Shared flats in Florence.

Are you ready to start your journey in Florence? If you’re a young international moving abroad, we’re sure you are already worrying about the accomodation. Well, stop worrying because we give you the best option, shared flats in Florence. We consider this is the best for young students, especially if it’s their first time abroad.

What do I need to know before staying abroad in Florence?

Studying abroad is a great experience every young international should have the opportunity to do. 

If you’re moving to Florence there’s some things you should know in order to be prepared.

This city is small, which means you can see it by foot. This is great because there’s no need to spend a lot of money on public transportation! A lot of students choose this city to study, so there’s a vibrant atmosphere everywhere you go. 

A must do when you’re in Florence is to go out for dinner. You’ll try delicious food, but if you want a more affordable option, go out for lunch instead, prices are lower.

Florence is a safe city so don’t worry about walking alone during the day. Of course, at night it’s better if you walk in group with you friends, but this is the same in every city.

As you may know, Florence is located in the centre of Italy. This means it’s very easy to travel to the rest of Italian cities from here. 

If you like cultural and culinary plans, Florence is made for you. The architecture and the food are stunning.  

Florence will make you experience new things, are you ready to discover them?

Where to live: areas & neighborhoods

Florence is quite a small city. If one of your priorities is living in the city centre, surrounded by monuments, shops, restaurants… and your budget allows it, so the neighborhoods are very close to each other. We recommend you the following ones: check the following neighborhoods:

• Santa Maria Novella: if you want to feel like a local you should live here. There’s a lot bars and shops, all very charming. 
• San Giovanni: great for making cultural plans. It’s the religious centre of Florence. 
• Santa Croce: it’s a residential neighborhood but you will see many tourists passing by to visit Santa Croce Church. 
• Santo Spirito: this neighborhood has a great atmosphere because you can find a lot of locals and international people mixed.

Despite this, if you prefer to live in a more quiet but not central area because your budget is more limited, check these ones: 

• Campo di Marte: it’s the perfect neighborhood to reach the city centre in a short time but far away enough to live in a quiet place. 
• Gavignana Galluzzo: a very nice neighborhood where you can find Renaissance art while enjoying some food and drinks. 

Top places to explore in Florence

Apart from the variety of neighborhoods you can find to live in, we want to recommend you some other top neighborhoods to explore in Florence:

Sant’Ambrogio: a neighborhood that reminds of a village because of its charm. There’s a popular local market selling fresh food, from fruits and vegetables to meat and different type of cheese. If you continue strolling around the area you’ll find many cafés and cozy boutiques.

San Lorenzo: a lively neighborhood that has recently become more hipster, so the atmosphere here is very nice. San Lorenzo is the perfect area for food and drinks, with many local restaurants. If you’re a pizza lover you’ll love this place. 

San Niccolò: if you want to do some shopping we recommend you this area, full of luxurious shops. It also a place to discover Italian modern street art. 

San Frediano: a place worth visiting with your friends to taste Italian food and cocktails. Perfect to spend a relaxing day.

How to find a shared flat in Florence for young internationals?

Accomodation is the most important aspect when moving abroad. There’s a lot of flats for rent in Florence and finding the perfect one for you is a long procedure. 

At helpHousing we want to give you the best assistance, so we provide you with accommodation in shared flats. But, how to find a good one? 

First of all, you have to set your maximum budget. Students usually opt for affordable shared flats because that way they can use the rest of their money to enjoy their stay.

Along with the budget, you have to decide where you want to live. Location is important, because you will be staying for a medium or long time there. 

The next step is knowing when you have to start your flat research. We recommend you to start looking in advance, there will be a lot of affordable shared flats available. If you wait until the last minute, you won’t have many options to choose. A lot of students will be looking for shared flats at the same time, keep that in mind! 

Once you start looking for a shared flat, check all the flat details and other useful information (maintenance, costs included or not, furnished or not) so you can decide for a flat or keep looking for more. If there’s already other students living in the flat you want to rent, talk to them so you can get an idea of how it would be like to live there with them. 

This is all you need to know when finding a shared flat. Don’t desperate if you don’t find anything at first, keep looking, your future house is waiting for you!

How to find a cheap room to rent

When students move to another city they don’t want to spend all their money on the rent. Finding a cheap room is essential. But how to do it? and does it take a lot of effort? We have good news for you, because Florence is a great destination to live so you will find many options! A lot of students want to live in a shared flat. This means there’s a lot of rooms for rent, but finding a cheap one is something different. 

Depending on these things prices can vary:

• Your budget
• Location: some neighborhoods are more expensive than others.
• Room details: you will spend less money if you rent a furnished room with costs included. 

Packing for a stay abroad

Packing when moving abroad is a hard task. When you move to a city from another country and you aren’t used to it, you may have doubts on what to bring with you. 

If you’re going to stay for a medium or a long term in Florence you will have to bring different types of clothes because the weather can change. Florence climate is wet, but pleasant. Depending on the time of the year you’re moving and how long you’re going to be there, you have to keep this in mind: 

In spring: the weather is quite sunny but sometimes it can be rainy. This is probably the best season because the days are long and the weather is nice. 

In summer: the weather is very hot. July is the driest month.

In autumn: autumns in Florence are warm, but it can become rainy. Pack an umbrella just in case. 

In winter: winters are rainy but not very cold. You’ll need to pack your hats and scarfs. The good thing is that temperatures aren’t too extreme. 

Don’t stress out and take your whole closet with you, if you haven’t taken something you really need you can buy it there. The same goes for the shoes, take the most comfortable ones and some other pairs for the night.

Pack everything so it fits in your suitcase. Vacuum bags for clothes are recommended, that way you can take more things with you. 

The last tip is to replace the liquid products for solid ones so you don’t have any problems at the airport. 

The helpHousing team is here to help you enjoy your stay in Florence. Now you’re ready to go!