Emerald Fields & Emerald Palace Hostels in Florence

Since the Emerald Fields hostel in Florence is in an apartment building about a 10 minute walk from the train station, I can only assume that the name “Emerald Fields” refers to the beautiful Tuscan hills that surround the city. In any case, you probably aren’t expecting rolling green fields in your hostel anyway, so the lack of them in this hostel won’t be too much of a shock, I hope.

Back then, Emerald Fields was the headquarters for three hostels under the same management umbrella: Emerald Fields itself, Emerald Palace right across the street, and Emerald House, a set of private double rooms on Via Guelfa. Things have moved around since then. Emerald Fields is now at Via Guelfa 59 and Emerald Palace is at Via dell’Ariento 2, by the San Lorenzo market, a few minutes’ walk apart and both close to Santa Maria Novella station. Emerald House no longer shows up in the hostel listings. So the buildings and rooms in my photos below aren’t the ones you’ll check into.

When I visited, I got tours of Emerald Fields and Emerald Palace only, so that’s what I’m going to focus on here - these two properties were the ones with dorm rooms (Emerald House only had double rooms, more like staying in a really budget hotel), so they were really the only ones that can be considered true hostels anyway.

L-R: Lounge/computer area (reception is in this same room) & a dorm room at Emerald Fields

The Emerald empire was run by Marco and Antonio, and the Fields and Palace locations I saw were cozy spaces. They were both in old Florence apartment buildings (the former didn’t have an elevator, and the latter’s elevator wasn’t generally for hostel guests, so you had to get used to stairs), and each had lots of big windows letting in the Tuscan sunlight. In fact, in Emerald Fields, the hostel occupied the top floor of the building, so the rooms even had great big skylights - one of which was positioned perfectly over the giant bathtub in the shared bathroom.

One of the shared bathrooms at Emerald Fields, complete with giant tub and skylight!

The dorm rooms may have had several beds in them, but they were definitely not cookie-cutter - these were, after all, former Italian apartments, so each room had its own character (some even had fireplaces, though I don’t know if they actually worked anymore).

L-R: Dorm room & kitchen at Emerald Palace

All in all, my impression of the Emerald Fields hostel & Emerald Palace hostel were that they were clean and cozy and rather inviting. They didn’t feel like some of the hostels I’ve seen, the ones with giant, clinical dorm rooms, because they just don’t have the space to do that anyway. You may feel more like you’re staying in that apartment your friend’s cousin’s co-worker has in Florence rather than in a hostel, which is just fine by me.

Location: Emerald Fields, Via Guelfa 59; Emerald Palace, Via dell’Ariento 2; both in Florence
The rest of these details are from my visit, so check the current listings before you book.
Common Areas: Both Emerald Fields & Emerald Palace have lounge areas, computers for guest use, and dining areas.
Dorms: Emerald Fields & Emerald Palace have only dorm rooms.
Curfew/Lockout: There’s no curfew, but there’s a lockout period from 11:00-14:00 for cleaning purposes.
Check-in/Check-out: Reception is only open from 09:00 until 21:00; if you must check in outside those hours you have to arrange that in advance.
Transportation Options: It’s not a long walk from the train station (but with heavy bags you may opt to take a taxi).
Safety: The buildings the hostels are in are all behind locked doors; you need to buzz the desk to get into Emerald Fields, and you can’t get into the other properties without a key, so that felt very safe. Emerald Fields & Emerald Palace are both right off very busy streets, but they also felt safe.
Fun Factor: The hostels were quiet when I visited, but they’re not huge, so my guess is you’d get to know the other people staying in the hostel pretty easily and could join in for a night on the town.
Freebies: linens, internet, WiFi, jam & bread in the morning, luggage storage
Extras You’ve Got to Pay For: coffee will cost you 50 cents in the morning, laundry facilities will cost you
Good to Know: There are some smoking rooms, so if you want to be sure to not end up in one you’ll want to state that up front.
Children aren’t allowed in the Emerald hostels.
The Emerald staff can help you set up adventure trips in Tuscany, including skydiving trips and bike tours, as well as register you for their Florence pub crawl and get you tickets to Florence’s top museums. Ask about any of these at the front desk at Emerald Fields.
Payment Accepted: cash, major credit cards
Booking: Emerald Fields and Emerald Palace are both listed on Hostelworld.