Hotel Giappone - Florence

Prepare to haul your bags up several flights of stairs. The Hotel Giaponne is not a hotel in the traditional sense; rather it is 1 floor of a mixed use building where the bedrooms are each rented out. It was clean, the service was perfectly acceptable, but the experience was reminiscent of staying in a friends guest room rather than a hotel.

The room was not too big but comfortable. The hotel is on the sixth floor of the building and it has no elevator. It's location is good, really close to the center and the Duomo. You can eat nearby -not too cheap, not too expensive-. The price of the room was quiet expensive for not having a private toilet.

The shared toilet was always wet. I didn't like to enter with my (dirty) shoes, neither to enter with my sleepers. Is there any way to make it in a better condition??

The room is not big but clean. it's on a very good location, 5min's walk from the railway station. Hotel is a bit high,no elevator, 5th or higher floor, think not easy for those who with lots of luggages, but decorations are sweet in public area, also receiption is very helpful and enthusiastic. would recommend to those who with limited budget.(50eur/night in mid May)

The hotel is in a great location you can easily walk to Duomo, train station, shops, restaurants, palazzo vecchio, ponte vecchio and much more. The only down part is that it was on the 4th floor with no elevator, but hey we can all use some exercise. The room was very clean and nice and big. We had a private bath. It was a bit small but most bathrooms are in Europe. We would highly recommend this hotel.

Very nice and clean room. No lift, but just third floor. Very central. Free wifi.

Nice hotel for the price. Excellent location! Small room, but was fine for a short amount of time.

Note, that hotel is on the 5 floor without elevator (or elevator is hidden).

Very well for this price (35 Euro a night)- in the City-Center, 5 Min. from the Rail-way station, 5 Min. to the Duomo... A bit noisy (the street under the window)

Great location and good value hotel - shared toilet is a bt of an inconvienience but on the whole I enjoyed my stay- agree with other reviews that the 4 flights of stars get a bit tedius but really not that bad and this hotel is cheap and in a great great spot. Would reccommend

The location of this hotel was excellent, very close to many sites in Florence and Santa Maria Novella train station. Rooms were very clean but single room was quite small. I did not enjoy walking up to the 4th floor with all my luggage, this building has no elevator. Front desk person was not very friendly but I was left alone which is exactly what I wanted. The price to quality ratio was great, I would recommend this hotel for the single traveler on a budget.

After a classtrip I stayed in Florence for 2 more days. I booked a single room with shared bathroom and everything was like it was described on the homepage. Little room with a washbowl, a closet, a desk and table. The bed was comfortable.

The hotel was good, the receptionist lady did not understand much english, the sink in the room had difficulty getting hot water. The bed was really bouncy. The toilet was miles away. The hotel was in a central and noisy location and was clean but it was on the third floor of a tall building. Not for the faint hearted at all and definitely not with children or big and heavy luggage. If you take this hotel you will think twice before going to the hotel to get something or for a little rest.

Location is very close to train station and city centre. Quite nosiy in the mornings and 4th floor without lift. Stuff is very nice and helpfull. Enjoyed my stay here.

For the money it was fine and very clean. The staff were helpful with my questions about the area. Spend the extra for the private bathroom. Note that this is on the 4th floor of a walk up building, no lift, so if 75 steps are too much for you, don't do it. It is very well located close to what you want to see, Duomo, Galleria Academia, shopping, leather market, train station, bus terminal etc. I peeked the larger rooms & they looked very nice.

You might use Japanese language.

Not a fan of the shower unit in the room concept but for a budget hotel right in the centre of Florence and close to the train station you will do well to find a better option than Hotel Giappone.

Good hotel if you are traveling light and just looking for a clean room with a clean bed and a place to wash up. Location is good, pretty close to everything in the city center but hotel is on third floor so be prepared to climb some stairs. Absolutely worth the price if your on a budget. Staff was helpful and pleasant. Would not hesitate to stay again.

Nice little hotel! I stayed 4 nights. If you don't mind the 3 story climb to the hotel, it is a very nice place to stay. Overall very clean and quaint. No breakfast though. Staff very helpful and nice! My room was not the quietest only because I was on the front corner and I tended to leave my windows open. Earplugs made all ok.

