If you’re a digital nomad or a study abroad student in Florence, at one point or another you’re going to find yourself looking for a laptop-friendly cafe in Florence to work from in the city.
Finding a cafe in Florence to work or study at isn’t always easy. Most of the cafes in Florence are pretty tiny and being a tourist hot-spot they can get pretty packed. To save you from spending more time wandering the city from cafe to cafe rather than getting your work done, I’ve created a list of the most laptop-friendly cafes in Florence.
La Cite
This is by far one of the best places to order a cappuccino, open your laptop and get working. Its bohemian vibes of mixed and mashed furniture, random books, and young crowd make it an inspiring place to work from. It’s extremely low-key, with two rooms on the main floor and an upstairs in both rooms that overlook the main floor.
This was my go-to spot while studying for my master’s degree since it’s one of the best laptop friendly cafes In Florence, plus It’s on a super popular nightlife street for the young locals, so after you can’t work anymore order a bottle of wine and enjoy where the night takes you.
La Ménagère
Another great cafe in Florence for working or studying is La Ménagère. If you like to be surrounded by the finer things, and appreciate an aesthetically pleasing interior, this is should be on the top of your list for laptop friendly cafes In Florence. Thanks to its in-house flower shop and interior store, the cafe is one of the most unique destinations in Florence. Plus they do everything well, it makes the list of the top restaurants, cafes, concept stores, and places for aperitivo in Florence.
This place is popular with tourists and Florentines alike (it’s nearly impossible to walk by and not want to pop inside) so make sure you get there early or avoid going directly at the lunch hour to find a table, there is usually plenty of room at the “big table” which they let people work at outside of the dinner hours.
Ditta Artigianale
Ditta is a classic 3rd wave-style coffee shop in Florence. I wrote about it in my best coffee shops in Florence article, because they brew some pretty good coffee.
They have four locations throughout Florence and they’re all work-friendly. The San’Ambrogio location has the most space— but my heart will always go to the one near Piazza Passera. None the less all of their locations are laptop friendly cafes in Florence.
Besides being a great cafe to work from, they have classic brunch food, and of course some yummy bakery— including vegan croissants.
Floret
This spot is one of my favorite cafes in Florence to get healthy food, but it’s also a great place to work from. It’s a stone’s throw from the Duomo, but its discreet location above Luisa Via Roma has kept it from becoming overrun by tourists. They have everything you could need for a day of remote working, beautiful interiors, internet, delicious juices, chai teas, and healthy snacks.
To find this cafe, just head to the fashion store Luisa Via Roma, head up the stairs and turn left at the top. You’ll find yourself walking into what looks like a tropical oasis.
Santa Rosa
This off-the-beaten-path bistro is one of the absolute best cafes in Florence. Not only because it’s laptop friendly, but it has a big garden that makes you feel like you’re outside of the city— don’t fret if the weather isn’t great they have an indoor area with floor-to-ceiling windows, and covered outdoor seating.
Around lunch the place is always packed with Polimoda students and locals enjoying their lunch breaks, so avoid going around 1/1:30-2:00 because you’ll be hard-pressed to find a table without a reservation. In the summer you can expect live music during the aperitivo hour in the garden, which is a welcome reward after a long day of working or studying.
Le Murate
Around the corner from the San’Ambrogio market theirs a cafe tucked away in the walls of an old Jail. This cafe makes a great study spot. It’s virtually unknown to tourists and rarely discovered by study abroad students so you’ll be with a highly local crowd. The overall vibe is grungy and alternative— they often have DJs and bands in the evening. In the summer they screen films (in Italian) so if you want a place to work with a bite of today’s Italian culture, this is your spot.
Todo Modo
Todo Modo is a bookstore in the center of the city. What you can’t tell from the outside is that if you go into the bookstore and through the back hallway you’ll find a cafe in the back that is small but has the perfect atmosphere for getting a couple of hours of work done. It’s not easy to get a spot since it’s not huge, but if you get there early or after the lunch hour you’ll have better luck finding a place.
La Via del Tè (Oltrarno)
A hidden gem of a cafe in Florence to work from is a little tea store in the Oltrarno neighborhood. While at first glimpse it looks like a normal tea shop, if you walk through towards the back you’ll find a small cafe that is typically empty. The cafe has wifi, and you never feel pressured to leave. You can get small tea sandwiches with a pot of any of their teas, or go for a classic English scone. It’s truly one of the best kept secrets in Florence.
*note that there are multiple locations but only the Oltrarno location has a cafe that suits working.
The Social Hub cafe
The social hub used to be The Student Hotel, and while it’s still a hotel, it also has a cafe that doubles as a coworking space. Just be sure to make sure you’re in the right area because there’s also a restaurant in the same space, but if you’re standing looking at the bar, the coworking area is to the left and the restaurant is to the right.
The Stellar at Nana Bianca
Nana Bianca is somewhat of a newcomer to Florence. It’s an innovation hub and coworking space, that is by membership. However, the ground floor has a cafe called The Stellar that’s open to the public and has tons of room and tables to work from. It’s another place you’ll never feel pressured to leave. It gets extremely busy around lunch (12:45-2 pm) time when all the people from the innovation hub come down to eat at the cafe, so secure your spot before then, or come after 2 pm to get a place.
