A-listers are wont to flock to Tuscany, aren’t they? Florence is not only one of Italy’s finest cities, it’s also the gateway to Tuscany – opening into rolling hillsides and vineyards, the like of which you’ve seen on the pages of glossy magazines, at celebrity weddings. Clearly, the stars know where to find the best hotels in Tuscany. But where do celebrities stay in Florence? They – like the rest of us – love the city for its opulent Renaissance architecture, impeccable food and world-class art, but there are so many special places to stay, one could easily find themselves quite spoiled for choice. It is uniquely hard to pull together a list of the best hotels in Florence because there are simply so many – it’s palazzo after palazzo, pool after pool, fresco after fresco. A Renaissance banquet for the senses.

Here are some of our favorite luxury hotels in Florence. 

Villa Cora

This is a villa in the most fairytale sense of the word – an imposing standalone building, twinkling with lights and surrounded by pristine lawns, oak trees and roses. The villa was a private residence for centuries, welcoming elite guests through its halls, from Princess Eugenie (wife of Napoleon III) to the French pianist Claude Debussy. Rooms and suites are richly adorned with history and refinement, laced with jewel tones and velvet. 

 

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The St Regis, Florence

Set along the banks of the Arno River, this palazzo designed by Filippo Brunelleschi is one of our favorite hotels with a view. The luckiest guests can peer out through heavy damask drapery over the Ponte Vecchio and Tuscan hills. It’s a view that really encapsulates the grandeur of this city. There’s no less grandeur within, though – think, crystal chandeliers, four poster beds, reproductions of Renaissance artwork, frescoes, stained glass, the works. The lobby is a sensation. 

Related reading: 21 Most Beautiful Places In Italy You Need To Visit

Hotel Calimala

One of the best hotels in Florence for blending old and new, this 19th century palazzo has been filled with modern furniture, terrazzo floors and mirrored headboards, though rooms feature lots of exposed original brickwork, too. There is a little more glamor here, a little less opulence – lots of black and white marble and careful lighting. 

 

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Villa San Michele

The rumor mill strongly suggests that previous guests of this 15th-century villa carved into a hilltop include Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian and Julia Roberts. It’s currently undergoing a renovation and will reopen in 2026, which is thrilling because it’s already hard to picture a more perfect place to stay – it makes so many of the best hotels in Florence look basic. The Belmond website correctly describes Villa San Michele as a “perpetual Renaissance dream of Italian indulgence” – picture yourself walking among the garden’s lemon trees and fragrant roses (in 2026). 

Related reading: These Are Our 15 Favorite Michelin Star Restaurants in Italy

Four Seasons Hotel Firenze

This 15th-century Medici palace is a Florentine classic with all the extras you could wish for: Michelin starred cuisine, glittering pool and sprawling botanical gardens, abundant with majestic trees, like the umbrella pine, weeping beech and ginkgo. Floral displays abound indoors and palettes are cool and creamy, though the hotel is palatial from its frescoed ceilings to its marble floors. 

 

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Brunelleschi Hotel

Of all the views in the world described as ‘breathtaking’, the view directly over the Duomo from rooms at this very central boutique hotel, actually are. All eyes are on the dome; pared back rooms with parquet floors and angular furniture are designed to cool you off from the sheer excitement and drama of the view. Downstairs, an unexpected treat: a tiny, private archaeology museum.

Related reading: Best Hotels In Europe In 2025

Riva Lofts

This is one of the best hotels in Florence despite actually being 10 meticulously crafted lofts (by the architect behind Dolce & Gabbana’s boutiques). Riva is a collection of early-20th-century stone buildings that were once artisan workshops. The lofts themselves are chic, airy spaces that feel a little Mediterranean, with stone walls, calm colours, linens and squishy but cubist sofas. 