Das "Hotel" Giappone befindet sich im 4. Stock eines Altbaus ohne Lift. Also nicht geeignet für Gehbehinderte oder ältere, nicht mehr so fitte Leute. Die Einzelzimmer mit Privatdusche bedeuten einfach, daß eine Duschkabine im Zimmer ist. WC ist irgendwo auf dem Gang. Die Zimmer sind sehr einfach, aber sauber. Der Lärm von der Straße her ist wirklich unerträglich, tag und nacht! Das einzige Plus des Hotels ist seine Lage zu den wirklich wunderschönen Sehenswürdigkeiten der Stadt. Ich werde wiederkommen, aber nicht in dieses Hotel.

The hotel has no elevator, so keep that in mind if you carry heavy luggage. In the reception they only speak Spanish, but they try to make themselves understandable. My room was a single with bathroom. The room has enough space, and the bed was ok for me. The hotel is near the Duomo, less then 5 minutes walking. It's also near the bus that takes you to and from the airport. The hotel is ok if you're not expecting luxury, but it's a little bit expensive for what you get. But this is a rule on every Florence hotel, so you're not being stolen. I recommend this hotel, and if I return to Florence I'll stay there again.

The hotel is on the fourth floor. There was no lighting on the bottom two flights of stairs making it quite dangerous, particularly coming down in the evening. The room was fine but it overlooked an extremely busy main road. The traffic noise was constant through the night. What made it worse was the number of emergency vehicles that used the road with sirens sounding. The hotel is well situated for the SMN train station and is within easy walking distance of the main tourist sites in Florence. It was clean and the receptionist was very pleasant and helpful. If it were not for the constant noise from the street I would recommend it to those on a budget but it is not really a place to stay if you like to sleep at night.

Nobody told us, or did we miss it, that the hotel was up 70 stone steps on the third floor of a building!! Hard work on the first day carrying luggage. Would go back there with less to carry. Staff very helpful especially getting us advanced bookings (very necessary) for the Pitti and Uffizi Galleries. Room "with shower" was just that-Toilet the other end of the corridor, shared with many other rooms-we took it to mean "en suite", never mind.

There are a lot of steps to get to the hotel but once you're up them it's worth it. Very cute, an excellent place to stay in the heart of the city.

The hotel is much better than I expected with the price. The room is extremely clean. Though the public area is small but it is decorated nicely. I lived there very comfortably. Besides, the owner is nice. She is so actively helping us with her limited knowledge of English. In all, this has made a good mark in my Europe trip.

Location was excellent but dissapointed with size of room and the fact we had to share a bathroom. Also the bed was hard and it was very noisy. Would rather pay more money for something a bit better.

A good clean hotel, situated near railway station and Duomo. the staff are friendly and helpful. However you have to climb steep steps for 3 floors to reach the hotel!

J'avais réservé à l'hôtel Giappone de Florence. Finalement, à mon arrivée, surprise. Ma chambre n'avait pas été réservée. Erreur du réceptionniste d'après ce que l'on m'a dit. L'hôtel s'étant aperçue de leur erreur, une place m'avait été trouvée non loin de là dans un autre hôtel tout près de la gare, Tourist House. Un peu déçue sur le moment par ce changement de programme, j'ai finalement passé un agréable séjour dans cet autre hôtel propre et idéalement situé. Certes, la chambre était un peu bruyante mais je m'y suis habituée tout de même.

Location is very close to inner-city & sights. All shops & sights are in walking distance. Very friendly staff. Giappone is only a 1-star hotel but it deserves more than 1-star.

Great position but a lift in the building would have helped. There are quite a few steps to the top of that building! The showers in the hotel rooms were interesting too. Especially if you are sharing with a friend and not a partner.

Good location close from Novella train station. it´s in a 3rd floor without elevator, care is your are carry heavy luggage. Personnel welcoming and provide the basic service required.

Convenient location but no lift. Need to climb up the stairs for 3-4 floors with luggage. Room with private bathroom is spacious and with basic amenities. However, the shower is not in an enclosed area and so the floor of bathroom became wet after shower.

Stanze pulite, posizione dell'hotel molto buona, abbiamo prenotate una doppia e ci han dato una quadrupla allo stesso prezzo! Unica piccola pecca è che si trova in cima ad una serie di quasi 80 scalini (e gli asciugamani non adatti ad assorbire acqua...)

