florence...fiesole

Most people here who've mentioned Fiesole have taken the bus. Probable reason: It's an 8-mile hike, roundtrip, from the Florence historic center. To browse prior discussions that have details on how to get there by bus, go here and browse some of the threads: http://tinyurl.com/23wazmk 8 miles including a good bit of uphill would take a fit hiker at least 3 hrs, just for the walking, maybe more like 4 hrs of trudging. If you're looking for some more productive uphill walking in Florence, choices offering more fun are: Walk up the hill (or walk down) to Piazzale Michelangelo, on the south side of the Arno. And for one of the best views in town, don't forget to climb the Duomo.

Fiesole would be a very long walk from central Florence and quite a steep uphill climb toward the end. You might take the bus to Fiesole, scope out the interesting parts along the route, and then walk back part or all of the way. Me, I took the bus both ways.

matthew, As I recall, one of the Red Bus tours goes to Fiesole (there are two Red Bus routes in Florence). That's the method I use, as it allows one to hop off, explore for awhile and then hop on the next Bus. Happy travels!

Bus and car. It is quite steep.

Why not take the public bus up and then decide if you want to walk down. It is steep!

FiesoleTook bus both ways! As kent said above hike up to P. Michelangelo for amazing views. Or you can take the bus to P. Mich. and hike back down. We hiked up and down for great exercise!

Two ways up to P. Michelangelo. There's the Station of Christ stairs and the circuitous trails. The trails aren't that much: I'd go right up the Stairs. Then continue to San Miniato. The funny thing is that it seems there were many early Christians that had their heads cut off only to carry said heads up a hill to be buried in the place of their choice. Its a standard story.