fiesole or florence

linda,

I'd suggest staying in Florence, as there will be more to do in the evenings, as well as a greater choice of nice restaurants. I always enjoy wandering around watching the street entertainers and other activities, and it's nice to be closer to transportation for taking day trips. Fiesole tends to be a bit "quiet" in the evenings.

Since this is your friend's first trip to Florence, I would stay in the city. Florence is one of the cities I most enjoy being surrounded by, no matter how long I stay there.

I would agree with Zoe and Ken to stay in Florence rather than Fiesole... unless you're planning to stay at the Belmond Villa San Michele. It's an incredible hotel and running some huge promos through the summer for families. This hotel might encourage me to stay in Fiesole as it's very impressive. But for a first-time visitor, I'd agree that staying in-Florence will give you a more complete experience!

I agree that it would be better to stay in Florence but if it's Fiesole, it's the Number 7 bus from the bus area adjacent to the main train station.

My vote would be to stay in Florence. I prefer to be in town instead of busing back and forth. Fiesole feels like the suburbs and I truly enjoy walking around Florence in the evening after dinner and wouldn't want to worry about a bus schedule. You can also easily go back to your room if you forgot something or if you wanted to take a break. Stay in town and have more flexibility.

I am the odd person out. i love Fiesole because it's quiet, whereas Florence can be very noisy at night. There are some nice hotels in Fiesole that don't cost a fortune and the trip into Florence on the bus is very easy.