jojo523

I'll be in Florence for 3 1/2 days at the end of April. I've planned all the major sites, museums, etc. I was wondering if there's time, is a visit to Fiesole worthwhile?
We don't have time for an overnight in Tuscany, but would love to do a day trip....I've read that most guided tour groups do Siena, San Giamgnamo and Pisa. Does anyone have any suggestions on what tour operators there are or a personal guide (that's not too costly) to do a day trip to some of these areas (does not have to be the villages mentioned above)? Thanks!

nytraveler

You can easily hop a train or bus in Florence and see one of the hill towns. do not reco a tour thats tries to hit 3 or 4 in one day - since you will see practically nothing - and each has several sights worth your time.

JoanneH

Fiesole is a visit worth while? yes and no. It is very interesting to see the site but the museum is not much and not really worth the 10e. JMHO,the town is small but offers great views of Florence and the bus ride (you take the #7)is a trill up and around at pretty good speeds. If it's just for the view of Florence then your better off taking the #13 bus up to the P. Michelangelo. Pisa is a great day trip from Florence. Train is quick and easy, takes about an hour to get there. Once off train you buy a bus ticket as you exit station and its another 10 min ride.

Ann1

I thought the Etruscan museum was wonderful in Fiesole. In fact we're going back this trip. You can also walk up the hill to the Abbey of San Francesco cerca 1300's and the views up there are incredible. Then you can come back to the village for a wonderful lunch. Since you can take the short bus up and down, it's possible to do it in a half day.

J62

I've been up to Fiesole a few times. On a cool, clear winter day the views are great. On a warm hazy day all you see is haze/smog over Florence. Not sure what it's like in April.

IMO the views from Pzle Michelangelo just across the Arno and up the hill are much more memorable. You are high enough to see the whole city, close enough to almost reach out and tough the Duomo, and you can see the whole sea of red roofs.

I don't think I'll be going out of my way to get to Fiesole on my next trip to Florence.

julia_t

Last July I was in Florence for 2 nights, and one full day.

On our first evening it was sweltering in the city, so we took a bus around 5.30pm up to Fiesole. The bus was very crowded, it being rush hour (so to speak), and took about 20 minutes. I got goosed by a flasher on this bus but that's another story!

Anyway we went to Bar Bleu which is right by the bus stop and drank Bellinis on the wonderful terrace overlooking the entire city. Because we were early we were able to get a table on the edge with the best view. Really well worth doing.

Then we wandered around, there was a procession celebrating a saint or a bishop (I've forgotten now) from the church so we couldn't go in, but we watched for a while, then picked a restaurant overlooking the main central area - I suppose it's a piazza but with the road passing through it may not be. And we got a bus back to Florence around 9pm in time for a nightcap of limoncello in Piazza della Signoria.

We had been to Florence before, and it was so hot we spent our day there in Siena! We got a bus around 9am to Siena, it took maybe 1 1/2 hours. We had a lovely 6 hours or so there, and took the (a/c) bus back for a cool shower and a pleasant stroll around before selecting a restaurant for dinner.

On the 3rd day we spent the morning in Florence and took the train to Pisa.

I found all the relevant bus and train timetables for trips -from Florence to Siena, Volterra, San Gimignano - all here on Fodors in searches. There is also a combination of train to somewhere like Colle D'Est (sp???) and then bus onwards. It is virtually impossible to do them all in one day, but you could do Volterra and San G in one day, getting the first bus out to San G and the last bus back from Volterra to Florence. As it won't be too hot at the end of April I would certainly consider it doable. July was too hot to consider it, even though my DD (a Twilight fan) was very keen to visit Volterra.

I think if I were to go to Florence again and want to take a day trip, I'd hire a car and drive myself.

jojo523

Thanks so much for your replies. I think we'll see what the weather is like....I did have Piazza Michaelangelo in my plans...my daughter was there recently and saw her photos with magnificent views. I'll see how we're doing on time...with enough time to just stroll through Florence as well whether we make to Fiesole. Appreciate your input!

Apres_Londee

We really enjoyed the museum in Fiesole, admission also gets you access to the small complex of Roman ruins on the grounds. We went in mid-April 3 years ago at the end of the day and we had the whole place to ourselves. I think it's a great place to go for a few short hours.

Also loved Siena, though it merits a full day at least.

Ann1

If you go to Piazzale Michelangelo walk up the hill to San Mineato. Google it for it history. If you like to walk like we do you can even walk up to the piazzale and not take the bus. Otherwise the bus takes you right up.

ira

Another vote for visiting the Bar Bleu to watch the sun set over the city.

Pick up the No. 7 bus from the E side of the SMN train station.