Florence: Where to stay outside of city?
 

We want to stay outside the city of Florence for 3 nights. Would like to be able to visit Florence for one day but countryside other days.
Will fly out of Pisa so it needs to be accessible on the day we go to airport (ie, on the Pisa side of Florence)
Budget is very flexible.

If you want to spend a long, full day in Florence, consider staying in Fiesole in a place where you can park your car, and using the bus or a taxi to take a 15 minute ride to the center of Florence.

If you like, you can stay in the Chianti region, on a farm or in a country village, but then you need to get excellent directions about where to park your car in Florence and you have a longer drive to Pisa.

You can stay in the town of San Miniato in between Florence and Pisa, and take the train to Florence and have an easier drive to Pisa when you need to leave.

You could also stay in the town of Certaldo and have a train connection to Florence, if you would prefer to be a bit further south.

There are actually about a zillion choices, but if you are driving to Florence for your day trip, you don't want to get too far away from it, and you need very good directions about where to park your car so you don't get multiple tickets that are very expensive.

Friends have stayed here a couple of times.

http://www.letorri.com/index.php?dis...hianti-tuscany

Low budget would mean you find lodgings somewhere along the railroad between Florence and Pisa, relatively close to a train station of sufficient importance. There are not many of them between Pisa and Florence, Empoli is one of them, but then what is there to see in and around Empoli...

Less low budget would mean you settle in beautiful Chianti with public transport accessibility for Florence and take a taxi for Pisa airport upon departing...

Did this person say they needed low budget accommodations?

You might also look at a place like this one but you'd definitely need a car.

http://www.ricavo.com/filosofia-e.htm

so looks like chianti is best location. Any thoughts on travel to and from Florence for a day trip?

We drove into Florence from Chianti.You can park at the train station or in a lot on the outside area of the city, then take a taxi(if you find one)or take a bus to the city center.

Look at a map. Chianti is southeast of Florence. Pisa is west of Florence. So if you want to stay between Florence and Pisa, Chianti is not the place.

That said, none of these places are very far apart. Arezzo to Pisa airport is about 2 hours. But if you plan to drive there on the day of your flight, allow lots of time. There's always the chance of a traffic jam.

One possibility is to go to Florence on the last of your 3 days, drop your car there, and take the 1-hour direct train from Florence to Pisa airport.

We liked the sheraton.
Free bus to Florence and on the ring around Florence
easy to get to Pisa
free parking and breakfast

If you don't want to drive from Chianti to Pisa airport, you can drop off your car in Florence airport and take a bus from Florence airport to Pisa airport. That is easier than driving into the city of Florence to return the car and then going to the train station to take a train (because you will need to switch trains in Pisa to get to Pisa airport).

http://www.terravision.eu/pisa_price_timetable.html

But it might take you longer to drive to Florence and get rid of your car and then take public transportation than it would to just stay in your car all the way to Pisa airport.

Either way, you should leave plenty of time to get your flight if you are starting out from Chianti.

I notice you didn't actually say you had a car which I would find to be a complete nuisance in the Florence area when trains are so efficient. Last time in Florence I did a fabulous day trip by coach to Siena, San Gimingano and Pisa, with a lunch stop at a farm, one of the best days ever. You could consider your last night in Lucca which is on the way between Florence and Pisa and worth a visit. If you do the above circle day tour by car starting from Florence taking in Chianti region as well and ending up in Pisa you won't be panicked about getting to the airport on time. Also a thumbs up for our farm lunch as they are also a farm stay, Fattoria Poggio Alloro, lovely family and beautiful scenery.

A charming place to stay in Fiesole is the Pensione Bencista. There is parking if you do have a car, but the #7 bus down to Florence is a few minutes' walk away.

There are non-stop trains between Florence and Pisa airport -- if they fit your schedule.

What I suggested is spending the last of the OP's three days in Florence, dropping the car upon arrival, doing the Florence sightseeing, spending the night in Florence, then taking the train the next morning. But that is another change of hotel. Plus the complications of driving in Florence avoiding the ZTLs. So maybe not.

Villa il Poggiale
San Casciano Val di Pesa ??

As loretta, infoseps and many others I vote for Chianti.
Here are my suggestions:

http://www.borgopietrafitta.com/ --> Castellina in Chianti
http://www.relaissantachiara.com/ --> San Gimignano
http://www.leonbianco.com/ --> San Gimignano
http://www.hotelterrerosse.com/ --> San Gimignano
http://www.hotelalcide.com/ --> Poggibonsi

Pisa is less than an hour far from all these if you rent a car.