 

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Il Salviatino

What is the best area of Florence to stay in? We love the lush hills of Fiesole in the north-east, which feels like a rich, tranquil blend of Florence and Tuscany, but is only a 20-minute taxi away from the duomo. Here, Il Salviatino provides the most fabulous retreat, with contemporary but noble Tuscany-adjacent rooms and a spectacular botanical garden spa that uses products by Florentine’s best perfumiers and cosmetologists. 

Hotel Montebello Splendid

This is where guests on our Ultimate Italy journey rest their royal heads for three nights – in between sampling the flavors of Umbria and dipping a toe in the sea on the sparkling Cinque Terre. Hotel Montebello Splendid is one of our chosen accommodations in Florence thanks to its understated neoclassical charm, and the serenity and elegance it provides, despite its  wonderfully central location – it’s just a short walk to the Ponte Vecchio. 

Hotel Montebello Splendid, Florence

Velona’s Jungle Luxury Suites

A slightly offbeat choice in both location in style, Velona’s Jungle Luxury Suites is more like a chic and characterful Florentine home – a place to really get comfortable. Though not central, it’s only a 15-minute walk to key sights, and the interiors are jungle-themed, festooned with palm fronds and drapery in lush shades of teal, sage and fern. The suites have canopy beds and rainshowers with chromotherapy lights.

See Florence in luxury on our Ultimate Italy journey. 

We have a lot of love for Lisbon, and we know we’re not the only ones. It’s the perfect city to linger a while; not too big and not too small, with delicious treasures up and down its cobbled streets. And it wears its brilliance so lightly. If you’re embarking on a luxury tour to Portugalwith us, but want more Lisbon in your life, you might be wondering: what is the nicest hotel in Lisbon? If you choose to extend your stay, here – for your consideration – are the best hotels in Lisbon.

1. Pousada de Lisboa

You know this is one of our top hotels in Lisbon because it’s where guests stay on our Spain and Portugal in Style journey. It’s a palatial city landmark and we love it for its timeless grandeur: the marble halls, the Portuguese art-filled corridors and majestic, sunshine yellow facade. It’s a refined sanctuary on Praça do Comércio, in the heart of historical Lisbon.

2. Brown’s Avenue Hotel

The Brown’s Hotel Group runs four boutique hotels in Lisbon, and this one’s rooftop pool is the crown of them all. It’s not huge, but it’s supremely glamorous, set in angular, sun-bleached limestone and surrounded by potted cacti, green striped loungers and vintage style parasols. If you like your resting place to feel like an oasis, this is one of the best hotels in Lisbon for you.

3. Pestana Palace

If you want somewhere to stay that is unabashedly palatial from top to toe, Pestana is the place. On the palace hotel checklist it has: parquet floors, frescoed ceilings, stained glass windows, oil paintings, marble staircase and lush, green garden flourishing with subtropical trees. There is a spa with a Turkish bath, and the outdoor pool (converted from an original garden lake) will make you want to weep.

4. Convent Square Lisbon

Super-central and as sleek as you could possibly wish it to be, this 800-year-old Dominican convent is easily one of the best hotels in Lisbon. The heart of the place is the open-air cloister, complete with a central firepit and plush outdoor furniture – a place to rest after a morning of walking up and down hills. The rooms are also about peace and repose, with neutral tones, sumptuous sheets and bronze velvet cushions.

5. Palácio Príncipe Real

Another palácio for your address book, this one is in the Principe Real, which is the best neighborhood to stay in Lisbon if you like to swoosh down chic, quiet streets, but still be close to the action. Within this 28-room peachy mansion, you’ll find checkerboard marble floors, palm motifs, azulejo tiles, chandeliers and a glorious, bougainvillea-filled garden with an enormous heated pool and always-alluring hammocks.

