-
Astor Caffè
This is a place where you could take breakfast, then return some 12 hours later to mix with the nocturnal crowd who gather around for loud music and cocktails, opposite the solemn walls of the cathedral. Keep an eye on the giant red clock so closing time doesn't sneak up on you unannounced.
-
Barceló
Not much goes on here in winter, but from late May the team from Rex Caffé move in to create a busy summertime atmosphere. Although in action all day, it only swings into the groove from the early evening aperitivo on, attempting the noisy clamour of a Spanish bar (something a certain class of young Italians seem to hold in some awe).
-
Betty Boops
A luminous pink sign glows sickly across this quiet lane, but it's a sign that says you might be able to get a last very late tipple without having to resort to a club. It's a cramped little bar touting itself as a club, and opening days can be variable. When we last swung by it was opening throughout summer. Although open from midnight, it can be quite dead until .
-
Cabiria
Cabiria, a popular cafe by day, converts into a busy nocturnal music bar that continues on way past your bedtime. In summer, the buzz extends onto Piazza Santo Spirito, which becomes a stage for an outdoor bar and regular free concerts.
-
Café De Paris
A modern café-bar that is especially busy for the summer evening aperitivo , and until about . On Friday and Saturday nights it can also get busy much later.
-
Capocaccia
Fashionable Capocaccia is an elegant cafe-bar with an alternative menu of snacks by day and one of the places to be seen at night, when cool Florentines snuggle up to other cool Florentines and the self-conscious bonhomie spills out onto the street. Throw in the occasional DJ and you'll see why it's almost impossible to get your motorino through the throng.
-
Caruso Jazz Café
Thursday to Saturday nights this mellow café, with a vaguely baroque feel, offers jazz concerts from . The Gallery room, with its red sofas and low lights, is perfect for cosying up to your partner. They also have an Internet café next door and serve food.
-
Central Park
Catering for a broad local and international crew, this party in the park has four dance zones with sounds ranging from top vocal house to awful Italian pop. The outdoor dance area is a summer must.
-
Chequers Pub
Mainly foreigners hang out in this big and busy UK-style pub, although Italians sometimes frequent it too. In the background the big-screen TV will feature anything from European football to American basketball.
-
Cluricane Pub
Touting itself as a Guinness bar, this is really a warm, dark, drinking cubicle, with a fan over the bar and Latin music. But the Guinness (warm and cold) and Kilkenny are there. A handful of tables are set up outside in the warmer months.
-
Advertisement
-
Crisco
Gyrating choons and cruising are the norm at this leather 'n' Levis men-only bar, which is particularly popular with the hirsute. There are x-rated videos and dark rooms.
-
Exmud
This (literally) underground club serves up a staple of house anthems to a regular and lively young posse. There's a cocktail lounge and a chilled-out courtyard.
-
Fish
A boisterous pub-style bar with a strong American air about it, the Fish attracts hordes of people, mostly young foreigners but also a sprinkling of youthful Italians. The terrace on the square is relatively peaceful, while inside the bar goes to some lengths to keep business humming, offering countless shots at a pittance and organising events such as its Friday night Free Crazy Party, when the drinking is free from to .
-
Flor
The locals call it a 'cooking bar' and they certainly seem to think something is cooking here. Apart from a light and easy buffet lunch, a trendy set gather in this postage stamp-sized redoubt for the evening aperitivo, spilling out onto the pavement terrace (in spite of the traffic). From on it's cocktail time, and Sunday night is particularly festive.
-
Full Up
Full-up by name and…you guessed it. This tiny venue is very popular with a largely Florentine crowd, made up of Fabios and the skimpily clad objects of their desire. It's a good place to go if you're looking for a Mediterranean orgasm (and we're not talking cocktails).
-
Il Rifrullo
A great bar on a quiet corner of San Niccolò, this place gets a chirpy, suave crowd and is a wonderful spot to mingle with the locals, refuel on an impressive spread of aperitivi and slip into delicious cocktails. Hunker down inside, sit down on the pavement terrace or opt for shady spot in the back.
-
Jaragua
Somewhat hidden from the main tourist stream, this is a cool Latin locale where you can admire some slick dance moves or join in - definitely the place to practice your salsa and merengue. Sip on a Banana Mama, Jaragua or Culo Bello ('Nice Ass'). The whole Latin thing is extremely popular with Florentines.
-
Jj Cathedral
Get here early if you want the balcony table overlooking the Baptistery - possibly the most coveted drinking spot in Florence. Otherwise make do with the narrow interior, cluttered with ripped wallpaper and fiddly bits of Irish paraphernalia. Usually filled with international students and local lads making moves.
-
Joshua Tree
Scruffy and relaxed, this is a tavern where bullshit is barred and the only Irish 'themes' come by way of Murphy's stout, moody shades of green and conviviality by the keg. It gets a lot louder as the night goes on but then don't we all?
-
Kikuya Pub
Unusually generous cocktails - although it's really not that kind of place - and a predominantly foreign crowd are found in this traditional-looking English bar, where there's occasional live music and a good selection of English beer. Local boys visit in twos to check on the number of foreign girls drinking here (and to see what state they're in).
-
Advertisement
-
Klyk
In winter especially, this hole-in-the-wall club is appreciated by locals above all for its opening hours. For you can choose simply to sip your drinks at the tiny bar, or penetrate out the back to shake your thing around to a variety of sounds, depending on the evening. House nights alternate with mainstream pop, R 'n' B and hip-hop.
-
La Dolce Vita
One of the most popular pre-club hang-outs, this place gets so packed with wealthy wannabes that you might never see the bar. An outdoor terrace helps you forget you're in a car park, although the self-consciously beautiful regulars don't quite make you feel like you're at home.
-
La Rotonda
This cavernous place spreads over two floors. Part pub, part music bar (sometimes with live action), it offers simple grub and attracts a largely Italian crowd.
-
Le Volpi e L'Uva
Florence's best wine bar is tucked away in a little piazza not far from Ponte Vecchio and offers terrific wines - that don't cost the earth - as well as a cosy outdoor terrace, delicious scatchatini (just sandwiches, but we like saying it) and friendly locals.
-
Lion's Fountain
This pub tends to attract a young, rowdy and substantially English-speaking crowd which, as it spews out into the streets towards closing time, is highly reminiscent of closing in the UK.
