Any suggestions for daytrips or overnight stay from Florence.
thanks

Some daytrips/overnight trips to think about are to Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano, and even Rome. Those are just my suggestions. I wouldn't overnight in Pisa though. San Gimignano you can either take the train and get out at Poggibonsi and then take either taxi or bus to get to the city.

I found Pisa and Siena wonderful and easy day trips from Florence by train.

The cathedral in Siena was awe-inspiring and the town very charming and manageable. Pisa for the day is really just for the Tower but it is amazing to see in person.

Add Lucca to the list (Easy by train), and a half day trip up into the hills to Fiesole. I would use a bus to Siena, and not the train. Firstly it is direct (Trains need a change at Empoli), and secondly, the bus arrives in Siena itself, whereas the train station is a mile below the town, and a steep walk.

If you were only interested in the tower in Pisa (and I think that the Duomo and Baptistery are nearly the Equal to Florence and Siena), then you could take a train to Pisa Central, go to the Campo dei miracoli (the location of the tower and Duomo), then get a train from Pisa s.rossare (the station close to the campo) to Lucca (20 minutes journey) for the rest of the day.

I echo the good suggestions here. WE took a day trip to Sienna by bus, but given the awful traffic in florence, and the pain of finding the bus station - [hidden very effectively round the corner from the railway station] I would take the train another time. We also stayed in Pisa, cos were flew out of the airport, but the train journey was only about 1 1/4 hours.
AS for Fiesole, it's more than a half day to do it justice, IMO. You should walk up past the cathedral and the public gardens to the monastery - make sure you see the free museum under the church full of chinese and indian artifacts as well as an egyptian mummy!- then follow the paths back through the gardens below the monastery back to the town, and the roman amphitheatre. If you do all this, and the museum opposite, you'll take most of the day.
we had lunch at the restaurant just by the roman remains [across the road from the bus stop] and it was very good for the price.
I'm sure you'll have a great time.
Good luck!

Here is suggestion:

Lucca - http://www.tuscanweb.com/news/?ID=189

Siena - http://www.tuscanweb.com/news/?ID=121

Arezzo - http://www.tuscanweb.com/news/?ID=107

San Gimignano - http://www.tuscanweb.com/news/?ID=97

Fiesole - http://www.tuscanweb.com/news/?ID=71

Volterra - http://www.tuscanweb.com/news/?ID=100

Hi M,

Bologna and Orvieto are also nice daytrips.

You could overnight to Venice.

I spent five nights in Florence this spring and did two very nice day trips while I was there. The first trip was by train to Lucca (about an hour), then train to Pisa (less than an hour) and then return train to Florence (about an hour). Lucca is fairly compact, so you can see all of the sites within a 20 minute walk of the railway station. Pisa has two stations, one near the Campo de Miracoli (Leaning Tower, etc.) and another one across the river. It was a pleasant walk through town and across the Arno river to the second (main) station to catch our train back to Florence.
We also rented a car and headed out to Volterra, which is a fascinating hilltown to the south and west of Florence. We had been to San Gimigano on a prior trip, so we did not stop there, but it is very close to Volterra and you could do both towns in one day.
I very much agree that Siena is a wonderful place to visit, but it is the second-largest city in Tuscany and might not be my first choice for a day trip out of Florence. I would prefer San Gimigano, Volterra or one of the other smaller towns as a counterpoint to big, bustling Florence. Have a great trip.

Thanks for the advice. Ira I plan on staying in Venice for 3 nights. maybe an overnight in Naples.

The above are all very good suggestions. I just got back from my second trip to Florence. I highly recommned the train to where ever you go. For Fiesole you would need to dedicate only four hours which includes transportaion and your visit, no overnight stay needed. You can catch the bus from the Santa Novela train station, I think bus number 7. It takes 20 minutes to get there. For another suggestion, I stopped in Cortona on my way from Rome to Florence for the night and had an incredible time. Cortona was very enchanting and a lot to do. But just sitting in one of Cortona's Piazzas is nice too. Take a walk up to the church (20 minutes) then 5 minutes higher to the fortress to overlook all of Tuscany. No better place to be! Staying over night in Cortona (or any other small town) is wonderful because you get the real flavor of the town. To get to Cortona you'll get off the train at Camuccia and take a bus (3km) to the towm. There's a great hotel right at the bus round about. Hotel San Luca. Another nice day trip might be to the Cinque Terre. I did that trip as well and there are many lovely rooms to stay at. You don't even need reservations. The train from Florence will take you to La Spezia, then there's a local train that connects the five towns together. You can even walk between the towns and you get an excellent view of the sea. I sat in a vineyard, overlooking the town of Cornelia to one side, the vineyard to the other and the sea straight ahead. Where ever you go, I'm sure you'll enjoy.