Para Brasileiros que querem boa localização, não importam com espaço (pois o quarto que fiquei era simples e sem banheiro) é o local ideal. Tem uma grande escadaria para chegar ate o hotel (que esta no segundo andar de um predio bem proximo do Duomo). Valeu a pena.

This was the first time we stayed at this hotel. It seemed to be attractive - double room with shower for 75 euros in the city center. We were received at 11 pm really kindly and the personnel was nice. The bad surprise was the room was nothing more than a room with a bed and a shower cabin in the room, without any separation! I think think this should have been said clearly in the hotel description or shown on the photos. However, the photos of the rooms were avoiding to show the ugly wall with the shower cabin! We had then the misfortune to get the room close to the shared bathroom, with the toilet flush almost not working. We were waken up in the night by the people using the toilets and insisting on the flush; some gave up and weren't using the flush at all - with a disgusting result! The room furniture was of a rather poor quality, contrary to the description. For our second stay in Florence, we have taken another hotel not far from Giaponne: for 15 euros more, we had a lovely little suite with a private bathroom and a breakfast!

Great place to stay if on a budget - fantastic location, very clean facilities, and wonderful staff. Positives are that the location could not be better if we had paid twice as much, clean and very helpful staff - we were thrilled to find that each room had its own shower and sink. The only real negative was that you share a toilet (which we were aware of) but with ALL the other people. Only one toilet for all the rooms. Worked out fine - just was something I would have preferred to know ahead of time. I would absolutely stay here again. My husband and I lost our luggage and the staff was incredibly kind and helpful about trying to help us retreive it. They called all these phone numbers all day, allowed us to use their email and internet. Thank you!!

That is a very good One star hotel, well located, clean, cheap and welcoming. The pictures on the website dont reflect the reality. In real, the hotel is better! The only 'bad' point would be the noise on the street (just bring earplugs & that wd do) and the fact that there is no breakfast included. For the same price (45eur/night) I could borrow the Florence & Tuscany Guide 2006 which was very useful!

Petit hôtel très bien situé. Pas de toilettes privées. 3ème étage sans ascenceur très pénible à atteindre avec de lourds bagages. Confort sommaire. Accueil de frais à très agréable selon les employés.

Advertised as room with shower but did not mention that the toilet was in a shared bathroom which was none to clean.The room itself was a bit dingy.

We were very pleased with the accomodation, location and experience.

Very nice location close to the station and near to the city center. Rooms with view to the Dome. Perfect for a short stay as rooms are rather small and no public areas available.

Buona la pulizia le stanze con doccia non hanno bagno in camera ma solo un lavandino, l'albergo è al quarto piano in zona molto centrale il rapporto qualità prezzo è buono.

Un hotel muy cerquita del centro ideal para conocer Florencia a un precio difícilmente superable. Las habitaciones son pequeñas pero muy limpias y confortables. Los únicos incovenientes son que se encuentra en una tercera sin ascensor y que si la noche está muy animada, al estar tan cerca del centro y de la estación, se oye bastante ruido. El personal es muy agradable. Yo repetiría.

Reasonable for an Italian accommodation, and convenient as it is close to the Duomo, thus the touristic centre. Small shower cubicle (en suite), clean toilette (shared), no breakfast. A laptop at the reception desk with which the receptionist may help you to find information.

We had booked a double room but we were given a room with 4 beds so it was very spacious for just the 2 of us. The room was clean but very dimly lit. The shower was over the toilet so be sure to use the toilet before you shower! We did get a look at the shared bathroom and it was clean as well. The location was very convenient - close to the train and bus stations. The area also seemed to be pretty safe and the staff were all very nice. On the downside, we ran out of toilet paper one of the nights and there was no staff available. The towels are very thin and nonabsorbant(like bedsheets). And 3 flights of stairs equalled to about 80 steps. If you are bringing alot of luggage I would reconsider staying here.

Having the climbs the flight of steps to reach the hotel at the top of the building after a full day of walking around the city can be quite daunting. In addition, the staircase is not well lit on the lower floors at night. However, for a clean room at a reasonable price, no complaints.

Mi molto piace firenze e anche mio albergo "Hotel Giappone"! Especially because I had such a nice hotel in the centre of the city, my time in florence was that great. Very clean rooms and a welcome and very friendly personal. Forse, a presto...

