in threes.
3
🏠 Amenities
Don't sleep on this one
My Friends 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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