6. Bairro Alto Hotel

This is a big old 87-room 18th century building that sits grandly on the borders of two bohemian neighborhoods: the Bairro Alto (an old quarter at the top of Lisbon) and Chiado (lively cultural hub). These are two neighborhoods people might name in answer to the question, which part of Lisbon is best to stay? The Bairro Alto Hotel was one of the first boutique hotels in the city in 2005. No two rooms are the same and each has its own dose of Portuguese flair, with glazed tiles, woven fabrics and ceramics by local makers. The terrace is a special place to soak up views of the city and the Rio Tejo.

7. ME Lisbon by Meliá

The best hotels in Lisbon offer a little respite from the city. On our Ultimate Portugal journey, we stop at this sparkling “luxury lifestyle hotel” to be soothed and energised in equal measure. At the magnificent rooftop pool, sunset is served with spicy watermelon margaritas and California rolls. Rooms are light, modern spaces, with plenty of personality and dreamy views whether you’re facing the street or the Palácio Sotto Mayor.’

8. Memmo Alfama

Many visitors city’s fans cite Alfama as the best place to stay in Lisbon, thanks to its winding, cobbled streets and the fado music that drifts through them as evening descends. Memmo Alfama sits in an immaculately restored 19th century building, beautifully blending the old and the new. The Memmo motto is “make yourself at home” and it’s easy to do so in the fresh, white rooms, with polished concrete floors and views over red roofs, towards the river.

9. Lumiares

An homage to Lisbon’s colours, patterns, and light, this luxury, apartment-style stay in Bairro Alto does not let you forget where you are. The rooftop bar and restaurant is all terracotta, linen, rattan and stone, with mesmerising city views and gorgeous gazpacho and roast octopus. Interiors feature monochrome tiles and gold detailing alongside natural materials – and even the studio rooms have kitchens and coffee machines.

10. Palacio Ludovice

One more palacio for the road (although this one is a mere five storeys, a palacete), this relatively recent luxury opening is named after the man who built it nearly 300 years ago, João Federico Ludovice, architect to King João V. The 18th-century tiles, frescoes and stucco ceilings have all been wonderfully restored. Good news for oenophiles, too: it considers itself a ‘wine experience hotel’, with wines from each Portuguese region represented, a five-course ‘wine dinner’ in the restaurant and wine-themed treatments in the Caudalie spa.

How can you choose just 20 out of the thousands of life-affirming restaurants in France, the most visited country in the world, the country that consistently tops the Michelin guide? If you have plans to join us on one of our France luxury tours, you’ll want to make sure you have a few special meals along the way. We’ve listed 20 of the best restaurants in France below, but before we launch into them, we thought we’d answer some FAQs.

What should I eat at a French restaurant?

Everything! Sometimes menus in traditional bistrots read like lists of your most long-held desires, and they’re different between regions. You won’t want to skip town without getting a steak-frites, a sole meunière, a terrine de Campagne, a French onion soup, a bouillabaisse, a croque monsieur, a Paris-Brest, an îles flottantes, a crème brûlée and eight crepes under your burgeoning belt … will you?

Do you tip at restaurants in France?

Tipping in France is optional so there is no specific percentage you need to keep in mind, but of course good servers appreciate and deserve a gratuity. French restaurant bills include a 15% service charge by law and waiters get paid a living wage, but a discretionary pourboire is commonplace.

How many Michelin star restaurants are there in France?

Unsurprisingly, France is the country with the most Michelin-starred restaurants: 654 in 2025. This includes 31 restaurants with three Michelin stars and 75 restaurants with two Michelin stars.

You may also enjoy reading: What To Wear To A Michelin Star Restaurant

Are restaurants open in France on Sunday?

The eternal question! Who among us hasn’t planned their trip to France to within an inch of its life only to be met with an unexpected French public holiday? Many more restaurants in France do open on Sundays these days, but if you want to eat somewhere specific, you must check and plan well in advance.

Arpège

Paris (7th arrondissement)

Initially, chef Alain Passard’s vegetarian menu was considered radical, but now there are decorated vegan restaurants aplenty. Nonetheless, someone had to get things going, and Arpège continues to be one of the best restaurants in France. It has three Michelin stars, despite (or maybe because of) the kitchen flying by the seat of its pants, sending out whatever ingredients happen to be seasonal and good on any given day.