Ideal location: very central, close to the duomo as well as to the railway station. nice and clean rooms, good air conditioning. we knew in advance that the room with double bed had only a shower and a wash basin but no toilet. the shared toilet was next door. the staff was very friendly and competent. people with a lot of heavy luggage or health problems should be aware of the three flights of stairs.

The room was fine when we got to it, but as someone with mobility problems it would have been helpful to know that the hotel is up 79 steps with no lift. We also expected that as we had booked a room with a shower that there would also be an ensuite toilet, but this was out in the corridor and one toilet was shared by all ten rooms. Our booking documentation said we had booked bed and breakfast but there were no facilities for breakfast and we discovered that this was not included in the price we had paid. We therefore felt that the room was expensive for the facilities provided.

For Forence, it is a good place. Three flight of stairs is rather much if you are not lightly packed, but it keeps the traffic noise a bit distant. Shower on the room is Ok. Station, duomo and all other highligths are near. The hotel only offers sleeping, but if that is what you are looking for, this is a nice and cheap (applying Florence standards) place to stay.

The hotel is in a very good location. The room had a shower, but no bathroom. The staff was friendly and helpful when they were at the reception desk, but they were rarely at the desk when needed.

Perfect location, and good quality for the price. But be warned, it is up many flights of stairs with no elevator.

If you don't mind the noise of the trafic, this hotel is super excellent.

The staff was pretty friendly. It was located near the center of Florence, so very convenient. The only thing that made me unhappy was that I had to use stairs with heavy luggage.

Very noisy!

Overall, handy location. A little too much noise from the street carried through the windows, providing a sleepless night. Otherwise, the facilities were nice and pleasant. I really appreciated having access keys to both my room and front doors, giving me a feeling of freedom to come and go as I pleased. I didn't come across that in any of my other European accommodations.

My wife and I needed a bathroom in the room, because she is pregnant, and all they had was a room with five beds. So, we had a very comfortable stay in a central location...for the price this is to be expected. The staff seemed tight lipped but polite. Probably would look for something different next time. Three flights up with a backpack was Ok (no elevator) but not for some.

Excellent location, close to train station. Florence is a small place and from the hotel you can walk to every sights within 10-15 mins. We had a spacious room with shower only, but that's not really a problem. Not exactly quiet but since we were out during daytime it didn't really matter. Walking up 4 flights of stairs is a killer if you have heavy luggages, and at the end of a full day of walking... but with its very reasonable price in mid September, we are more than happy with what we got.

Hotel is centrally located, a short walk to the train terminal, and the Duomo. Can reach all main attractions easily by foot. No lift, and there are 77 large stairs to climb each time. The rooms were small, but a good value for the low prices. We had a shower in our room, very small with see through curtains. Toilets were shared down the hall, never had to wait, but if someone takes a shower in the shared WC, the toilet gets wet. The staff was very pleasant and helpful.

The room was clean with a TV, although it was disappointing to only get a twin bed room rather than the double bed I thought I’d booked. Unlike most hotels, you get to keep your key and have 24 hour access so can come back in at any time. The hotel is less than 5 minutes from the station. The owner/manager/cleaner either doesn’t speak much English or dislikes people in general. Having said that, the lady who was on reception in the daytime was very nice and friendly. The shared bathroom was ok, and the shower in the room did the job. Slighty nosiy being next to the main road but bearable. If you have trouble with stairs then this is not for you.

The only surprise were the number of stairs I needed to climb when I arrived at the property. The staff was very helpful, and the location is an easy walk to the train station. I would probably stay here again, but hopefully with less luggage to take upstairs.

The hotel in itself is very small - a single floor of a building. The rooms however were comfortable and are suitable for the traveller who looks to use it as only a place to sleep. It is in a convenient location, situated between the train station and the Duomo, approximately 5 minutes on foot to both. Lots of steps to climb, with no lift, so be prepared to struggle with your luggage. Only one toilet is provided in the hotel, but shower and wash hand basin are provided in the rooms.

