Florence Italy

I would guess the hop on/off bus isn't terrifically useful in Florence, since busses aren't allowed in many of the areas with sites of interest. You just specify shopping, which you can do on your own with a map. If by "see the sites" you mean something beyond shopping, and you have only one day, you might sign up for a walking tour. It will give you an overview, which should be fine if you don't want to spend lots of time with art in museums. I always use Context Florence, but they may not be your best bet; their tours typically focus on history/art/architecture/culture/etc. I've not seen much shopping (which is one of the reasons I like them). The Rick Steves guidebook provides information about good tour operators.

Elsa, I've used the Hop On / Hop Off Red Bus tours in Florence, and even if they don't get into the central part of the city, they're a good way to get an overview of the sights. They have two routes, one of which includes a trip up to Fiesole. You can see the details on THIS website. If you'd like to tour more in the main part of the city, you could also consider a SEGWAY Tour They're a bit pricey but a lot of fun and no ZTL worries! Happy travels!

I looked at the maps that Ken provided and frankly I don't see a lot of value in those routes. All the main sites are not accessible to the buses and the only itinerary that is 'touristically' relevant is on the Viale dei Colli (up to Piazzale Michelangelo) (9 to 12 on the blue line no. 2) and maybe Fiesole. But you can do both with an ATAF city bus for 1,20 euro for a 1 hr period (starting from the first validation) on any bus (Bus no. 7 to Fiesole and no. 12/13 to Piazzale Michelangelo). Better yet you can buy a 24 ticket for Euro 5 or a 3 day ticket for Euro 12 and take all the city buses you want all day, including the Electric Minibuses that are allowed in the city center. http://www.ataf.net/en/fares/tickets.aspx?idC=82&LN=en-US I see more value on a walking tour or a segway tour for Florence.

We visited Florence for 1 day last trip-arrived by Train at 9am and departed after dinner at 8:30. To maximize the sightweeing, we decided to take a Segway tour from 10-1pm. There were only 4 people on the tour (I think they only allow a max of 6 or 8), we had headphones in the helmuts and had a great tour guide with some history and overview of many of the sites. And while you stand, it was a great break from all the walking we'd done. In addition since you are about 10" above the ground, you can easily see above the crowds.

Much as I loath the idea of jumping on a tourbus with 50 other people and listening to a recorded blurb which may or may not be in sync with what you are viewing out the window (yes, this has happened to me in Florence!), occasionally they do provide a useful introduction to cities. As most of the visitor sites in Florence are central, within easy walking distance from one another, and now off limits to the hop-on hop-off buses, (like the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio etc), it is debatable whether this is the best way to see Florence. I wouldn't rule it out.