Mirazur

Menton

This restaurant’s dramatic spot is unsurpassed – it sits in a 1930s-era rotunda building at the foot of the mountains, with panoramic views of the sparkling sea. Somehow, it’s also surrounded by gardens, in which wild rosemary, jasmine, almonds, medlars, peaches, grapes, cherries, asparagus, lemons and flowers thrive, just before they arrive on your plate. It’s a Cote d’Azur dream scene.

Table by Bruno Verjus

Paris

One of the best restaurants in France, but very much itself, Table offers fine dining with an atmosphere that’s warm and accessible. Over the wave-shaped counter, Bruno Verjus himself will happily talk you through his ingredients of the day. The daily menu is called “couleur du jour”, changing completely depending on what his trusted local producers have brought him.

 

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Septime

Paris (11th arrondissement)

Chef Bertrand Grébaut worked at Arpège before he opened Septime, which has redefined what contemporary bistro-style dining can be. The interior – bare wood, industrial lighting, exposed concrete and ivory pillar candles – lets the cooking shine. Look out for truffle potato velouté with brioche, veal sweetbreads with harissa and couscous broth, and some (when in season) special asparagus alchemy.

Maison Lameloise

Chagny, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

In a former post house in the heart of Burgundy, chef Éric Pras brings light, playfulness and vibrancy to classic Burgundian cooking. Think: snail tart with fizzy pickled garlic and nettle coulis, a seared scallop in lemon broth, and a chocolate-cassis mousse.

You may also like to read: The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2024 and Where to Find Them

Le Doyenne

Saint-Vrain

Le Doyenné is a restaurant, guesthouse, and farm set within the historical grounds of the Château de Saint-Vrain, about an hour south of Paris. Guests dine in stunningly restored stables, beneath soaring wooden eaves, with views of the cottage garden. The “potager” (kitchen garden) is the beating heart of the restaurant – chefs harvest the choicest picks each morning.

 

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Pic

Valence, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes 

The Pic family has been through the Michelin wringer – beginning with three Michelin stars in 1939 and currently holding three again, under Anne-Sophie Pic, the only female chef in France to hold three stars. The Michelin guide describes Anne-Sophie Pic  as “an iconic figure” and her gastronomy is served the appropriate way – on a porcelain plate, under a cloche.

Flocons de Sel

Megève

Emmanuel Renaut fell in love with the Haute-Savoie as a child visiting the mountains on daytrips. Now, he showcases his profound and extraordinary knowledge of Alpine ingredients at the mesmerising chalet that houses his three-Michelin-star restaurant. He says of his menu: “Behind each product are the men and women who enhance our mountain landscape”.

Discover more about our luxury journeys to France: Sophisticated and Stylish: why Southern France is Unmissable

Le Petit Nice

Marseille

Another address with three Michelin stars, this epically sun-soaked restaurant describes its location as “between sky and sea”, which is an accurate summation of its panoramic views. The colors here are only white and various blues; the menu is a heady combination of Mediterranean and maritime, with any combination of dentex, bream, bonito, whiting, comber, snapper and moray coming straight from the fishing boats.

 

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L’Auberge de l’Ill

Illhaeusern

This age-old auberge is an Alsatian inn in the truest, most decadent sense – in a storybook riverside setting, complete with manicured lawns and copious weeping willows. The restaurant is something of an institution, now helmed by chef Marc Haeberlin, grandson of the founders. It’s one of the best restaurants in France for dessert.

Epicure

Paris (8th arrondissement)

At Le Bristol, one of the most iconic luxury hotels in France and indeed the world, no fewer than three Michelin stars will do. Candelabras, damask upholstery, Louis XVI chairs and tasseled tablecloths set the haute cuisine tone at Epicure, where the dishes are technically flawless and endlessly delicious.

