Where to Meet Friends Near Florence-Afraid to drive into city

Piazzale Michelangelo is just across the river with great views of the city. It can also be quite crowded, but you'll have a beautiful place to wait for your friends. There's a bar/restaurant on the level just below the Piazza itself, but I don't recall the name of the place.

If your friends aren't comfortable traveling, and they will have luggage with them, I would suggest picking some place else to meet. It's quite a long - uphill, with stairs - walk from the train station to Piazzale Michelangelo. I imagine that eventually you'd find each other (perhaps you could specifiy under the statue). Instead, I would recommend you park and then go meet up with your friends somewhere more obvious/easier to get to. Perhaps the entrance to the Galileo Museum. You won't find the crowds there, but it's easy to find.

Thanks so much for the replies. I was thinking it might be smart for us to meet my friends at the train station or somewhere just outside of it. Is the Galileo Museum very close by? Since we really want to avoid driving in the city (chaos and the ZTLs!) I'm wondering where the best place might be for us to park just outside the center if Piazzale Michelangelo may not be the best? My friends will each have only one small bag and they could take a taxi.

Two years ago, we stayed at the Hilton Metropole on the outskirts of Florence in the Scandicci area. It's easily accessible from the autostrada. There is a shopping mall next to the hotel that has public parking. Busses go into the city from this location. In checking google maps, bus 58 leaves from this location and connects with tram 1 which would then take you to the main train station. Outside the train station, there is a McDonald's with a wonderful McCafe. I know, McD's. This is what I would do if I was meeting friends. By the way, this Hilton has a shuttle that takes you directly to the train station. However, it's supposed to be only for guests.

I chose Galileo Museum because it's between the two places. It's not particularly close to the train station. If you want closer to the train station, you could chose the Santa Maria Novella church that's right by it and meet by the entrance.

There is a bus, or was when I rode it several years ago to P Michaelangelo, and its quite scenic, but agree with Dina that it is some walk. All the way cross town then across the river then through the rose garden then up, up, up. There's a reason that young couples go up there for the view - it is a great view. I might suggest Fiasole, easy(ish-for Florence) parking and reasonably easy to reach by number 7 bus, and other great views and good food and where my wife and I buy a plate every time we are in Florence. Unless you are absolutely positively completely certain that you can avoid all ZTLs, bus lanes, one way roads and other obstacles including hundreds of motorinos, I would strongly advise avoiding the downtown area by car and especially around the station. I drive in Italy frequently, using my own car, and using a GPS I use daily, and I have never been so misplaced as when I was certain of where I was in Florence. (I wasn't where I knew thought I was). By some magic - mostly because it was before most ZTLs - I avoided a ticket. I wouldn't want to predict that today.