Florence Nightlife guide: Clubs and Discos in Florence

Are you looking for a Florence Nightlife guide? We've put together a list of our top nightlife picks in Florence. But, if you really want to have a crazy night......you might just want to get out of the city!

Spend a weekend on the Adriatic Coast in Rimini or Riccione, cities whose wild nights are famous all around Europe! Or, head west to coastal towns like Viareggio or Forte dei Marmi, home to: SevenApples, MidhoLa CannicciaFaruk and Twiga.

club and discos in florence

*Remember: in Italy, "clubs" are called "discoteche" or "discos"


The Blob Club

Via Vinegia, 21/r | 055 211209

Blob is small, unconventional club located near the Santa Croce area. It has more of an alternative feel than most clubs and has a tiny dance floor (with stripper pole!), bar, and upstairs lounge area. Italians are known to love Blob, and so do the few study abroad students that find out about it and then actually find the entrance (a bit discreet). The crowd that visits is also more alternative then the typical club go-ers you might see at Yab, mostly because of the wide music variety and the fact that it's not promoted. Each night offers a different genre of music and a different DJ. Val, the owner, is a fantastically warm-hearted guy and Blob's security is awesome (so treat the doorman nicely, and keep the noise down in the streets or you probably won't get in).  Next to the rest of Florence's clubs, Blob definitely stands out as different and way more relaxed.


Blue Velvet

Via Castello d' Altafronte, 16r | 055 215521

Blue Velvet is another classic, small downtown Florence club. It lets in Italians and foreigners, but is more popular among the latter. The relatively new club (it opened in March 2012) is open Wednesday-Sunday and hosts different types of nights and events. It's located on a fairly unknown street and has a small door. So if you can find it, you'll be pleasantly surprised when you walk into a huge room with velvet seating everywhere (hence the name). But the real party is through a back door where you'll find a dance floor, DJ, bar, and more comfy seating lining the walls. The whole club is very dimly lit by blue lights and features the typical house music and young crowd that you would find at Full Up or Club TwentyOne. But compared to others, it's still relatively unknown so it's usually not as crowded (although there are nights where it's packed).


Club Twentyone

Via Cimatori 13/Red | 328 729 0848

If you're here to mingle with Americans and meet study abroad students from other programs, this is your spot. This small underground club is specifically for foreign students (or young foreigners who could be students) and there'sno cover charge. You will not see Italians here; they literally won't let them in and rarely make exceptions. Inside, there's a decent-sized dance area with a DJ, a bar with some couch seating, and a small VIP area. The club is managed by the owners of Florence For Fun, a popular student travel agency. So every Wednesday, they have a trip reunion party: anyone that traveled with them the weekend before gets a free drink with the Florence For Fun wristband they got on the trip. Also, if it's your birthday, show the staff your ID and get a free bottle of champagne! Buon compleanno!


Flog

Official website
Via Michele Mercati, 24, Firenze

For lovers of alternative and rock, this disco, concert hall, and cultural space, is mostly frequented by Italian students. The atmosphere is very relaxed. Prices for entry and drinks are much lower than the rest of Florence. Outside of the center, you can spit a taxi with friends for under €5 one way, or take the ATAF bus for €1.50 (which gets you pretty close).
How to get to Flog by bus:Take bus line 4 from Piazza Santa Maria Novella (close to the main train station) in the direction "Cappuccini" (this will appear on the screen on the front exterior of the bus).
Get off at the "Montelatici" stop and walk to Via Michele Mercati, 24 (about 190 m.)


Full Up

Via della Vigna Vecchia, 25r | +39 055 293006

Highly promoted among (mostly American) study abroad students, this club usually charges a minimal entrance fee (a few euros) or asks that you pay one drink up front. Selection at the door is lenient, so expect Italian and foreign guys on the prowl. The entire place is underground, and in addition to two bars, a couple seating areas, and a small VIP area, it has two dance floors (with one DJ), giving you another option if your not feeling the vibe or space in one.


Tenax

Official website
Via Pratese 46/R, Peretola District (near the Florence Airport)

If you like live music and are looking for a "real" club in the city (think stage, multiple rooms, balconies, VIP, lights, dancers, etc.) our suggestion is, undoubtedly, Tenax! They have a very good program of international artists and usually get all of the biggest names that come to Florence. It's located in the outskirts, but splitting a taxi with a group of friends is under €5 each way - WORTH IT! You can also get to Tenax, fairly easily, by ATAF busTake line 22 (in the direction "Lippi e Macia" - this will be on the screen on the front of the bus) from the "Stazione Piazza Dell'Unità " stop (in front of Grand Hotel Baglioni, near the Santa Maria Novella train station)
Get off at the "Pierluigi da Palestrina" stop
Get on one of 3 bus lines: line 30B (in the direction "Piazza Togliatti") or line 30A (in the direction "Campi Bisenzio Galilei") or line 29BA (in the direction "Adige")
Get off at the stop "Peretola" and walk to Via Pratese, 46!


YAB

Official website
Via Sassetti, 5R, Firenze

Famous in town for hip-hop, this is one of the truest "clubs" in the center of Florence (all of the other big-and-flashy ones are located outside the city walls). If you miss the big-city atmosphere, this is the right place to spend a night! It attracts a nice balance of Italians, foreigners, study abroad students, but all the space inside doesn't mean it won't be packed. There's a huge dance floor (made of illuminated block tiles) surrounded by various couches and vip corners, with an outer ring of bars to get your drinks at. Hip-hop night is Monday, Queen of the University (student) night is Wednesday; and from Thursday to Saturday, they serve a several-course dinner with wine, coffee, and an after-meal drink for a fixed price of around €15. The club is closed on Tuesdays and Sundays.

One tip that you should know: you have to pay a minimum €10 to get OUT of Yab. Upon entering, you don't pay anything and you are handed a drink card. The card already has one drink charged on it, which you can "redeem" at any of the bars. After that, every time you buy a drink your card is stamped and charged. To get out of the club, you have to pay your balance (at least the cost of the one, pre-charged, €10 drink - if you didn't order any more after that). However if you lose this card, you pay a hefty €50 fine (ok if you actually drank €50's worth of drinks, bad if you had the one-drink minimum).