Bookmark for later: The Best Restaurants in Paris and Where to Find Them

Régis et Jacques Marcon

Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

A father (Régis) and son (Jacques) are behind this unique, somewhat out-of-the-way spot, amid rolling hills, two hours west of Lyon. There are 10 rooms if you need to stay overnight. The village sits in a cool, damp microclimate, making it famous for its mushrooms, which are abundant on the three-Michelin-star menu every autumn.

 

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La Table d’Elise

Monaco

This is a modern, generous restaurant with one Michelin star that visitors to Monaco should keep in their back pockets (if you happen to be taking our 12-day journey  Ultimate Southern, for instance). The menu is perfectly Provencale: cod with aioli and seasonal vegetables, crab and leek ravioli and slow-cooked Sisteron lamb shoulder with caramelized onions, raisins, cinnamon and semolina.

La Grenouillère

La Madelaine-sous-Montreuil

In a classic old farmhouse by a stream in the picturesque village close to Calais, chef Alexandre Gauthier’s incredible avant-garde culinary personality disrupts the idyllic setting. Inside, the dining room is as artistic and experimental as the food, with lots of glass, wood and rusted metal. The menu is 11 courses of riotous flavor and texture.

You may also enjoy: This Country Takes the Crown for the Most Michelin-Starred Restaurants in 2024

Flaveur

Nice

There are two Michelin stars at Flaveur, one for each of the chefs, brothers Gaël and Mickaël Torteaux. Their menus are inspired by their travels and childhoods in Guadeloupe. In the heart of Nice, the dining room has huge fish-themed wooden cut-outs on the walls and space for just 20 diners. The three, four and seven-course menus are wild adventures.

 

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Pierre Gagnaire

Paris (8th arrondissement)

Another address in Paris means you should probably book our 14-day Ultimate France journey and then stay in the capital for a hectic schedule of haute cuisine at the end. Grandiosely located just off the Champs-Élysées, Pierre Gagnaire is the iconic, poetic restaurant from the chef who grew up in his father Jean Claude’s Michelin-star kitchen. On his website, the chef says “I want to put feeling and intelligence into my cooking. People need poetry, tenderness and well-made things”.

La Villa Madie

Cassis

L’Anse de Corton is a magical little cove known to the people of Cassis, but not to everyone else. La Villa Madie sits snugly within it, a restaurant that was once the darling of Cassis and is now one of the best restaurants in France, even though its chef-owners – Marielle and Dimitri Droisneau – modestly describe themselves as a ‘contemporary innkeeper couple’.

You might be interested to learn: How Do Restaurants Get Awarded a Michelin Star?

Rouge

Nimes

Beninese chef Georgiana Viou brings her favorite West African flavors, her warm disposition and her love for her adopted hometown of Marseille to the table. The result is a creative, Mediterranean fusion menu. The dining room is a cosy, welcoming space, featuring rose velvet, marble and amber tones. The patio is even more inviting.

 

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La Vague d’Or

Saint-Tropez

Among the pine trees and bikinis of Saint-Tropez, La Vague d’Or is chef Arnaud Donckele’s three Michelin-star tribute to this unique, seductive place. He promises guests a magical journey through land and sea, celebrating the traditions of the region, and remaining steadfast on his quest for innovation.

Les Prés d’Eugénie – Michel Guérard

Eugénie-les-Bains, Nouvelle Acquitaine

Michel Guérard, one of the founders of la nouvelle cuisine, sadly died in 2024. This restaurant in a stunningly serene spa hotel, overseen for a few years now by head chef Hugo Souchet, is a testament to Guérard’s dedication and to how admired he was. It’s a light, enchanting temple to French gastronomy, which has retained its three Michelin stars since 1977.

Feeling inspired to experience the best France has to offer, or may the rest of the world? Take a look at our collection of small group luxury journeys.