The map indicated on the web was totally wrong, so I had to look for the hotel 1 1/2 hours. It was absolutely waste of time, though I chose there because it supposed to be near from the station. You should replace the map to the correct one! I was so exhauseted after walking around such a long time. However, since there were no lift, I had go up to the stairs on foot. It was very disappointing. One more thing, responce of the room vacancy (booking comfirmation) was very late, so I was very annoyed with wating for it.

Accueil chaleureux, disponibilité, mais mieux vaut dormir les fenêtres fermées; sinon tout est à proximité, pas besoin de voiture...

Excellent location, and even tho' we were located on the noisy road side it was relatively quiet with the double glazed windows. We left a day earlier than booked [only so we could fit in an extra city on our route] and the owner was more than accomodating. I would definately recommend it & would stay again.

This is an ok, average place to stay. They stopped providing shampoo packets and soap on day two and day three. That was somewhat annoying. There also seemed to be a strange odor in the room, couldn't quite figure out where it was coming from, perhaps from the drain in the sink/shower ventilating.

Clean, freshly decorated and furnished, well serviced, welcoming hotel. Third floor with no lift, windows need to be kept closed for traffic noise, but nonetheless great value. Highly recomended.

The hotel is located 500 meters from the heart of the city. The room was clean and comfortable. The noise from the street was a bit loud and made fallinfg asleep difficult.

There is no breakfast room at this hotel, despite the confirmation being for room plus breakfast! The room had a shower in the middle of it and the toilet was next door and used by everybody at all times of day and night - extremely loud. This hotel is situated on a crossroads and it is very loud. It was also very cold - no heating was on despite temperatures of only 11 or 12 degrees outside. Sorry, on the whole very poor.

Perfect location great value

We had booked a double with shower. Since the price list on Internet did not indicate any choice of rooms with and without toilet, we of course assumed there was a toilet in the room. When we arrived, it turned out there was no toilet. We immediately went out and booked a room in a neighbour hotel. When we told the reception we were going to move, they produced a room with shower and toilet, but only for the first night of our stay. That room was quite OK and we stayed there for one night.

Great place, as long as you can live without a toilet in your room, can walk up 3 long flights of stairs, and can put up with a bit of noise from the street. Has air conditioning, extremely helpful staff, and a fantastic location which is a must.

There was a shower in my room, but there wasn't a toilet. The hotel was on the 3rd or 4th floor of the building, but there wasn't an elevator. I had a big suitcase, and I had a hard time going up.

Despite the fact that we had to pay extra for a TWIN room which we had specifically booked, overall this was a charming hotel in a central location offering good facilities and competotove prices. Recommended.

Place is located very close to a steet with heavy traffic, rooms are in the 3rd floor (high ceilings / luggage !)and difficult to find space for a car for free. Positve is the short distance. You can reach very point on foot and live like Italian. A/C !!

The hotel was exactly as described, but we had a nice surprise when we found out the room had air-conditioning (essential in Italy in summer). The staff couldn't have been friendlier or more helpful, and the place was immaculate. E-mail questions were answered speedily, too. Nothing fancy, and the toilet was a corridor away, but it wasn't a problem. Would definitely stay at Giappone again and would recommend it to others.

Be warned, the hotel is located on the top floor of the building - NO LIFTS - quite a hike when you've heavy luggages. Adequate room, but noisy because hotel is located on a busy street and our room was at the entrance - where the doorbell is situated. The hotel is within walking distance from the train station duomo and the market - a convenient location.

Only thing we didn't appreciate is the fact that air conditioning was included on the internet, but had to be paid for extra, to use. Further, very nice hotel, location couldn't be much better, worth the money for sure!

It is interesting that the room has private shower and washing basin but without toilet inside the room !!!!

A good place to stay, in a nice location. However, the website don't specify the fact that they can attribute rooms in other place than the Giappone when this one is full! But the place where we stay was pretty close and still in the historic center... Don't ask for too much service and nice view. Finally, if you only look for a place to sleep in and basta, it's a good one.

Standard hotel very close to centre of town and to the railway station. Very good position. Clean and comfortable. At the top of building so people who don't like stairs might want to think before booking! Some rooms have shared bathroom, which can be irritating.

This reservation specifically confirmed reservation with bed & breakfast for quoted price. there is absolutely no breakfast, nor room for any - thus this service was quite misleading. also, no ability to control heat in room & was *extremely* cold on both nights. On one night heat came on, not on other.