Where to stay in Florence and Tuscany?

A hostel on via Santa Caterina d'Alessandria, near San Marco, 900 m from the centre. You sleep north of the centre, in a student district, and walk down to the Duomo and the Uffizi.

A hotel on Borgo Santi Apostoli, 500 m from the centre, a stone's throw from the Ponte Vecchio. You sleep in a lane of the old centre, between the Arno and piazza della Signoria.

A palace hotel with a private park, on Borgo Pinti, 900 m from the centre, east of the Duomo. For those who want a garden to unwind in after the museums, in a residential part of old Florence.

Housed in Palazzo della Gherardesca: its park is the largest private garden in Florence, ten minutes from the Duomo.

A Ferragamo group hotel on Borgo San Iacopo, on the Arno on the Oltrarno side, 700 m from the centre. You sleep in the artisans' district, with the Ponte Vecchio a few steps away.

On the Oltrarno side, a few metres from the Ponte Vecchio; the art collection in the lobby, Picasso and Cocteau included, is worth a small museum.

On via dei Pescioni, a step away from via Tornabuoni and 300 m from the centre, you stay in the Florence of palazzi and boutiques. The Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio and the Oltrarno are all within walking distance.

Palazzo Strozzi, which hosts major exhibitions, is a few steps away: check its programme before you come.

A palazzo on via Francesco Ferrucci, in the centre of Castellina in Chianti. You sleep in a fortified village among the vineyards, on the Chiantigiana, halfway to Siena.

On via Fiorentina, near Cellole, in Castellina in Chianti, you stay close to a hilltop village in the heart of the vineyards. A simple stop for those touring the Chianti by car, from Greve to Siena.

A castle hotel in Montegrossi, on the heights above Gaiole in Chianti. For those who want a night in a castle, in peace, and tastings at the neighbouring estates.

A former fortified monastery built around a Romanesque parish church (pieve), on the hill above Gaiole in Chianti.

Right in the centre of Radda in Chianti, on via Roma, you sleep in a village palazzo, with cobbled streets and ramparts on the doorstep. For walking to dinner in the evening, without getting back in the car after the tasting.

On via Pianigiani, in La Croce, on the outskirts of Radda in Chianti, the terrace looks out over the vineyards. For tasting the estates' Chianti while keeping Radda village and its restaurants close by.

A former convent on via Camporegio, in the Drago contrada, 300 m from the centre, with a view of the Duomo. You sleep in the calm of a convent, a few minutes' walk from the Campo, on a backpacker's budget.

A guesthouse on via della Sapienza, in the Drago contrada, 200 m from the centre, with views over the rooftops. A family-run address in Siena's upper lanes, with the Campo five minutes' walk away.

A castle with a spa among the vineyards, in Monastero d'Ombrone. For ending Tuscany in peace, by car, with Siena half an hour away and the Chianti close by.